EXPERTS

RESEARCH DIRECTOR
Masaharu Tsubokura
Last updated : June 08, 2023
Professor, Department of Radiation Health Management, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University
- Areas of Expertise
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- Local public health
- disaster prevention measures
- radiation exposure
- hematology
Bio
Dr. Masaharu Tsubokura is a professor in the Department of Radiation Health Management at the Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine. After the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in 2011, he worked with local municipalities in Fukushima and played an important role in the establishment of an internal radiation exposure screening program for local residents. He is also a member of the committee on radiation protection and public health in the cities of Minamisoma and Soma and has actively sought to provide radiation seminars to the public in response to public anxieties about the health effects of radiation exposure.
Research Program
Establishing Health System Resilience to Tackle the Health Security Crisis
Select Publications
- Sawano T, Shigetomi S, Ozaki A, et al. Successful emergency evacuation from a hospital within a 5-km radius of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant: The importance of cooperation with an external body. J Radiat Res 2021; 62(Supplement_1): i122-i8.
- Nomura S, Murakami M, Ozaki A, et al. Comparative risk assessment of non-communicable diseases by evacuation scenario– a retrospective study in the 7 years following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. Global Health Action 2021; 14(1): 1918886.
- Nishikawa Y, Suzuki C, Takahashi Y, et al. No significant association between stable iodine intake and thyroid dysfunction in children after the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster: An observational study. Journal of Endocrinological Investigation 2021; 44(7): 1491-500.
- Tsubokura M, Nabeshima Y, Murakami M, et al. Usefulness of the whole-body counter for infants and small children (BABYSCAN) as a risk communication tool after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant incident. Proceedings of the Japan Academy, Series B 2020; 96(2): 70-8.
- Ohsawa Y, Tsubokura M. Stay with your community: Bridges between clusters trigger expansion of COVID-19. PLoS One 2020; 15(12): e0242766.
- Kuroda Y, Tsubokura M, Sasaki K, et al. Development of radiation education in schools after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident ― A study from the perspectives of regionality, multidisciplinarity and continuity. Radioprotection 2020; 55(4): 317-24.
- Tsubokura M, Murakami M, Takebayashi Y, et al. Impact of decontamination on individual radiation doses from external exposure among residents of Minamisoma City after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant incident in Japan: A retrospective observational study. J Radiol Prot 2019; 39(3): 854-71.
- Nomura S, Murakami M, Naito W, Yasutaka T, Sawano T, Tsubokura M. Low dose of external exposure among returnees to former evacuation areas: A cross-sectional all-municipality joint study following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant incident. J Radiol Prot 2019; 40(1): 1-18.
- Murakami M, Nomura S, Tsubokura M, Takebayashi Y, Yamamoto K, Oikawa T. Radiation doses and decontamination effects in Minamisoma city: Airborne and individual monitoring after the Fukushima nuclear accident. Journal of Radiological Protection 2019; 39(4): N27-N35.
- Hirohara M, Ozaki A, Tsubokura M. Determinants and supporting factors for rebuilding nursing workforce in a post-disaster setting. BMC Health Serv Res 2019; 19(1): 917.
- Tsubokura M, Onoue Y, Torii HA, et al. Twitter use in scientific communication revealed by visualization of information spreading by influencers within half a year after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. PLoS One 2018; 13(9): e0203594.
- Tsubokura M, Kitamura Y, Yoshida M. Post-Fukushima radiation education for Japanese high school students in affected areas and its positive effects on their radiation literacy. J Radiat Res 2018; 59(suppl_2): ii65-ii74.
- Tsubokura M. Secondary health issues associated with the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, based on the experiences of Soma and Minamisoma Cities. Journal of the National Institute of Public Health 2018; 67(1): 71-83.
- Murakami M, Tsubokura M, Ono K, Nomura S, Oikawa T. Additional risk of diabetes exceeds the increased risk of cancer caused by radiation exposure after the Fukushima disaster. PLoS One 2017; 12(9): e0185259.
- Tsubokura M, Nomura S, Watanobe H, et al. Assessment of Nutritional Status of Iodine Through Urinary Iodine Screening Among Local Children and Adolescents After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident. Thyroid 2016; 26(12): 1778-85.
- Tsubokura M, Nomura S, Sakaihara K, et al. Estimated association between dwelling soil contamination and internal radiation contamination levels after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in Japan. BMJ Open 2016; 6(6): e010970.
- Nomura S, Blangiardo M, Tsubokura M, Ozaki A, Morita T, Hodgson S. Postnuclear disaster evacuation and chronic health in adults in Fukushima, Japan: A long-term retrospective analysis. BMJ Open 2016; 6(2): e010080.
- Tsubokura M, Kato S, Nomura S, et al. Absence of internal radiation contamination by radioactive cesium among children affected by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster. Health Phys 2015; 108(1): 39-43.
- Murakami M, Ono K, Tsubokura M, et al. Was the Risk from Nursing-Home Evacuation after the Fukushima Accident Higher than the Radiation Risk? PLoS One 2015; 10(9): e0137906.
- Tsubokura M, Kato S, Nomura S, et al. Reduction of high levels of internal radio-contamination by dietary intervention in residents of areas affected by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster: A case series. PLoS One 2014; 9(6): e100302.
- Tsubokura M, Takita M, Matsumura T, et al. Changes in metabolic profiles after the Great East Japan Earthquake: A retrospective observational study. BMC Public Health 2013; 13: 267.
- Tsubokura M, Shibuya K, Kato S, Oikawa T, Kanazawa Y. Acute intake of radionuclides immediately after the incident as the main contributor of the internal radiation exposure after Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. JAMA Pediatr 2013; 167(12): 1169-70.
- Tsubokura M, Gilmour S, Takahashi K, Oikawa T, Kanazawa Y. Internal radiation exposure after the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. JAMA 2012; 308(7): 669-70.