BIOGRAPHY
Prof. Oshitani is a professor for the Department of Virology of Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine. Before joining Tohoku University, he was a regional advisor of the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) in Manila, the Philippines, from 1999 to 2005, where he was responsible for emerging diseases, including severe acute
respiratory syndrome (SARS) and avian and pandemic influenza. He worked as a technical expert for Japan International Cooperation (JICA) in Zambia from 1991-1994. His main research interest is epidemiology and control of viral infections, particularly respiratory viruses such as influenza and respiratory syncytial viruses. His research group has been conducting research in Japan and other countries such as the Philippines, Mongolia, and Zambia. He was a member of the Advisory Board and the Subcommittee on COVID-19 for the government of Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic, and he is also a member of the Strategic & Technical Advisory Group on Infectious Hazards with Pandemic and Epidemic Potential (STAG-IH) and other technical groups of the World Health Organization.