On Tuesday, June 18, 2024, Professor Wataru Nakamura, a member of the International Exchange Committee representing the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, attended the 2024 General Assembly hosted by the UCLA Japan Alumni Association. The assembly also served as a farewell party for retiring President, Gene Block of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), with which Nagasaki University has concluded an international exchange agreement.
 Since Professor Nakamura has been in contact with Dr. Block for many years, he has played an active role in sending students to UCLA. He has been conducting the “UCLA Summer Sessions Dispatch Program for Fostering Glocal Leaders,” which has dispatched dental students three times since 2020 under the JASSO Study Abroad Support Program for 2024.
 President Block has served as the sixth president of UCLA for 17 years since 2007, and will retire from his executive position on July 31 of this year. However, we met with Professor Cindy Fan, Vice President for International Research and Global Affairs, regarding future exchanges between the two universities, and she was very enthusiastic about exchanges with Asian universities. A good sign, as we hope that such exchanges will continue to be active.
 Prior to the assembly, President Gene Block provided his signature to renew the academic exchange agreement (signed in 2018) between UCLA and Nagasaki University for five more years.

Commemorative Photo with President Block
(from left: Professor Wataru Nakamura, President Gene Block, Mrs. Carol Block,
Professor Takahiro Nakamura (Meiji University))

Commemorative Photo with Professor Fan