Artificial intelligence, robotics, and innovations for aging societies are reshaping healthcare systems around the world. Nowhere is this more evident than in Japan. Japan is a global leader in designing technology and policy to meet the realities of an aging population. From care-support robotics to AI-driven genomic medicine, Japan’s advancements offer powerful lessons for regions like Pittsburgh, where healthcare, aging, and technology intersect every day.

Healthcare Innovations from Japan to Pittsburgh brings together leaders in medicine, policy, technology, and international collaboration for a timely conversation on how U.S.–Japan collaboration can improve care, strengthen communities, and support the workforce of the future.

What to expect: 

• Learn how Japan’s “Healthcare New Frontier” and Society 5.0 initiatives are transforming care delivery

• Explore emerging connections between Pittsburgh’s innovation ecosystem and Japan’s health sector

• Hear frontline perspectives from Pittsburgh leaders who traveled to Japan to study these systems

• Understand how designing for aging societies ultimately benefits people of all ages

• Engage directly with experts shaping the future of healthcare technology and policy

Arrive at 6:00 PM for networking, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, and a cultural tasting experience. The speaking program begins at 7:00 PM.

Featured Speakers

Dr. Kunihiro Nishimura is the CEO and Founder of Xcoo, Inc. (“tenku”). Xcoo uses Dr. Nishimura’s integrated, end-to-end software platform called Chrovis, providing AI-powered interpretation for genomic medicine. Until founding Xcoo in 2011, Dr. Nishimura was an assistant professor at Graduate School of Information Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo, where he also received his Ph.D. and prior degrees in engineering. He was recognized by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in 2018 and 2019. He specializes in healthcare and information utilization, including AI, and works on the application of genomic medicine to cancer and rare diseases.

Dr. Karen Wolk Feinstein is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation and its three operating arms. Widely regarded as a thought leader on patient safety, healthcare quality improvement, the healthcare workforce, and healthcare innovation, Dr. Feinstein has guided the instrumental work of the Foundation for over three decades. In 2024, she led a transformative study tour of Japan to experience and learn from the country’s ambitious efforts of Society 5.0: Human-Centered Smart Society.

Dr. Kay Shimizu is a Research Professor in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh and a Visiting Scholar at Hosei University in Japan. Her research addresses institutional design and their effects on economic governance with a special interest in central local relations, property rights, and the digital transformation. She is the author of Betting on the Farm: Institutional Change in Japanese Agriculture with Patricia Maclachlan, and The Digital Transformation and Japan's Political Economy with Ulrike Schaede. Shimizu received her Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University. She contributes regularly to the public discourse on international relations and the political economy of Asia and has been a fellow at the Mike and Maureen Mansfield Foundation, the National Committee on U.S. China Relations, and the U.S.-Japan Foundation.