Niigata University visit

Niigata students at Fresno State.


Niigata group with Scott Sailor in Athletic Training.

By Marilyn Miller
Physical Therapy Department

The year long planning efforts of Dr. Marilyn Miller and Dr. Akiteru Takagi became a reality March 13-15.2004, when Takagi, Dean Kurokawa, Mr Koneshi and 11 physical therapy students from Niigata University for Health and Welfare in Japan came to Fresno.

They toured the Fresno State campus and visited the Physical Therapy (PT) Department clinical partners at Community Medical Center Hospital and Sports Rehabilitation centers, as well as San Joaquin Valley Rehabilitation Hospital.

PT graduate students Rolando Witrado and Rebecca Salazar served as tour guides at Community Hospital, and PT program graduate and clinic manager Jan Erick Paris provided the tour at Community Sports Rehab, while PT adjunct faculty member Tom Mets provided the tour at SJV Rehab.

The visitors program involved Fresno State graduate students in physical therapy and undergraduate students in the IHRS major [Interdisciplinary Health and Rehabilitation Sciences], as well as Dr. Scott Sailor and students in the athletic training program.

Masuru Kanda, PT graduate student, Reika Yasumura, IHRS major, and Yugi Katsuta AT- Kinesiology major volunteered their time to serve as interpreters to clarify the English presentations for the bilingual visiting students and faculty.

Niigata students explored the Gait & Balance Lab with Dr. Burke-Doe and Professor Tyner, attended PT department courses with Dr. Martin and Professor Lentell and toured the athletic training facilities with Dr. Sailor.  

A highlight for Dr. Takagi was a reunion with Dr. Jennifer Bottomley a physical therapy classmate from Massachusetts General Hospital-BU PT graduate program. Dr. Bottomley was here to teach in the PT program elective course series which serves the Fresno State PT graduate students and community clinicians. Dr. Tagaki and Dr. Bottomley also addressed the OPTS club, speaking about PT in the U.S. and Japan.

A social evening took the Niigata faculty to dinner with local clinicians and PT faculty. Students Heather Werth and Lisa Hernandez included the Niigata students at their Chevy’s fund raiser for the national Foundation for Physical Therapy Research.

Dean Kurokawa, Dr. Tagaki and Mr. Koneshi met with several campus administrators and discussed the potential for collaborative education, research and product development opportunities with the Hitachi corporation.   Dr. Takagi demonstrated an intervention technique for a client served in the Gait and Balance lab that enhanced performance, illustrating the benefits of these international exchanges.   A few of the Niigata students expressed interest in returning to Fresno State for graduate study in the Physical Therapy Department.