Last month, Associate Professor of Medicine, John Batsis, MD, made his second official visit to Japan for a five-day international symposium. Hosted by the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Aging in the Community’s main goal was connecting research and policy discussions with frontline practice.
The symposium was the second event of a joint program organized by UNC Global Affairs, the UNC Center for Aging and Health, and the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine. The first part of the program took place in October of 2025 with the UNC-Chapel Hill team hosting the Aging and the Family symposium. This endeavor was sponsored by the Japan Foundation, Center for Aging and Health, UNC Global Affairs, and the Carolina Aging Network.
Dr. Batsis was joined by several UNC SOM faculty including Laura Hanson, MD, MPH, Claire Larson, MD, and Meredith Gilliam, MD, from UNC’s Division of Geriatric Medicine. They were also joined by Heather Ward (Associate Provost for Global Affairs) and Tim Rose (Associate Director for Exchange and Sponsored Programs), Associate Professor Ryan Lavalley, PhD, (UNC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy of the Department of Health Sciences), and UNC SOM third-year medical student Tim Gee.
During the symposium, attendees shared insights from their own research and practice during didactic academic sessions. In addition, there were field-based learning components in which the UNC contingent visited various real-world care settings to help them contextualize the real-world differences in caring for older adults in Japan.
A Growing Collaboration
Japan has the largest proportion of older adults of any country in the world. Due to its rapidly aging population—30% of the Japanese population is aged 65 or older—it offers a perfect context with real world examples of older adult care. Although Japan has developed a wide range of community-based approaches to older adult care, the nation still faces considerable challenges both now and in the foreseeable future.
As part of the burgeoning UNC–Nagoya University academic exchange, the two universities have shared research on aging, trends in geriatric medicine, and care models for older adults in each nation. The team at UNC has played a major role in encouraging this collaboration between the two universities.
In early 2024, Nagoya University invited Dr. Batsis to give lectures and meet with researchers. A few weeks later, Nagoya University’s Professor Hiroyuki Umegaki reciprocated by visiting UNC-Chapel Hill. While here, Professor Umegaki met with Dr. Batsis, Jan Busby-Whitehead, MD, (UNC Center for Aging and Health Director), and Dr. Hanson (UNC Palliative Care Program Medical Director) to discuss further collaboration with Nagoya University.
Following Dr. Batsis’ visit, UNC Geriatrics Assistant Professor of Medicine Dr. Larson joined two UNC SOM students in Nagoya, Japan. They were part of Nagoya University School of Medicine’s Bridging Community Medicine and Innovations in Japan 2025 summer program. As part of the 2026 contingent, Dr Larson says, “I was delighted to return to Nagoya University for a second visit to further our collaborative efforts. As a clinician-educator who also works in long-term care, I am excited about the opportunity for our universities to partner in developing meaningful learning experiences for students and to examine long-term care policies and structures aimed at improving care for older adults.”
Strengthening the ties even more, UNC Global Affairs, the UNC Center for Aging and Health, and the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine held the Aging and the Family symposium in Chapel Hill last year. This three-day multi-disciplinary event brought together scholars and professionals from both institutions in October 2025.
“This collaboration demonstrates how global partnerships can move beyond dialogue to shared learning in real-world settings. By bringing together perspectives from the U.S. and Japan, we are advancing more effective, community-based approaches to aging that have relevance worldwide.” Batsis says. “This work lays the foundation for sustained collaboration through joint research, trainee exchange, and interdisciplinary training initiatives. Looking ahead, we aim to expand this partnership through co-developed grant proposals, shared data resources, and the next generation of academic exchange that bridges research, clinical care, and community-based implementation.”
This growing UNC-Nagoya collaboration offers an unparalleled opportunity for researchers and clinicians in both nations to advance geriatric medicine.
About the Center for Aging and Health
Housed within the UNC School of Medicine, the Center advances innovative, high-quality geriatrics interprofessional education, research, and clinical care. In addition, the Center works to improve the health and well-being of the aging population across North Carolina and the nation and directly supports the Division of Geriatric Medicine.