The TMM BirThree Cohort Study constructed in my lab is in good relationship with Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children at University of Bristol. There, Dr Ahmed Elhakeem is an expert in longitudinal analysis of statistical methods and machine learning in children and adolescents, which is also of my research interest. My advisor, Dr Mami Ishikuro, has been involved in Dr Elhakeem’s collaboration consortium. She kindly wrote him an email for me, and we agreed on the 3 months visit.

The university usually doesn’t offer accommodations to short visit, but I still made a contact to the university accommodation office for potential vacancies. Luckily, there is availability in a student accommodation facility near the office.

The application process for a standard visitor visa went on smoothly.

During my visit, I conducted functional principal component analysis on the Millennium Cohort Study. This is a novel method in epidemiological studies. We are aiming to build framework on the analysis and its interpretations. I met with Dr Elhakeem once a week. We exchanged ideas and discussed on them freely and openly. (Photos attached, at the end of this file)

MRC IEU is among the top institutes actively integrating genetics, omics, statistics and artificial intelligence technique into epidemiological studies. The open, collaborative, and harmonious atmosphere allows multidisciplinary research to take root here and flourish across the globe. Researchers visit from all over the world.

I made 2 presentations to introduce the Tohoku Medical Megabank and Tohoku Medical Megabank Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study. For UK researchers, this is a brand-new Asian population resources, with a unique population structure and a powerful set of biospecimen and omics resources.

Bristol is one of the most vibrant cities in southwest England, blending a rich maritime history with a thriving creative and artistic spirit. Street art, independent coffee shops, a lively music scene, and green walking trails are everywhere. It offers the richness of a big city with the livability of a smaller one, and its friendly atmosphere and strong academic heritage make it easy to fall in love with. (Photos attached, at the end of this file)

During the visit, I finished the preliminary analysis with Dr Elhakeem. We made plans to meet online after my visit and write the paper together. This method will also contribute to a chapter of my PhD thesis.

I vigorously attended the seminars delivered by top researchers from all over the world. Through invaluable discussion with them, I gained new perspectives, sharper thinking and a genuine appreciation for what open, collaborative research looks like in practice.

My presentation raised interests among the local researchers in TMM BirThree Cohort Study. Young researchers were fascinated in coming to Tohoku University as a visiting student or for their next postdoc position.