♦St. Paul University PhD in Nursing Program
Kyoko Osaka RN; PHN, MSN, PhD
Graduated from SPUP PhD in Nursing 2025, MSN 2021
■Affiliation：Dean, Professor, Department of Nursing at the Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Kochi University
■Homepage of affiliation：https://www.kochi-u.ac.jp/kms/kms_ns/faculty_3-1.html
■Current initiatives
I have been a professor in the Department of Nursing at the Graduate School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Kochi University since 2019. I served as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Nursing, Kochi Prefectural University from April 2009 to July 2013, and as a lecturer in nursing at the Department of Health Biosciences, Tokushima University Graduate School from August 2013 to July 2019.
I am one of the editors of "NURSING ROBOTS: Robotic Technology and Human Caring for the Elderly", published in 2017. This book introduces past research on human-to-human and human-to-robot relationships, including artificial superintelligence in robots, to help adopt appropriate technologies to meet the demands of future healthcare efforts. Interdisciplinary collaborative research is a future vision that can be realized in terms of the Japanese idea of caregiving in an aging society. Under the guidance of Professor Tanioka, I became passionate about nursing research focusing on the study of caregiving for elderly people with dementia, interactions/transactions between elderly people and care robots, and empathic understanding in nursing. In particular, I have published a model for the intermediary role of nurses in transactive relationships with healthcare robots (MIRTH).
Furthermore, in 2025, I obtained a PhD in Nursing from St. Paul University (SPUP) with the title " Development and Validation of an In-service Education Program for Psychiatric Nurse Managers and Staff Nurses Based on the Theory of Technological Competency as Caring in Nursing." My first PhD was Engineering from Graduate School of Advanced Technology and Science, Institute of Technology and Science, Information Science and Systems Engineering in 2008. Professor Tanioka has been extremely helpful to me since I was an undergraduate student at Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare.
♦Status of Master's degree graduates
Kaori Kato, RN, MSN
( Graduated in 2017 Master's Program )
■Affiliation：Seiryukai Healthcare Corporation, Manager of Visiting Nursing Station Soyokaze, Visiting Psychiatric Nursing
■ Current Initiatives
I graduated in 2017 and have been working as a psychiatric nurse since then. In my current medical corporation, I was involved in the establishment of a visiting nurse station, and now, as the manager of a visiting nurse station, I am responsible for its operation and management. I feel that the knowledge I learned in Dr. Tanioka's lab, especially about care management through data analysis, is useful in every aspect of my work. I find it rewarding to interact with many people in a workplace where the situation changes every moment, but I also want to return to research. Therefore, I am considering the challenge of enrolling in a Ph.D. program in the future.
Mie Miyamoto RN, MSN
(Graduated in 2018 Master's Program )
■Affiliation：Deputy Director and Director of Nursing, Tokushima Prefectural Central Hospital
■ Current Initiatives
I have been admitted to a nursing graduate school in 2016. The contents of my graduate school studies helped me develop the attitude and methods to learn as a nursing manager. That is competency to think logically, conceptualize what is necessary, and communicate it to others. At graduate school, the challenge was to find time to participate in laboratory seminars after work and to give up holidays to attend classes. However, I remember that taking classes and studying with young people was refreshing and enjoyable. To be honest, I am not currently engaged in research activities, but I worry and think about nursing research with the nursing staff, read papers, and continue to learn. Finally, I would like to thank Professor Tanioka and all the other professors who provided careful guidance when I was a graduate student.
♦Achievements of Doctoral Program Graduates
Misao Miyagawa RN, MSN, PhD
（ Graduated in 2015 ）
■Affiliation：Former Professor, Faculty of Health and Welfare, Department of Nursing, Tokushima Bunri University
■Current Initiatives
I worked as a nurse at Tokushima University Hospital, but when I became the deputy head of nursing, I decided to study nursing management at graduate school. In graduate school, I learned about outcome management and worked on building a system to provide high-quality nursing care. Thanks to the guidance of Prof. Tanioka, I could complete my master's and doctoral programs. These experiences have caused an unexpected expansion of my professional life. That is, I would be involved in basic nursing education at a university. At first, I taught as a part-time lecturer while working at the hospital. After that, he approached me, and I got a job at Tokushima Bunri University. This was a change of career from a clinical to an educational field. I have devoted myself to improving the quality of nursing education. I worked there for 11 years and retired two years ago, but I am still a part-time lecturer in his classes. I am grateful to Prof. Tanioka for allowing me to gain valuable experience through his continued support and advice, such as invitations to collaborative research, not only during my time at the university but also after graduation.
