For this year’s 6^th Find-Your-Role-Model Session (59^th overall), we invited Dr. Arinobu Tojo, a graduate of TMDU who is currently the director of IMSUT Hospital and professor in the Department of Hematology/Oncology and the Division of Molecular Therapy at the University of Tokyo.

Dr. Tojo had a desire, since his student days, to commit to both basic research and clinical practice in the hematology field. After graduating from TMDU, he has played an active role as a clinician scientist for many years, especially through translational research, which is the conversion of laboratory discoveries to clinical practice. He has greatly contributed to the development of TKI (tyrosine kinase inhibitor), a major breakthrough for the treatment of CML (chronic myelogenous leukemia). Dr. Tojo shared with us that in order to balance research and clinical practice, it is very important to have a strong passion for both, to find a research theme that you are truly interested in, and to be aware that the final goal is to cure patients. Furthermore, he emphasized that developing solid skills is necessary, regardless of which career pathway you choose.

Dr. Tojo kindly advised us that we should read research articles, at least the abstract, in other fields when looking for a new and interesting research themes. This way, we would be able to get an idea from a completely different perspective. We should also interact and actively collaborate with researchers in different fields.

Balancing basic research and clinical practice is easier said than done. Dr. Tojo has succeeded in this challenging but rewarding approach, and it was an exciting opportunity for students who are trying to determine their future career paths.