Teiji Tominaga Chosen as 23rd President of Tohoku University

Teiji Tominaga of the Graduate School of Medicine has been named the 23rd president of Tohoku University. He will succeed President Hideo Ohno, who has been at the helm since 2018.

Tominaga is an alumnus whose association with Tohoku University spans more than four decades. He graduated in 1982 from the School of Medicine and received his Ph.D. in 1989.

He is currently an Executive Vice President for Co-creation Strategy, Disaster Reconstruction and Regeneration, and a professor at the Graduate School of Medicine’s Department of Neurosurgery. He has also held various leadership positions at Tohoku University Hospital, and was director from 2019 – 22, leading the hospital through the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Describing his appointment as “an immense honour,” Tominaga expressed his confidence that his past experiences, particularly at Tohoku University Hospital, have prepared him for the new challenge ahead.

“Tohoku University Hospital accounts for a third of the entire university in terms of finances and number of employees, and the staff is composed of people from many different professions and backgrounds,” he said. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, we rallied together for a common goal. And I believe that experience of uniting people will translate well in many situations at the university going forward.”

Tominaga also indicated that creating opportunities for young researchers, as well as encouraging more community and industry collaboration will be among the issues he hopes to promote when he takes office.

“There are academic fields that are traditionally not considered suitable for collaboration, and that is unfortunate,” he said. “I think our job should be to change this way of thinking. Every academic field has its worth and it is our responsibility to promote them as much as possible.”

Tominaga will begin his term as president on April 1, 2024 and serve for six years until March 2030.