On behalf of the President of the International Federation of Pigment Cell Societies (IFPCS), Prof. Shigeki Shibahara, the President of the Japanese Society for Pigment Cell Research (JSPCR), Prof. Takahiro Kunisada, and of the JSPCR Awards Committee, it is my pleasure to announce and congratulate the 2011 Takeuchi Medal awardee:

Prof. Yasushi Tomita (awarded the Takeuchi Medal at IPCC 2011)

The Takeuchi Medal is an Award dedicated to the memory of Prof. Takuji Takeuchi and selected by the JSPCR as an international recognition of outstanding contributions to the molecular biology of pigmentation. Prof. Yasushi Tomita has devoted his career as dermatologist and scientist to the study of the genetic basis of several pathologies and congenital diseases affecting skin and pigmentation, including albinism.