On December 18, the third HSLP Retreat was held at TMDU Faculty Lounge on the top floor of M&D Tower. The Retreat was planned and organized by five core members; Eiko, Sopak, Yuki, Ayane, and Shuhei. More than 80 HSLP students from 1st year to 4th year attended, along with program faculty and staff. The objective of this year’s retreat was to have students reflect on what they have learned in HSLP and to think about how they could apply and connect what they gained to their future careers.

The session started with an opening remark by Eiko, followed by a presentation given by ProSeed: second-year students who qualified to the final round of Go Global Japan Expo 2016. We then had a short group discussion led by Shuhei with the aim of exchanging the experiences in HSLP among seniors and juniors. Subsequently, two third year students, Masahiro and Pak, gave inspiring presentations about their outside leadership experiences which encouraged juniors and seniors alike. In the second group discussion which was facilitated by Yuki, students discussed, in groups, Refugee problem from global perspective by applying their research findings and critical thinking skills. This was followed by the presentations by our 4th year students who came back from overseas studies. They shared insights and perspectives that they acquired or broadened through these experiences, particularly concerning cultural differences. The retreat ended by students expressing their gratitude to program faculty and staffs for their support, followed by a closing remark by Professor Takada who introduced the concept of “Core Values”, the most important element of successful organizations.

Throughout the retreat, members reflected on what they have learned and were inspired by the achievements of community members inside and outside the program. We, as core members and organizers, will be grateful if the this event encouraged all the HSLP community members to get out of their comfort zones, take actions, and make important steps toward becoming future global leaders in health and medicine.