Head of Laboratory: Prof. Tetsuya Tanioka, PhD, RN; FAAN

　Group Coordinator: Feni Betriana, PhD., RN

 

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Dr. Tanioka earned his PhD in Engineering from Kochi University of Technology Japan (2002), and his second PhD in Nursing from St. Paul University Philippines (2021), his M.A. from Shikoku Gakuin University (1999), MSN, from Graduate School, St. Paul University Philippines (2018), and B.Ed. from Meisei University Japan (1997). Following graduation from Kochi Prefectural Nursing School and licensure as Registered Nurse, (1988), he practiced for 11 years in a Psychiatric Hospital in Japan. He found his passion for nursing research focused on studying human technologies, integrating science and technology within the perspective of nursing caring science. He continues to contribute substantially towards the clarification of technological competency as caring in nursing and create high quality care processes within varying technological environments. His continuing engagement in nursing towards enhancing interdisciplinary and collaborative endeavors for nursing is focused on caring, exemplified as the integration of science and technology through research on human technologies, practice and education. He is a member of the Editorial Boards of the open journal Health, the International Journal of Nursing & Clinical Nursing Practice, and the Journal of Art and Aesthetics in Nursing and Health Sciences. One of his international recognitions is as Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN). Dr. Tanioka was a visiting scholar at the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, Florida Atlantic University, and a visiting professor at St. Paul University Philippines.

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2847-1862

Dr. Feni Betriana is graduated from the doctoral course at the Graduate School of Health Sciences (major: nursing), Tokushima University, Japan, in 2022. She is currently a researcher at the Center for Biomedical Research, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Republic of Indonesia. During her doctoral course, she also worked as a research assistant at the Department of Nursing Outcome, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, from 2019 to 2022. She earned her Master of Nursing Science (MNS) from the Faculty of Nursing, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand (2018); professional education (Ners) from the Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Andalas, Indonesia (2012); and a Bachelor of Nursing (S. Kep) from the Nursing Program, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Andalas, Indonesia (2011). Her research interests are related to mental health, grief, end-of-life care, and technology in nursing and healthcare. Under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Tetsuya Tanioka, RN, PhD, FAAN, she and Dr. Tanioka’s laboratory members developed the Grief State Scale for Nurses (GSSN).

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8248-367X　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Dr. Gil P. Soriano received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasay in 2010. In 2015, he earned his Master of Health Professions Education (MHPEd) from the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila under a UP Presidential Scholarship Grant. His master's thesis was partly funded by the UP- National Institutes of Health and the National Teachers Training Center for the Health Professions. Currently, he is a Dual Degree Program student, PhD in Nursing at Silliman University and PhD in Health Sciences at Tokushima University Japan under the supervision of Dr. Tetsuya Tanioka and Dr. Evalyn Abalos as a PhD candidate. He is the Managing Editor of the Journal of Health and Caring Sciences (JHCS) and the chairperson of the Committee on Operations under the Department of Nursing Research of the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA). He is an Assistant Professor at the College of Allied Health at the National University Philippines. He has presented research in various national and international research forums and has published numerous research articles in reputable/indexed journals. His research interests include public health, caring science, palliative and end-of-life care, and nursing pedagogy.

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6349-5560

Dr. Yoshiyuki Takashima is a lecturer at the Faculty of Nursing, School of Medicine, Nara Medical University, Japan. I earned my Ph.D. in Health Science from Tokushima University, and obtained my master’s degree from Osaka Prefecture University, where I qualified as a Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Specialist.

My expertise lies in psychiatric and community mental health nursing. I have developed and validated the Technological Competency as Caring in Psychiatric Nursing Instrument (TCCNPI). I am currently engaged in developing educational programs to enhance psychiatric nursing practice. At the university, I teach psychiatric nursing at both undergraduate and graduate levels. As a certified psychiatric mental health nurse specialist, I am dedicated to advancing the education of psychiatric nurses and promoting collaboration and professional competency among psychiatric home-visit nurses and community mental health professionals.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7800-919X　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Dr. Allan Paulo Blaquera is an educator and researcher specializing in nursing science and healthcare improvement. He developed the Nurse-coordinated Interprofessional Care at Home Environment for Stroke (NICHES) Model to strengthen post-stroke care in the Philippines. As a faculty member of the graduate school, he teaches philosophical foundations and evidence-based practices in nursing. He also mentors Bachelor of Science in Nursing students in medical and surgical nursing. As a member of the Research Ethics Committee, he reviews the ethical soundness of studies to ensure responsible scholarship. Through research conferences and competitions, he bridges theory with practice to influence policy and care.

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1312-2958

Dr. Yuko Sato is a nurse educator and researcher specializing in nursing workforce sustainability and professional development for novice nurses.

Dr. Sato earned her MSN and PhD from Tokushima University, where her research focused on critical issues surrounding newly qualified nurse retention and evidence-based educational development. Her scholarly contributions include the development of the Professional Interpersonal Competency Assessment Scale for Novice Nurses (PICASN), a specialized instrument now utilized in assessing crucial interpersonal skills for seamless professional transition. She has also published significant work on the "relationship between assertiveness and perceptions of the work environment among new nurses," providing actionable insights for improving workplace culture and reducing staff turnover.

Drawing upon 22 years of extensive, high-acuity clinical experience at Tokushima Prefectural Central Hospital, spanning neurosurgery, respiratory medicine, emergency care, and surgical nursing, Dr. Sato employs a unique practice-to-theory educational framework. This approach ensures nursing students are nurtured with both profound academic rigor and indispensable, real-world clinical competence, directly bridging the gap between education and professional practice.

