The absolute shortage of researchers in radiobiology / protection for the safe use of radiation and physicians with high expertise in radiology has increased an urgent need. However, the exact number of facilities to foster such personnel is also lacking in the world. In Japan, decreased number of departments involved in radiological basic medicine in universities has caused a loss of education and research infrastructures in radiation. The same situation also has occurred in western countries.  
Therefore, it is an urgent matter to establish institutions that can provide systematic graduate education on radiology at the international level. Hiroshima University has built Program of Radiation Biology and Medicine, Division of Biomedical Sciences in the Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Sciences independently from other medical fields. And Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine (RIRBM) has also contributed to graduate studies in radiation injury medicine through the frontier research activities with applications of valuable scientific materials accumulated by RIRBM to postgraduate education.
Program of Radiation Biology and Medicine continuously placed in the new Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences provides systematic and comprehensive education extended from radiation effects, radiation injury medicine, and radiation risks based on radiation biology to clinical radiology, strengthened by collaboration with academic staff of clinical radiology and RIRBM. 
The postgraduate program offers systematic radiological education that is said to be the only one in the world. This made possible through research assets and education / research organizations for radiation damage accumulated by Hiroshima University in a bombed city, Hiroshima.
Thus, the establishment of Program of Radiation Biology and Medicine in the graduate program is very important from the international perspective responding to world’s expectations on human resources in the field of radiology.

The program aims to cultivate the following personnel:

• Those who can conduct advanced and systematic education / research extending from basic research to clinical radiology concerning the effect of radiation on human body
• Those who can widely develop the acquired knowledge and technology from local community to international society

In order to cultivate the personnel above, the program aims to provide opportunities to acquire the following skills:

• Ability to acquire the knowledge biological / human health effects of radiation and their mechanisms with clinical applications
• Ability to acquire the knowledge on mechanisms / therapies of radiation damage and risks with radiological applications 
• Ability to develop fundamental / clinical knowledge of radiological diagnoses and therapies acquired through the program

1. Highly skilled doctors in radiation
2. Institutional / corporate researchers involved in radiation research and protection
3. Institutional / corporate researchers involved in radiation safety and protection
4. Advanced specialists who can take leadership roles at international institutions related to radiological research and the foremost of radiotherapies, and educators / researchers in the field of radiation science with medical backgrounds  
5. Academic staff