The mission of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Nagasaki University (NU) is to improve global health through the pursuit of excellence in research, postgraduate education, advanced training and consultancy in international public health and tropical medicine.

Both Universities believe that this mission is best achieved through international collaboration. By working together for a common purpose, whilst valuing differences, they can draw on a wider range of human and technical resources to tackle the major global health issues.

Nagasaki University is renowned for its work and research into infectious diseases and has a long history of collaboration with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. In 2015, the School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health (TMGH) was established to expand the global health research and teaching and accelerate collaboration with international researchers. Through working with researchers in the UK and Japan and studying within a community of global researchers, research students will have opportunities to appreciate and celebrate the diversity of cultures and approaches to improving global health. 

This joint PhD programme aims to support the mission of both universities to improve global health by offering a unique environment to students to acquire:

• competency as independent researchers;
• expertise in core research concepts, methods and skills;
• key transferable skills; and
• ability to work effectively within international collaborative groups 

History

Nagasaki University

The history of Nagasaki University goes back to 1857 when Dutch naval surgeon Dr Pompe established Igaku Denshusho, which was the oldest medical school of western style in Japan. Although Nagasaki Medical College Igaku Denshusho was completely demolished in 1945 by the atomic bomb, it has now grown into an important university that comprises seven graduate schools (Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Global Humanities and Social Sciences, Education, Economics, Engineering, Fisheries and Environmental Sciences and Biomedical Sciences) and nine faculties including Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, affiliated hospitals, libraries, the Institute of Tropical Medicine and the Atomic Bomb Disease Institute.

Nagasaki University is the only university in Japan with an Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN) since 1947, and is considered the leading university in the field of Tropical Medicine and Global Health in Japan, with overseas research stations in Kenya, Vietnam and the Philippines.

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Founded in 1899, LSHTM is renowned for its research, postgraduate studies and continuing education in public and global health, with over 4,200 students and more than 3,300 staff based all around the world with core hubs in London and at the MRC Units in The Gambia and Uganda, which joined LSHTM in February 2018.

LSHTM is working closely with partners in the UK and worldwide to address contemporary and future critical health challenges. It has a diverse and truly global community dedicated to quality cross-disciplinary research and is involved at every stage of the research pipeline, from basic science all the way through to evaluation of health interventions, providing a firm foundation of evidence for improving health.

Its mission is to improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into policy and practice.