Professor Shigehiro Hashimoto is Doctor of Medicine from Kitasato University in 1987, and Doctor of Engineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1990. Professor Hashimoto was Research Associate at School of Medicine, Kitasato University, (1981-1989), Assistant Professor in School of Medicine, Kitasato University (1989 -1994), Associate Professor at Department of Electronics, Osaka Institute of Technology (1994-2001), and Professor at Osaka Institute of Technology (2001-2011). He also was the Creator of the first Department of Biomedical Engineering in Japan at Osaka Institute of Technology (2005) and Director of its Medical Engineering Research Center (2005-2011). He was Associate to President and Dean of Admissions Center of Kogakuin University, Japan (2012-2018). He is current Councilor, and Dean, Faculty of Engineering of Kogakuin University, Japan (2018-). Professor Hashimoto experienced internship in Research Center for Artificial Heart in Free University in Berlin, Germany in 1977.
The term of "Gerontechnology" is used as an interdisciplinary field combining gerontology and technology. Gerontology is picked up in the aging society in the world. In Japan, for example, the generation balance will change in a few years. A variety of technology, on the other hand, will help the ageing society, including assistive technology.
In "Biomedical Engineering", the human being is analyzed by the engineering methodology, and the engineered design is applied to the human being. Between the engineered system and biological system, the interface has been studied and the collaborative system has been designed. You can find out the same base of philosophy between "Biomedical Engineering" and "Gerontechnology".
The effectiveness of the cross cultural seminar on multidisciplinary learning has been discussed in relation to "Biomedical Engineering" and "Gerontechnology". Several multidisciplinary learning programs have been practiced in the biomedical engineering field: in Japan, in Thailand, and in USA. Some of them are cross-cultural student-seminars. They have learned how to communicate with students, who have a variety of studying backgrounds and a variety of cultural backgrounds. The training awakes students to several points: thinking from a different point of view, and using various communication tools. The process extends the communication skill, and helps cross-cultural understandings, and compensate the gap of generation.
