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Research Managing Director

Area on Technology Assessment
The hub of research activities in the Area on Technology Assessment is Health Technology Assessment (HTA). Making full and comprehensive use of medical science, epidemiology, medical economics, health policy science, etc., we evaluate the impact that medical technology and implementation of health policies have on health in the broadest sense of the term ? meaning the health both of individuals and of the society as a whole. Our analysis extends to effects, efficiency, safety and security, ethics, social acceptance, etc. Currently, we are focusing on work in three research areas: (1) Life-style related diseases (evaluation of designated health checkups and health guidance); (2) Evaluation of plans to promote cancer control programs; and (3) Research on appropriate intervention for the elderly in terms of medicines and epidemiology. In concrete terms, we are conducting HTA assessments to determine the value of the government-specifi ed health checkups and health guidance programs for the prevention of life-style related diseases, since those programs are outcomes of the fi rst such intervention policy conducted at the national level anywhere in the world. We are building the largest detailed database nationwide, and are comprehensively analyzing clinical data to determine potential impacts as well as the most effi cient measures; in other words, we are achieving signifi cant results.
The Area on Technology Assessment, because of its characteristics, is expected to have benefits for interdisciplinary research. There has been a lot of interest from overseas in our research achievements, and we have begun to engage in international joint research. In the future, we will continue to maintain a wide range of academic interactions with medical doctors, public health nurses, nurses, economists, jurists, statisticians, administrative officials, etc; and will continue to widely share our most significant research outcomes.