Shoko Ujike RN, MSN, PhD
（ Graduated in 2016 ）
■Affiliation：Head Nurse, Mifune Hospital, San-ai-kai Medical Corporation
■Homepage of affiliation：https://www.mifune-hp.jp
■ Current Initiatives
I have continued my studies from an undergraduate level to the Ph.D. level. During my undergraduate studies, I participated in a part-time research job at Professor Tanioka's laboratory. This research site was a psychiatric hospital, which sparked my interest in psychiatric nursing, and I learned the joy of research as well as my interest in graduate research. When working in clinical psychiatric nursing, I feel that many patients with mental illness experience stigma. I had the opportunity to learn about research and education in my doctoral program, and I believe that my role is to spread knowledge about psychiatric nursing and mental illness through research and education, first to healthcare professionals and students. I became an assistant head nurse in my third year at Mifune Hospital and a head nurse in my 12th year. In addition to managing the unit, I plan educational programs for the hospital's nursing staff as a member of the Nursing Department Education Committee. I also teach psychiatric nursing as an adjunct professor at a nursing school. Through these activities, I continue to provide educational support to everyone, from nursing students to hospital staff, with the goal of spreading knowledge about psychiatric illness and enabling them to provide care that they can be proud of as psychiatric nurses.
Hiroko Sugimoto RN, School nurse, MSN. PhD
（ Graduated in 2018 ）
■Affiliation：Tokushima City Katanokami Elementary School, School nurse
■Homepage of affiliation：https://school.e-tokushima.or.jp/es_katanokami/
■ Current Initiatives
I earned a Ph.D. in health science while working as a school nurse at an elementary school, then became a mother of two children, and now I am working again as a school nurse at an elementary school in Tokushima City. The duties of a school nurse are diverse and include health examinations, emergency treatment, school environment improvement, health education, and health organization activities. Their role is increasing due to the spread of infectious diseases, food allergies, and an increase in the number of children who need special support. Children who have suffered physical or mental injuries due to unexpected incidents, accidents, or troubles visit the health room, and there are times when emergency decisions are needed or we ask about the causes of physical ailments. As children's mental health issues become more complex and the number of children who avoid a school based emotionally 11 consecutive years increases, the school where I work is promoting Positive Behavior Support efforts throughout the school to encourage desirable behaviors in children. For children who are reluctant to attend school or who do not attend school, we work with relevant staff to support them so that school becomes a place where they can feel safe, such as having them visit the health room or holding case conferences with parents and teachers. I will continue to work with a research perspective to help solve health problems.
Hirokazu Ito, RN; MSN, PhD
（ Year of graduation: March 2016）
■Affiliation：Associate Professor, Department of Nursing Art and Science,
Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Graduate School.
■Homepage of affiliation：https://www.tokushima-u.ac.jp/med/health_science/course/kisokango/kango_gijutsu/
■ Current Initiatives
I received my Ph.D. in Health Sciences in 2016. In the process of conducting research, even if I think I am doing enough by thinking and researching on my own, I will not be able to produce results that can be understood by others. In Dr. Tanioka's lab, I found the teaching method of each year's graduate students discussing with each other and receiving appropriate advice from the professor to be very helpful. I think this kind of support and coach is essential, especially when doing multivariate analysis, in order to clarify the research question, formulate a hypothesis, and select an appropriate analysis method. Professor Tanioka always supported collaboration among graduate students and guided us to experience various research topics other than our own. He also actively guided us in the use of advanced technology. Thanks to his support, I have been able to continue to take on challenges in multimodal data analysis as an associate professor, working on projects such as "Development of an Electronic Healthcare Record System for Psychiatric Nurses" and "Objective Analysis during Human-Robot Interaction".
Mutsuko Kataoka RN, MA. PhD
（ Graduated March 2017 ）
■Affiliation：Director of Nursing, Mifune Hospital, Sanaikai Medical Corporation
■Homepage of affiliation：https://www.mifune-hp.jp/
■ Current Initiatives
While working at a national hospital, I wanted to improve my nursing expertise, so I studied in the master's program at Tokushima University. Then, just before 50 years old, I moved to Mifune Hospital, which was introduced to me by Dr. Tanioka, and at the same time, I enrolled in the doctoral program at Tokushima University. Mifune Hospital is a 328-bed psychiatric hospital. We provide emergency and acute care, as well as long-term care, inpatient and visiting nursing. My graduate school and the connections I have made are extremely valuable in my current work. As the director of the nursing department, I will continue to be creative in my efforts to train new and midcareer nurses and improve the quality of nursing. In addition, I will be involved in nursing research to develop highly specialized psychiatric nursing.
