This study explored the latest advances and potential applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine, focusing on innovations from the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Tokyo. AI shows excellent potential for improving diagnostic accuracy and optimizing treatment plans. However, although it is advancing rapidly, AI remains in the experimental phase and requires solutions before clinical use. Key developments include algorithms for early disease detection and personalized care planning.

For example, AI for electrocardiography (ECG) and chest X-ray analysis demonstrate progress in enhancing early diagnosis and aiding physicians in interpreting complex data. In Japan’s aging society, AI is vital for maximizing healthcare efficiency. However, challenges remain, such as ensuring reliability, addressing operational barriers, and protecting data privacy. For instance, ECG-based diagnostic systems improve accuracy but require further validation for seamless integration into clinical workflows. AI also plays a growing role in education and research. For example, ECG analysis tools show promise for training young physicians, although their deployment and effectiveness require further investigation. Other applications, such as automating electronic health records (EHRs) and improving patient monitoring, depend on infrastructure development and standardized implementation.

Recent advancements include large language models (LLMs) and multimodal AI, integrating diverse data types, such as text, images, and numbers, for comprehensive medical analysis. For example, combining chest radiography and ECG data enables the accurate diagnosis of heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. These innovations have improved diagnostic precision, reduced physician workload, and enhanced patient care. The University of Tokyo has led AI-driven medical innovation, developing highly accurate ECG-based tools for detecting left ventricular dysfunction and multimodal models combining various data formats. The university’s contribution also includes Japanese medical LLMs for summarizing medical records, assisting communication, and interpreting guidelines. The future of AI in healthcare extends to decision-making support, treatment planning, and patient communication. AI can analyze patient histories and lifestyle data, provide actionable insights, and enhance diagnosis and treatment. In addition, AI systems help patients better understand medical information, reduce anxiety, and improve care.

In conclusion, AI has the potential to revolutionize healthcare by improving quality, efficiency, and patient outcomes. As AI advances and is integrated into clinical practice, it is expected to transform the future of medicine.

The metaverse, an innovative Internet platform that integrates virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) technologies, has the potential to benefit diverse areas of medicine. Specifically, the use of avatars as representations of users in the metaverse is promising for enabling positive self-expression, facilitating interaction through ensuring anonymity and privacy, and for educational and therapeutic applications. The use of avatars in the metaverse is advantageous ; however, concerns regarding the dilution of human relationships and the blurring of the boundary between virtual reality and reality have been raised. The aim in this study was to provide a comprehensive overview of the possibilities and challenges of applying the metaverse in medicine as a platform in the digital society of the future.

The author has accumulated six years of clinical experience at a university hospital and an additional two years in the psychosomatic medicine department of a community general hospital, placing him in an intermediate position between junior and senior practitioners. Comparing the clinical practices at these two institutions, the presenter frequently encountered cases in a community hospital, struggling to determine the appropriate approach or lacking confidence in treatment plans. In psychosomatic medicine, the optimal approach often depends not only on the specific characteristics of the disease but also on the psychosocial background of each patient. Such knowledge cannot be fully acquired from textbooks alone ; experiential learning is essential. Each time the presenter encountered challenging cases, senior colleagues in the medical department provided support, gradually providing advice to younger physicians.

In this paper emphasizes the importance of sharing knowledge and experience in psychosomatic medicine to establish an “All-Japan” framework from a clinical perspective. Initiating a discussion forum through case conferences and bringing together psychosomatic medicine specialists across generations helps in achieving this. A case involving a teenage female patient initially brought to the emergency department due to a hyperventilation attack and subsequently treated for anorexia nervosa is presented as an example from the presenter’s clinical experience.

Regional maldistribution among psychosomatic medicine specialists is a significant challenge in psychosomatic medicine. This is because only a limited number of universities in Japan offer courses in psychosomatic medicine, making it difficult for medical students, who have few opportunities to study psychosomatic medicine, to recognize the field. In addition, the lack of clearly defined competencies specific to psychosomatic medicine has led to a large overlap between general practice and primary care, making its characteristics ambiguous.

To address these issues, outcome-based education (OBE) must be introduced in psychosomatic medicine. The OBE approach helps to clarify educational goals and construct an educational curriculum based on these goals. Thus, clarifying professional competencies in psychosomatic medicine and designing curricula will lead to nationwide dissemination of a standardized curriculum.

To realize this educational reform, it is essential to work together in an all-Japan framework, and a consensus must be reached for nationwide standardization.

Young healthcare professionals often acquire professional qualifications, supervise students and trainees, and face various personal life events while simultaneously playing a central role in their clinical work. Therefore, young researchers tend to be less focused on research, but the life environment in which they spend much of their time in clinical practice has a high affinity for research. Young researchers are expected to develop the ability to conduct research independently, and research grant programs play a supportive role. After experiencing several research projects, they encounter challenges in generalizing their results and realizing the importance of collaboration with other institutions. To deepen research in the field of psychosomatic medicine, it is essential to establish an all-Japan system that transcends generations and institutions and to consider an operational system that accounts for the composition of members or their efforts to meet the research objectives.

Over 60 years have passed since the establishment of psychosomatic medicine in Japan and the specialty has since grown and developed. However, the number of specialists in this field remains low compared with other internal medicine fields. Furthermore, few universities with medical schools in Japan offer courses related to psychosomatic medicine. This issue is discussed from the perspective of recruitment and dissemination activities to develop psychosomatic medicine and establish a specialty. Considering the current phase of increasing specialization in psychosomatic medicine, the next step is to raise awareness regarding this specialization and expand its base. Specific dissemination methods include increasing opportunities for young physicians and medical students to engage with psychosomatic medicine, addressing needs in other fields, and creating needs tailored to align with the characteristics of these needs. Recruitment strategies with clear targets will be proposed in a session planned by the Young Working Group.

Vulvar pain can be difficult to treat in some cases. Herein, we report case studies of two women with vulvar pain in whom autogenic-training (AT) motivated subsequent supportive psychotherapy. During the first consultation, the two patients expressed various negative emotions such as anxiety, distrust, and anger, as well as a negative attitude toward the therapist. However, once their pain decreased following the initial AT, their remarks and attitudes toward the therapist changed positively. They subsequently underwent AT and supportive psychotherapy, and their symptoms alleviated thereafter. Therefore, we consider that providing supportive psychotherapy after AT can be effective in treating vulvar pain.