PROFILES
Dr. Koji Hisatake
Professor, Principal Investigator of the Laboratory of Gene Regulation
Head of the Medical English Communications Center
Professor Hisatake’s areas of research are the regulatory mechanism of eukaryotic transcription as well as the epigenetic regulation of iPSC induction. He teaches courses in biochemistry and molecular biology at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. In addition to his research and teaching duties, he is involved in coordination of the G30 program and internationalization of the Medical Faculty as part of the university’s internationalization efforts.
Flaminia Miyamasu
Associate Professor, English for Medical Purposes
Medical English Communications Center
Flaminia is a board-certified Editor in the Life Sciences (BELS) http://www.bels.org. She has taught English for Medical Purposes (EMP) at the Faculty of Medicine since 2003. She helped establish the faculty’s Medical English Communications Center in 2010. She is the coauthor of a Japanese-to-English medical dictionary, 医療英会話キーワード辞典: Medical English for Hospital Staff (Igaku Shoin publishers, 2019), and her current research focuses on the metaphors people use in various discourses related to the medical field. The courses she teaches at the faculty include Clinical Communication in English I and II, English Medical Terminology I and II, English for Medical Science and Technology, and Technical English in Medical Sciences (Scientific Writing). She is an English Editorial Associate of the Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology.
Thomas Mayers
Assistant Professor, English for Medical Purposes
Medical English Communications Center
Thomas joined the University of Tsukuba in 2014. He has over 15 years of English teaching experience in Japan in national and private universities, with particular expertise in teaching scientific and medical English at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Alongside teaching activities and editing work for MECC, Thomas is also involved in many of the international activities of the university and regularly gives lectures and workshops at partner universities overseas. Since joining Tsukuba, his research has been on 3 different topics: medical English education, end-of-life care, and nursing science, but the driving force uniting all of these is a desire to promote person-centered care. Thomas is also an active volunteer and charity fundraiser at the University of Tsukuba Hospital. The courses that Thomas teaches at the faculty include Clinical Communication in English (undergraduate level), English in Medical Science and Technology (master’s level), Mastering the TOEFL IBT (undergraduate level), English for Specialized Subjects (undergraduate level), and Scientific Presentation and Discussion (doctoral level).
Cosmin Mihail Florescu
Assistant Professor, English for Medical Purposes
Medical English Communications Center
Cosmin has recently joined the faculty of medicine of University of Tsukuba. Prior to this, he has taught for 6 years at a private medical school in Japan where he was also tasked with editing, translating and proofreading materials for medical subjects as well as for the affiliated university hospital. Before joining the world of academics, Cosmin has worked for 9 years as a full-time interpreter/translator with a particular focus on medical communications from case reports to clinical trial protocols. Cosmin’s research has mostly been dedicated to the field of language testing and on elucidating what works (and what doesn’t) for those aiming to improve their English language proficiency. He is also part of a team of researchers using corpus analysis methods to develop evidence-based vocabulary learning resources to help students master formulaic language more efficiently. In addition to his teaching duties and research activity, Cosmin is interested in creating an environment in which students and colleagues can work together to develop their public speaking skills (for TEDx-like events) as well as their listening skills with special emphasis on the role of body language and paralinguistic features in communicating empathy. Cosmin teaches Clinical Communication in English (undergraduate level), English in Medical Science and Technology (master’s level), Mastering the TOEFL ITP (undergraduate level), Mastering the TOEFL iBT (undergraduate level), and English for Specialized Subjects (undergraduate level).
