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ITO, Yasunobu Professor
Knowledge Science, Transformative Knowledge Management
◆Degrees
Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology, Kyushu University (2005)
◆Professional Experience
: Visiting Professor, School of Medicine, Kanazawa University (2025-present), Visiting Professor, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University (2021-present)
: Honorary Research Associate, Department of Anthropology, University College London, UK (2011-2021)，Visiting Research Fellow, Department of Sociology and Centre for Science Studies, Lancaster University, UK (2011)， Invited Associate Professor, Global Collaboration Center, Osaka University (2012-2013)，Visiting researcher, Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), US (2013)
: Research Fellow, The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) (2001-2003)， Lecturer, Oita Prefectural College of Arts and Culture (2003-2005)
◆Specialties
Cultural anthropology and folklore
◆Research Keywords
Cultural Anthropology, Sociology of Knowledge, Ethnography, Anthropology of Education, Science and Technology Studies, Medical Ethnography, Organisational Ethnography, Business Anthropology, Design Anthropology, Service Design Anthropology
◆Research Interests
Anthropology of Science and Technology, Business Ethnography, Medical Ethnography
■Our Lab's motto is: "Enriching Anthropology, Enriching by Anthropology". On one hand, we want to enrich other fields and business by using anthropological knowledge and methodologies. On the other hand, through encountering and experiencing other fields, we want to enrich and broad then our own areas of interest and expertise. ■Ongoing projects: Anthropological study of the knowledge of indigenous people in the fourth world; Comparative research on the generation and creation of scientific knowledge at experimental labs in universities in Japan (with the collaboration of scholars in the School of Material Science of JAIST); Ethnographic study of medical information, technologies and work practices in the medical workplace (a collaboration with medical professionals); Business anthropology and consumer ethnography: Identifying the possibilities and limitations of anthropological/ethnographi research in the context of business (working with various Japanese firms and their laboratories) 備考_alt