　　　　　　　　　　ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7670-3632　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Dr. Toshiya Akiyama completed his master's and doctoral degrees in five years while working. At the Prof. Tanioka's laboratory, Dr. Akiyama has 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 rearning his Ph.D., he has been working as an assistant professor of basic nursing at the Kawasaki Medical Welfare University since 2025. Based on Professor Tanioka's teaching method, he does 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 his research activities, he is working hard to obtain research funding. His current research topic is "Early detection of pre-frailty in patients with schizophrenia and clarification of its prevention methods". In future research, he would like to conduct epidemiological surveys to investigate the aforementioned research topic and work on supporting socially vulnerable groups

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1084-91

 

Selected Research Outputs and Publication

Takashima, Y., Ito, H., Soriano, G. P., Yasuhara, Y., Osaka, K., Schoenhofer, S., & Tanioka, T. (2025). Development of a novel instrument to measure Japanese psychiatric nurses' technological competency as caring in nursing. Belitung nursing journal, 11(1), 14–24. https://doi.org/10.33546/bnj.3623

Akiyama, T., Blaquera, A.P., Bollos, L. A. C., Soriano, G. P., Ito, H., Tanioka, R., Umehara, H., Osaka, K., Tanioka, T. (2025). Reliability of emotion analysis from human facial expressions using multi-task cascaded convolutional neural networks. Journal of Medical Investigation, 72(1.2.), 93 – 101. https://doi.org/10.2152/jmi.72.93

Soriano, K., Nakatani, S., Onishi, K., Ito, H., Nakano, Y., Takashima, Y., Zhao, Y., Blaquera, A. P., Tanioka, R., Betriana, F., Soriano, G. P., Yasahura, Y., Osaka, K., Kataoka, M., Miyagawa, M., Akaike, M., Irahara, M., & Tanioka, T. (2025). Development and Content Validation of a Person-Centered Care Instrument for Healthcare Providers. Nursing Reports, 15(10), 355. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep15100355

Osaka, K., Soriano, G. P., Blaquera, A. P. L., Tanioka, T., Baua, M. E. C., Schoenhofer, S. O., Ray, M. A. (2024). Christian worldview and caring in Nursing: The legacy of Sister Simone Roach. Journal of Christian Nursing, 41(3), 178-183. https://doi.org/10.1097/CNJ.0000000000001179

Blaquera, A. P., Hisaka, Y., Takase, K., Ito, H., Yasuhara, Y., Soriano, G. P., Baua, E., Papadopoulos, I., & Tanioka, T. (2024). Home care practices that improve performance of activities of daily living of patients post-stroke: A Systematic review. Journal of Medical Investigation, 71(3.4), 197–204.  https://doi.org/10.2152/jmi.71.197

Takashima, Y., Blaquera, A. P., Betriana, F., Ito, H., Yasuhara, Y., Soriano, G., & Tanioka, T. (2024). Psychiatric home-visiting nurses’ views on the care information required of psychiatric hospital nurses. Journal of Medical Investigation, 71(1.2), 162-168. https://doi.org/10.2152/jmi.71.162

Blaquera, A. P., Soriano, G. P., Ito, H., Yasuhara, Y., & Tanioka, T. (2024). Elements of a nurse-coordinated post-stroke home care rehabilitation in the Philippines: A cross-sectional study. Belitung Nursing Journal, 10(6), 624–634. https://doi.org/10.33546/bnj.3572

Sato, Y., Yasuhara, Y., Ito, H., Soriano, G. P., Blaquera, A. P., Locsin, R., & Tanioka, T. (2023). Development and psychometric testing of the Professional Interpersonal Competency Assessment Scale for Novice nurses (PICASN). Belitung Nursing Journal, 9(6), 619–626. https://doi.org/10.33546/bnj.2992

Soriano, G. P., Yasuhara, Y., Ito, H., Matsumoto, K., Osaka, K., Kai, Y., Locsin, R., Schoenhofer, S., & Tanioka, T. (2022). Robots and Robotics in Nursing. Healthcare, 10(8), 1571. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10081571

Sato, Y., & Yasuhara, Y. (2022). Communication skills required by new nurses according to nurses in charge of new comer education. Shikoku Acta Medica, 79(4), 155–164.

Sato, Y., Yasuhara, Y., Ito, H., & Tanioka, T. (2022). Relationship between assertiveness of new nursing staff and their perceptions of their working environment: A Systematic Review. The Journal of Nursing Investigation, 19(2), 1–13.

Betriana, F., Tanioka, R., Gunawan, J., & Locsin, R. C. (2022). Healthcare robots and human generations: Consequences for nursing and healthcare. Collegian, 29(5), 767-773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2022.01.008

Tanioka, T., Yokotani, T., Tanioka, R., Betriana, F., Matsumoto, K., Locsin, R., Zhao, Y., Osaka, K., Miyagawa, M., & Schoenhofer, S. (2021). Development issues of healthcare robots: Compassionate communication for older adults with dementia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(9), 4538. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094538

Betriana, F., Tanioka, T., Osaka, K., Kawai, C., Yasuhara, Y., & Locsin, R. C. (2021). Interactions between healthcare robots and older people in Japan. A qualitative descriptive analysis study. Japan Journal of Nursing Science, 8(3), e12409. https://doi.org/10.1111/jjns.12409

Betriana, F., Osaka, K., Matsumoto, K., Tanioka, T., & Locsin, R. C. (2021). Relating Mori’s Uncanny Valley in generating conversations with artificial affective communication and natural language processing. Nursing Philosophy, 22(2), e12322. https://doi.org/10.1111/nup.12322

Contacts

Tokushima University, Graduate School of Health Sciences, 18-15 Kuramoto-cho 3

Tokushima, 770-8509, Japan.