Co-Founder
Yorikatsu Watanabe
Director of Education
Responsible for curriculum planning, educational materials, lectures, practical instruction, and assessment of learning outcomes.
02 / WHY WE STARTED
So that the desire to learn
is never limited
by where a physician works.
Physicians who are committed to learning facial surgery do not always have access to the cases, hands-on practice, or mentors they need. The range of learning and experience can vary greatly with an institution’s case volume, teaching arrangements, and clinical policies.
Medical departments provide an essential foundation for specialist training and clinical education. Yet when learning is confined to one institution, access to outside expertise and needed guidance can be limited. We see a need for education across institutional boundaries.
Even after a valuable lecture or workshop, there may be a long interval before the next opportunity to practice or apply that learning clinically. A mentor may not be available when questions arise. With intermittent experience, it is difficult to build knowledge, technique, and judgment into a coherent whole.
Unequal access to education across institutions
What physicians learn and which cases they encounter depend on their mentors and institutions. We want to create more pathways for motivated physicians to reach the learning they need.
Too few opportunities for repeated practice
Translating textbook and video knowledge into actions with one’s own hands requires practice. We want to provide a setting where learners can reflect on mistakes and check their technique before treating patients.
Learning that ends with a single workshop
Repetition and feedback after a workshop are essential to consolidate understanding. Limited course opportunities and intermittent experience need to become a continuous learning process.
Uncertainty about where to turn after training
Real cases raise new questions about indications, procedures, and risk. We want to build relationships that prevent isolation and help physicians reflect on practice at their own institutions.
These challenges should not be left to individual effort alone. We founded IAFS as an educational foundation that complements institutional training and turns the desire to learn into sustained growth.