Yoshiyuki Takashima, PhD (Health Science)
（Graduation in March 2025 ）
■Affiliation：Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatric Nursing, Nara Medical University
■Homepage of affiliation：https://psy-nursing.com/
■ Current Initiatives
I decided to join the Tanioka Laboratory for my doctoral studies because I wanted to further my research on psychiatric nursing while working as a university professor. In the doctoral studies, I worked on the "Development of a scale of technical skills as caring in psychiatric nursing." Professor Tanioka gave me careful guidance on everything from constructing a theoretical framework, research methods centered on multivariate analysis, research planning, research implementation, data analysis, writing papers, and submitting to international journals. In the weekly seminars, I received appropriate advice according to my level of understanding and assignments, which allowed me to steadily advance my research. Thanks to that, I was able to complete my doctoral studies within the three-year period.
In the seminars, I had the opportunity to have lively discussions with many international students, and I was able to have valuable experiences such as presenting at international conferences that broadened my international perspective as a researcher. As a university professor, I will continue to utilize what I learned in the Tanioka Laboratory to contribute to supporting people with mental illnesses by devoting myself to education, research, and social contribution.
Toshiya Akiyama
（Graduation in March 2025 ）
■Affiliation：Assistant Professor, Department of Basic Nursing, Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare
■Homepage of affiliation：https://w.kawasaki-m.ac.jp/
■ Current Initiatives
I could complete my master's and doctoral degrees in five years while working. At the Prof. Tanioka's laboratory, I have learned many things, including how to write a thesis, how to find references, statistical methods, experimental research methods, survey methods, and how to write a manuscript in English. After receiving my Ph.D., I have been working as an assistant professor of basic nursing at the Kawasaki Medical Welfare University since 2025. Based on Professor Tanioka's teaching method, I not only teach students the answer, but also attach importance to teaching them how to reach the answer themselves according to their level of understanding. In my research activities, I am working hard to obtain research funding myself. My current research topic is "Early detection of pre-frailty in patients with schizophrenia and clarification of its prevention methods". In future research, I would like to conduct epidemiological surveys to investigate the aforementioned research topic and work on supporting socially vulnerable groups
♦Successful status of international students
Allan Paulo Blaquera, RN, MSN, PhD (Graduated from SPUP 2024 and TU in 2025)
■Current affiliation, position, and field of expertise
•Coordinator, Research and Curriculum Development, School of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, St. Paul University Philippines
•Vice-Chair, St. Paul University Philippines Research Ethics Committee
■Home page of affiliation：https://spup.edu.ph/
■Current initiatives
As the Coordinator for Research and Curriculum Development at the School of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, St. Paul University Philippines (SPUP), I am driven to foster a culture of innovation and excellence. Currently, I am immersed in several initiatives aimed at enhancing the quality of nursing and allied health education. To cultivate a research-oriented environment, I organize workshops, seminars, and mentorship programs to empower faculty and students to conduct rigorous research. I also provide guidance to faculty members during the publication process, ensuring that their valuable research findings are disseminated to a wider audience. As the Vice-Chair of the SPUP Research Ethics Committee, I prioritize ethical standards in research by overseeing the rigorous review of research proposals and ensuring compliance with ethical guidelines. In curriculum development, I am leading the review and updating of existing curricula to align with the dynamic healthcare. I am also exploring innovative teaching methodologies, such as problem-based learning, simulation, and technology-enhanced learning, to enhance student engagement and critical thinking skills. I am preparing future healthcare professionals for effective teamwork and patient-centered care by fostering interprofessional education activities. Through these initiatives, I strive to contribute to the advancement of nursing and allied health education, produce competent and compassionate healthcare professionals, and elevate the reputation of SPUP as a leading institution in the field of healthcare.
Feni Betriana, RN, MNS, PhD
(Graduation in March 2022)
■Affiliation: Center for Biomedical Research, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Cibinong, Indonesia
Postdoctoral reseracher
Field of expertise: Nursing, health science, technologies in nursing and health science, grief, qualitative studies
■Current initiatives
Dr. Feni Betriana is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Biomedical Research, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Republic of Indonesia. Her research interests are nursing, health sciences, technologies in nursing and healthcare, grief, end-of-life care, and qualitative studies. Her current research is related to hypnobirthing and depression among pregnant women, and live experiences of people living with lymphedema. She has published more than 50 articles in peer-review journals.
