On 12/8, we had our 39th FYRM session with Dr. Matsushime of Eisai Co., Ltd. After graduating from Hamamatsu University, School of Medicine and earning his PhD at the same institution, Dr. Matsushime worked at The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo. He then went on to be a Postdoc Research Fellow at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in the USA for four years, returning to University of Tokyo as Associate Professor. After that he has done extensive oncological research leadership at Nippon Roche, Hoffman-La Roche Inc. USA, Astellas Pharma Inc., Agensys Inc. USA, and Eisai Co., Ltd.
He first lead us through his career path including the trigger events shaping the person he is today. Since this was a discussion based session, the participants asked questions and Dr. Matsushime answered them one by one with information I’m sure everyone could take into account when deciding their path for the future. Some of the questions included the merits and demerits of becoming a researcher coming from a school of medicine, how important it is to study English, how to acquire English skills needed to become a successful researcher, and the perspectives pharmaceutical companies have when it comes to inventing new medicines. The discussion held great value because it’s not everyday you get the chance to even ask these questions of a professional like Dr. Matsushime. FYRM sessions like this one give students and practitioners a way to view their life in a different light, showing them they’ve got more options than they assumed.

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