Strategic Planning Bureau
I. Office of Public Relations
Takaaki Tsuchida, Miyako Horikoshi, Reiko Uokawa, Toru Kishida, Yumi Kitada, Syoko Satoh,Kiyotaka Yoh, Rei Yamagami, Reina Kyo, Eiko Saito
Introduction
The Office of Public Relations has been organized as one branch of the Strategic Planning Bureau Director-General, which was assigned as a public section under the supervision of the president of the National Cancer Center (NCC) in April 2013. A full-time staff member was newly assigned to the Office of Public Relations in April 2014. Our task is to manage the NCC website (https://www.ncc.go.jp), publication of reports, coverage and delivery of press conferences and press releases. By sharing the mission and vision between staff members throughout the NCC, we provide information about NCC's most outstanding activities in cancer care, research, screening, prevention, and policy making.
Our team and what we do
During weekly meetings of the Office of Public Relations, we perform prompt decision making regarding the public relations policy and shared information about our tasks using a TV conference system between the Tsukiji and Kashiwa campuses. We received information on the publicity work from each department, and drafted a publication plan. Also, through the distribution of the intramural information for staff members in the NCC, we shared vital messages via e-mail, bulletin board, and/or information magazine to facilitate communication between the staff and executives. We distributed information promptly by publishing and sharing press releases, press conferences, and seminars about novel treatment, research activity and notable accomplishments within the NCC and elsewhere.
- Website and SNS improvement and updates
- Public information magazine "The National Cancer Center News": for external hospitals, academia, research institutions, and administrative agencies
- Public information magazine "hibiho": for patients in the NCC Hospital (NCCH) and the NCC Hospital East (NCCHE)
- Support for events, seminars, and public information
- Media support at press conferences, press releases, and media coverage
We held 15 press conferences and published 57 press releases. Moreover, there were 488 reports in national newspapers (five major papers), 109 on TV (Tokyo key), and 980 in others (magazines, local newspapers, etc.).
Future prospects
It is important to make the NCC website attractive, useful and accessible. It is also important to advance public relations activities. All staff share the NCC mission and move in the same direction.
II. Office of International Affairs
Seiichiro Yamamoto, Tomohiro Matsuda, Laureline Gatellier, Kazuki Osawa, Mitsuko Otani, Kimiko Oka, Kay Ohara
Our team and what we do
The NCC's International Affairs Section promotes the Center's international activities through:
1) personnel exchanges with leading medical institutions, nurturing cancer researchers / healthcare professionals, and a global network,
2) participation in international collaborative cancer research projects, and outreach to the international medical community,
3) sharing our medical expertise and information with overseas colleagues, with a focus on Asia, thus leading to the advancement of cancer care in the region.
The Office of International Affairs serves as a conduit to, and supports the abovementioned activities.
1. Collaboration with International Agencies and Nurturing Human Resources
This year, we seconded a pathologist to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), to support the work of Dr. Ochiai, the Director of Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, who serves on the editorial board of the WHO/IARC classification of tumors. Dr Elisabete Weiderpass, the director-elect of IARC responded to our invitation and visited our Center. Four such seminars were co-organized with the IARC. A team from the Center for Public Health Sciences worked together with IARC to win a research grant for epidemiology studies.
In September, upon invitation, one of our gynecology oncologists participated in a global stakeholder consultation on the elimination of cervical cancer initiative at the WHO headquarters.
Responding to the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) having appointed a new director, a delegation led by the President and Research Institute Director paid a visit, laying the foundation for future cooperation. Two statistics specialists were seconded to the NCI, to survey the roles played by their specialty in the USA in clinical research. Two delegations representing Genomics England also visited us.
2. Collaborative Medical Research
The NCC continues its participation in multiple international collaborative research programs and international clinical trials. More details can be found on sections detailing activities of the respective teams.
3. Medical Contribution, with a focus on Asia
We continue to host medical staff on fellowship visits to our two campuses. In fiscal year 2018, we hosted a total of 180 doctors/ medical staff long term, in addition to 220 specialists short term (no more than three days), plus another 183 visitors from overseas, including the deputy chairman of the Kazakhstan Oncology Center, and leaders from the Malaysian Health Ministry.
Designated as an IARC/GICR Collaborating Centre, we have stepped up our activities to help propagate cancer registration in Asia, coorganizing seminars in Vietnam and Cambodia. Memoranda of understanding were concluded with National Cancer Hospital, Vietnam in April, and with National Cancer Institute of Thailand, in December. Upon organizing the 7th meeting of ANCCA (Asian Cancer Centers Alliance) in October in Jakarta, we worked alongside the Korean secretariat and Indonesian hosts to strengthen communication within. In March, we also took part in a Cancer Control Workshop on lung cancers in Beijing organized by the National Cancer Center of China.
Table 2. Visiting Observers to the Hospital between April 2018 and March 2019
Table 3. Visiting Observers to all units other than the Hospital between April 2018 and March 2019
Table 5. Short Term visitors (within 3 days) at all other units between April 2018 and March 2019
III. Office of Development
Chie Matsuda, Kimiko Oka
What we do
We receive limited funding from the Japanese Government - around 10% of our total cash inflow. Currently, NCC's main sources of cash flow are revenues from medical services, cancer research, and clinical trials. It is vital to diversify those revenue sources to make NCC's financial position stable for the long-term. As one of the alternatives, we look for sustainable growth in donation revenue from NCC supporters.
What We Achieved in FY2018
Donation revenue increased by 196% Year on Year (YoY) to ¥410mn in FY2018, the fourth consecutive increase since FY2015, with 68% YoY growth in the number of donors. The main factors behind the revenue growth and number of donors are as follows:
1) Several major legacy gifts for NCC Cancer Research
2) An increase in the number of new NCC supporters due to its initial crowdfunding effect
What We will Do - Priorities in 2019
We will focus on the following measures:
1) To diversify donors' portfolio from NCCH/ NCCH EAST patients and families, companies in the medical sector, to all those who support the NCC Vision, "Don't get cancer, Not beaten by cancer, and Live with cancer." We continue to develop publicity strategies to underline why we need funding and how the fund is spent.
2) To encourage legacy giving for future cancer research from senior/upper-middle classes who are interested in philanthropy, we attempt to build up long-term partnerships with professionals in that area, including trust banks, lawyers, and accountants.
Figure 1. Donation Revenue & No. of Donors (Yearly)
Figure 2. Number of Donors, by Designation(FY2018)
Figure 3. Donation Revenue ¥MN, by Designation(FY2018)
