We have been holding a series of events called “Find-Your-Role-Model” Session to provide students with opportunities to interact with alumni and worldwide leaders in healthcare sciences. Through this roundtable-type, relaxed atmosphere event, we hope students will be able to find their role models to help facilitate their career development toward becoming future global leaders.

We are pleased to introduce Dr. Akihiro Asai, who serves as a researcher and a pediatric transplant hepatologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, USA. After graduating from Nagoya University, Dr. Asai engaged in basic research as a research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School and then completed his PhD course at the University of Tokyo for his work during this time. Dr. Asai completed an internship at Beth Israel Medical Center and his residency at Columbia University, both in Pediatrics. He then pursued a fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Northwestern University and an advanced fellowship in Transplant Hepatology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where he is a faculty member as a physician-scientist. He runs his basic science laboratory and serves clinical duties with a focus on pediatric liver disease.

Topics

1) Personal Background and Vision

■     His medical future vision and mission, and the factors that influenced him to pursue them 
■     His own role-model
■     His advice on coping with failures and obstacles
■     His reasons for choosing pediatrics and current research topics
■     His reasons for pursuing research instead of residency immediately after graduating from medical school

2) Current / Future Activities

■    How working as a pediatrician differs between the U.S. and Japan
■    What projects he is currently working on 
■    Post-residency career options in the U.S. for international medical graduates
■    His future goals

3) Advice for Students/ Healthcare Professionals

■    The skills and mindset necessary to become a physician-scientist
■    Strategies for interacting with patients and their families as a pediatrician
■    Advice for students and young researchers who want to work abroad in the future
■    Advice on building a career in medicine