Every year in June, the ITI opens its Scholarship application portal for a month. We took this opportunity to ask one of our Scholars, Kensuke Inoue from Japan, about his experience, his daily work and what he liked the most about it. He started his Scholarship year in March 2023 at the ITI Scholarship Center in Basel, Switzerland.
What are the three most memorable things you will take away from your Scholarship year?
The day I arrived at Basel and met my supervisor, Professor Sebastian Kuhl at the airport. I was really impressed by his kindness and generosity. This definitely highlighted the start of my stay in Switzerland as an ITI Scholar.
The day I brought my family to Basel with my wife and 5-month-old baby from Japan. Introducing my family to the department and the team in Basel was a really good experience. Everyone was so kind and welcomed my wife and baby. My supervisor invited me to his house and took a lot of time to make sure our stay would be as good as possible. He is one of the best oral surgeons and also one of the best fathers I’ve ever met. He works very hard at the university hospital and shares all his remaining time with his family. I really admire him.
I learned a lot of clinical techniques, including treatment planning, surgical skills in the operation room and I participated in research projects doing some research and writing papers.
I also learned about work-life balance in terms of my professional career and my precious family time in Switzerland.
The day I was awarded a scientific grant from Straumann to do our research project in Basel, Switzerland. We were so happy we could proceed with our research. The project contributes significantly to the future of dental implantology. It is such an honor to be a part of this!
Could you give us an idea of how your working week is structured?
Every weekday, we have a morning conference at 7:30 on clinical cases and surgeries from the previous day. Every Thursday, we have a conference with the department of regenerative dentistry. We plan surgical and restoration treatments together, report on patients’ background and how each patient treatment is proceeding.
I spend my time in the clinical practice observing patients on their first visit to the hospital, before and after the surgery and check-ups.
I also get to spend valuable time in the operating room watching dental implant surgery, bone augmentation, sinus floor elevation, tooth extraction, tooth socket preservation and so on.
After observing clinical practice and surgery, I spend my time in the laboratory preparing our research projects, collecting data, writing drafts.
I enjoy Basel on weekends. There are so many stores at the market in front of the city house. Basel is so close to France and Germany that I get to visit many cities by bicycle and train.
Why did you choose this specific Scholarship Center?
I chose the Scholarship center in Basel as it is a prestigious institution located in the center of Europe and is renowned for its modern hospital and laboratory facilities.
Do you get enough support to do your job well?
The ITI has offered so much support since Day 1, that I can spend my Scholarship year with comfort. The ITI helped me prepare the necessary documents for my stay in Basel such as insurance, registrations and so on.
My supervisors and colleagues are also very kind and thanks to them I am having a wonderful time in the university hospital (UZB).
People in the ITI and UZB are very kind and friendly.
Did you feel you were learning a lot?
I feel I’m learning every second I spend in the university hospital. I personally find the differences between Switzerland and my home country in terms of clinical approaches very interesting. Additionally, I am so excited to learn new research techniques.
What are your plans for the time after your Scholarship when you return home?
First of all, I’m planning to share my wonderful experience I have had in the ITI Scholarship center in Basel through our ITI study club with my seniors, my colleagues and younger dentists from the ITI section Japan. I have decided to contribute to dentistry in Japan by spreading accurate knowledge about dental implants, and I hope to widen my activity at a global scale in the future.
Find out how an ITI Scholarship can boost your career
Each year we enable young implant dentistry talent to spend a year abroad at prestigious universities being mentored by an ITI Fellow at one of our 35 ITI Scholarship Centers around the globe. Are you keen on getting insight into every aspect of implant treatment? Would you like to dive into the complex world of case planning, implant surgery and prosthetic restorations in an international context? Our application portal is open from June 1 to June 30. Don’t hesitate any longer and apply now!
More information available on our website.