■Publications

◆Published Papers
Using Fieldnotes to Enhance General Practitioner Training
Inoue Kazuoki, Shin-ichi Taniguchi, Yasunobu Ito
In: Christine Leitner, Clara Bassano and Debra Satterfield (eds) The Human Side of Service Engineering. AHFE (2025) International Conference. AHFE Open Access, vol 182., 187, 194, -, 2025
Toward “Design by Means of Anthropology: The Design Process of the New Service “Mercard” as a Case Study
Miho MATSUZONO, Yasunobu ITO
Journal of cultural anthropology, 25, 147-160, 2024
Examination of Human-centered Design in Artificial Intelligence System
Masaya Ando, Yasunobu Ito
Journal of Human Interface Society : human interface, 25, 2, 127-138, 2023
Cultivating cultural awareness among medical educators by integrating cultural anthropology in faculty development: an action research study
Sayaka Oikawa, Junko Iida, Yasunobu Ito, Hiroshi Nishigori
BMC Medical Education, 22, 196, -, 2022
“As Normal” Co-created by Visiting Nurses and Patients: Ethnographic Study on Visiting Nurse Station in Japan
Kagari Otani, Yasunobu Ito
Christine Leitner, Walter Ganz, Debra Satterfield, Clara Bassano eds., Advances in the Human Side of Service Engineering, AHFE 2021. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol. 266, Springer, 503-509., 266, 503-509, 2021
◆Misc
The Significance of Revising the 'Model Core Curriculum for Medical Education' for Cultural Anthropology
Shuhei Kimura, Junko Iida, Yasunobu Ito, Makoto Kurata, Hiroshi Nishigori, Akinori Hamada, Junji Haruta, Shin Hoshino
Japanese Journal of Cultural Anthropology, 86, 3, 511-514, 2021
Utilising Social Sciences in Medical Education: Proposals for the Next Revision of the Model Core Curriculum
Junko Iida, Shuhei Kimura, Yasunobu Ito, Makoto Kurata, Akinori Hamada, Shin Hoshino, Junji Haruta, Hiroshi Nishigori
Medical Education, 52, 4, 342-344, 2021
Yasunobu Ito, What Knowledge of Anthropology is Needed in the Context of Medical Education?
Yasunobu Ito
Minpaku Tsushin, 160, 18-19, 2018
Ethnographic Praxis without Ethnography: Examples of Non-Anthropological Ethnography in Industry
Yasunobu ITO
The bulletin of the Kyushu Anthropological Association, 42, -, 2015
‘Why cultural anthropology is needed in today's business world’
Yasunobu Ito
Work Mill with Forbes JAPAN, ISSUE 02, 5(6), 97-98, 2018
◆Books
Business Anthropology and Design Anthropology. In T Ayabe and Kuwayama T (eds.) An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, 3rd Edition
minerva shobo, 2025
Yasunobu Ito, ‘Teaching and Learning Ethnographic Observation,’ in Junko Iida and Hiroshi Nishikori, eds., Anthropology and Sociology for Doctors and Medical Students: Learning through Clinical Cases and Examples
27-29, Nakanishiya Shuppan co.ltd, 2021
Yasunobu Ito, ‘Ethnography and the Perspective of Cultural Anthropology,’ in Junko Iida and Hiroshi Nishikori, eds., Anthropology and Sociology for Doctors and Medical Students: Learning through Clinical Cases and Examples
17-26, Nakanishiya Shuppan co.ltd, 2021
Junko Iida and Yasunobu Ito, ‘Cultural and Social Contexts of Medical Education,’ in Hiroshi Nishikori and Sayaka Miyoshi, eds., Medical Education for Attending Physicians: Practice and Science
共著, 292-303, Kyoto University Press, 2020
Japanese translation by Yasunobu Ito, ‘The Significance of Enterprise Anthropology in Asia’ by Ann Jordan, in Keiko Yamagami, ed.Ethnography of Business Practice
単訳, 8-22, Toho shuppan, 2020
◆Conference Activities & Talks
Practice and Reflection on Cultural Anthropology Education for Lower Year Medical Students
The 57th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Medical Education, 2025
‘HCD and Anthropology: A Design Theory of Wishes and Care’
‘System Design Philosophy Through Dialogue Between Human-Centred Design and Anthropology’ (Research Roundtable), SPOT Roppongi Midtown Side ANNEX, 2024
An Encouragement of Doing Ethnography for Non-Anthropologists
HCG symposium 2021 (IEICE Human Communication Group), 2021
Yasunobu Ito, 'Cancer Care from the Perspective of Cultural Anthropology' (Symposium co-hosted with the Science Council of Japan: 'Cancer Treatment from the Perspectives of Behavioral Economics, Cultural Anthropology, and Health Economics')
The 60th Annual Meeting of the Japan Lung Cancer Society (Co-hosted with the Oncology Section, Clinical Medicine Committee, Science Council of Japan), 大阪国際会議場 第5会場, 2019
Yasunobu Ito, ‘Anthropology Education and Responsiveness: Beyond the Reproduction Model of Anthropologists’ (Session Chair: Yasunobu Ito, ‘Anthropology Education and Responsiveness: Beyond the Reproduction Model of Anthropologists’)
The 49th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cultural Anthropology, 大阪国際交流センター, 2015

■Teaching Experience

Advanced Topics in Healthcare Service Knowledge Science, Anthropology of Knowledge

■Contributions to  Society

◆Academic Society Affiliations
Society for Applied Anthropology, Society for Serviceology, International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES), The Japan Society for Science Policy and Research Management, Japanese Society for Science and Technology Studies (JSSTS), Japanese Society for Oceanic Studies, Association of Social Anthropologists of Aotearoa /New Zealand, Japanese Society of Cultural Anthropology
◆Academic Contribution
Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference (EPIC) 2010, Tokyo , Member of the local committee (Public Relations) , 2010 - 2010
Chair, Special Committee for Social Collaboration , Japanese Society of Cultural Anthropology
councilor , Japan Society for Research Policy and Innovation Management
◆Committee Memberships
・ ‘Subcommittee on Human Resource Development and Social Collaboration Utilising Knowledge of Cultural Anthropology’ (Science Council of Japan) , Chair , 2024-
・ Science Council of Japan , Council member , 2023-
・ Science Council of Japan , associate member , 2020- 2023

■Academic  Awards

・ Best Paper Award (Honorable Mention) , Maya Kondo,Yasunobu Ito , The 11th International Conference on the Human Side of Service Engineering (AHFE HSSE 2024) , 2024
・ BEST PAPER AWARD (1st Place) , Kagari Otani, Yasunobu Ito , The 8th International Conference on the Human Side of Service Engineering (AHFE HSSE 2021) , 2021
・ The Yoshinobu Kakiuchi Memorial Award for Practical Science and Technology Studies , Japanese Society for Science and Technology Studies (JSSTS) , 2017