Our department was established in April 2004 based on our university’s new policy on reorganizing internal departments by organ. Prof. Shinichi Kawai assumed the post of the first chair. Since it is necessary to examine patients for some diseases including rheumatoid arthritis in cooperation with the orthopedic surgery department, we established the Rheumatic Disease Center as an outpatient clinic with orthopedic surgeons in July 2005. Our number of patients has been increasing every year.
After Prof. Kawai retired, Prof. Toshihiro Nanki succeeded to the post of chair in April 2017. He provides medical consultation and examination for patients with rheumatic disease.