国際交流・留学

Name: Paola Rispoli
Home Institution/ Country: University of Trieste, Italy
Year of university: Third year PhD student
Designated department at Shinshu University: Histology and Embryology
Training Period: from Jan.15, 2024 to Jul.1, 2024
Training: Clinical training

1. What made you come train at Shinshu University School of Medicine and how did you find the School through your stay?
The reason why I chose to have my training at Shinshu University is related to the strong collaboration existing between the research group I am working with in the University of Trieste and Shinshu University. The period spent at Shinshu University was really helpful to my PhD research project, providing me the opportunity to get important results for my thesis.

2. Please describe your training at host department/lab.
My training in the department of Histology and Embryology of Shinshu University focused on the development of exocrine pancreatic organoids starting from human induced pluripotent stem cells. This topic is an important part of my PhD project and in Shinshu University I had the opportunity to learn new laboratory techniques in this field.

3. Please list what you have gained from your experiences through the training at Shinshu University and the stay in Matsumoto, Japan.
From the research point of view, my training at Shinshu University helped me in learning new techniques related to the development of iPSC-derived exocrine pancreatic organoids and their molecular characterization. Moreover, the collaboration with a new research team was really helpful for my teamwork and communication skills.
In addition, during my period in Matsumoto I had the opportunity to meet new people and discover a new culture. I also learnt some basic words and sentences in Japanese, thus contributing to my general knowledge of new languages.

4. How do you think you can apply those experiences to your future career?
The experience at Shinshu University will be really useful for my future career. Particularly, since I would like to work in the research and academic field, the skills acquired during this period will help me in my future research. Moreover, the improvement in my teamwork abilities will be useful for the next experiences abroad that I am planning to do.

5. Advice to those who are interested in studying at Shinshu University.
I strongly recommend to students and PhD students who are interested in having an experience in another country to spend a period at Shinshu University. This place offers the opportunity of professional and personal growth. All the people in Shinshu University were enthusiastic to welcome me, making me feel integrated. In addition, the campus is well organized, with an excellent academic environment including many facilities for students.
Moreover, Matsumoto is a very beautiful place where to live, surrounded by beautiful mountains and nature. All the people in Matsumoto are really friendly and always enthusiastic to meet new people.