Every year on June 14th, the World Health Organization (WHO) observes “World Blood Donor Day.” Blood for transfusion delivered through donations directly supports the lives of patients with blood disorders such as leukemia, malignant lymphoma, and myelodysplastic syndromes. This seminar, held as a special edition in alignment with World Blood Donor Day, will welcome two speakers who approach blood disorder policy from very different perspectives. With “blood” as a shared point of connection, this seminar will bring together healthcare professionals, policymakers, industry representatives, patients, and citizens to discuss the future of healthcare and policy that supports people living with blood disorders in their communities and in broader society.

Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) is an independent, non-profit think tank dedicated to advancing citizen-centered health policy. With the number of blood cancer patients rising due to population aging, and advances in treatment transforming many blood disorders into long-term chronic conditions, HGPI launched the Blood Disorders Project in FY2024 and has since engaged in ongoing dialogue with stakeholders across industry, government, academia, and civil society. In April 2026, HGPI published “Policy Recommendations in the Field of Blood Disorders: Building a Healthcare Ecosystem Centered on Patients and Those Affected“, presenting ten recommendations that call for a shift from acute care-focused “curative medicine” toward “medicine that supports living with illness”.

This seminar welcomes two guests who embody these recommendations in practice. The first speaker is Dr. Kota Ohashi (Director, Totus Homecare Clinic / Representative, NPO Hemato-Homecare Network). Drawing on his own experience of facing blood cancer, he has been at the forefront of home-based blood transfusion and home-based hematology care, working to enable seamless transitions from hospital to community and home care. The second speaker is Dr. Junichi Kawata (Project Research Fellow, Department of Public Policy, Human Genome Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo). Diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in his twenties, Dr. Kawata draws on his lived experience of long-term medication and reintegration into society as he advances research on patient and public involvement and engagement (PPI/E) at The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo. He also leads patient community activities as Vice President of “Izumi” (The Association of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients and Families) and contributes directly to national policymaking as a member of the Cancer Control Promotion Council of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

This seminar will bring together two perspectives — the future of community collaboration as seen from the frontlines of home-based care, and the voice of a patient-researcher engaging directly with policy — to deepen discussion on key issues in the field of blood disorders, including: (1) institutional challenges in advancing community-based care, including home-based care; (2) building collaboration models that connect specialized medical institutions with local communities; (3) advancing patient and public involvement (PPI) in research and policymaking processes; and (4) enhancing quality of life (QOL) and deepening shared decision-making (SDM) for patients undergoing long-term care. From the perspective of healthcare and policy that we “co-create” together with patients and citizens, we aim to explore pathways toward realizing the society envisioned in the recommendations, and to create a space for dialogue that shapes the next steps in blood disorder policy together.

 

 

[Event Overview]

• Speakers:
  Dr. Kota Ohashi (Director, Totus Homecare Clinic / Representative, NPO Hemato-Homecare Network)
  Dr. Junichi Kawata (Project Research Fellow, Department of Public Policy, Human Genome Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo)
• Date & Time: Friday, June 12, 2026, 18:30-20:00 JST
• Format: Online (Zoom webinar)
• Language: Japanese
• Participation Fee: Free
• Capacity: 500 participants

 

[Program] (Titles omitted; in no particular order)

18:30–18:40 Opening Remarks and Introduction

18:40–19:10 Keynote Speech 1 “Supporting ‘Living with’ Blood Disorders: From the Frontlines of Home-Based Care and Community Collaboration”

Kota Ohashi (Director, Totus Homecare Clinic / Representative, NPO Hemato-Homecare Network)

19:10–19:40 Keynote Speech 2 “Changing ‘Living with’ Blood Disorders: Healthcare and Policy ‘Co-Created’ with Patients and Citizens”

Junichi Kawata (Project Research Fellow, Department of Public Policy, Human Genome Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo)

19:40–19:55 Dialogue Session and Q&A

Kota Ohashi (Director, Totus Homecare Clinic / Representative, NPO Hemato-Homecare Network)
Junichi Kawata (Project Research Fellow, Department of Public Policy, Human Genome Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo)

Moderator:
Daichi Watanabe (Manager, Health and Global Policy Institute)

19:55–20:00 Closing Remarks

 

■ Speaker Profiles

Dr. Kota Ohashi (Director, Totus Homecare Clinic / Representative, NPO Hemato-Homecare Network)
Dr. Kota Ohashi is Director of TOTUS Home Care Clinic, which he founded in 2016. After experiencing leukemia while studying engineering at the University of Tokyo, he entered the School of Medicine at Institute of Science Tokyo as a bachelor’s transfer student. He trained and worked at Tokyo Medical Center and the National Cancer Center Hospital East. His work focuses on community-based collaboration and home medical care for patients with hematologic diseases. He is a board-certified hematologist, palliative care specialist and supervisor, and home care specialist and supervisor. He also serves as Clinical Professor at Institute of Science Tokyo and Visiting Professor at St. Marianna University School of Medicine.

Dr. Junichi Kawata (Project Research Fellow, Department of Public Policy, Human Genome Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo)
Project Research Fellow, Department of Public Policy, Human Genome Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo. Specializes in medical sociology, cancer survivorship, ELSI, and patient and public involvement (PPI/E). Diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) at 22, withdrew from Taisho University’s Faculty of Human Studies, later re-enrolled and completed a doctoral degree (Human Studies) at the graduate school. Vice Representative of The Association of CML patients & families “Izumi”. Member of the Cancer Control Promotion Council, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

 

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