The second in AY2022 Find-Your-Role-Model Session was held

The second Find-Your-Role-Model Session (66th in total) was held on July 11th, 2022, where we welcomed two TMDU alumni, Drs. Nao and Jun Sasaki, both currently serving as physicians/assistant professors at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Nao Sasaki specializes in pediatric cardiac imaging and is currently the Director of Pediatric Non-invasive Cardiac Imaging/ Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Radiology, while Dr. Jun Sasaki specializes in pediatric cardiac critical care and is currently an Attending Physician/ Assistant Professor at the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Critical Care Medicine.

Dr. Nao Sasaki graduated from TMDU in 2003, completed a year of internship at U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka before moving to the United States to go through three years of pediatric residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine Jacobi Medical Center, and thereafter moved on to pediatric cardiology fellowship from 2007 at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Jun Sasaki graduated from TMDU in 2005 and similarly completed a year of internship at USNH Yokosuka before going into four years of pediatric residency at Long Island College Hospital and Elmhurst Hospital Center. The two moved to Miami in 2010 as Dr. Jun moved on to pediatric critical care and cardiac intensive care fellowship, while Dr. Nao gained a position as an Assistant Professor at the University of Miami. Both moved to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in 2014 and worked as staff/attending physicians for 7 years until coming to their current roles at Weill Cornell Medicine in June 2021, and the two are currently preparing for their new positions from August at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Dr. Nao as an Attending Physician at Boston the Department of Division of Cardiac Imaging and Dr. Jun as an Attending Physician at the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.

During the session, the two introduced to us the hardships of transferring hospitals and the preparation necessary to transfer together to the same area at the same time, emphasizing that creating various interpersonal connections, collecting information about potential employment opportunities, and, especially for the two, talking and planning thoroughly about the future were some of the most important things for them. Dr. Nao shared an episode with us about when she moved from the University of Miami to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, which caused her to receive an 18-month work restriction at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital due to laws in Florida restricting such contracts. However, the restriction period gave her an opportunity to study and specialize further in pediatric cardiac MRI, which later on became one of the primary reasons that helped her further prosper at Weill Cornell Medicine and Boston Children’s Hospital.

The two further talked about obstacles they faced as they raised their children while working as physicians in the United States, as well as about women’s rights and working as a female physician in the United States. They mentioned that although there is a social norm in the United States of parents equally raising their children together, the welfare system concerning childbirth and parenting is yet to be well-established, Dr. Nao pointing out that she was only given six weeks of maternity leave. The two noted that balancing between work and child-raising is extremely difficult, adding on that ultimately, putting in as much effort as you can towards both components of life is the key. Dr. Nao shared with the audience about the rights of female physicians and where they stand in the healthcare industry, explaining that even in the United States, female workers are only able to achieve 85% of male workers in terms of salary, and that discrimination against women amongst healthcare workers is an issue that still exists in certain areas/ facilities.

Dr. Jun shared with us about life in the United States in general, saying that the diverse society is an excellent environment for spending family time, especially after completing residency/ fellowship and becoming an attending physician. On the other hand, he also mentioned that the future can be unforeseeable at times especially regarding career planning, adding on that Dr. Jun himself never imagined that he would match into a fellowship program in Miami. He re-emphasized that thorough, early preparation and discussion about the future is essential in dealing with certain unexpected situations. Lastly, Dr. Nao shared with us her current career vision, stating that Boston Children’s Hospital is the best institution for the two of them in terms of the vast variety and rarity of the cases that are admitted to the hospital, and would like to start off her work there from August with the mindset of being there for the rest of her career.

The session was a valuable opportunity to directly hear from Drs. Nao & Jun Sasaki about their glorious careers, hardships, and how they are still currently striving to further excel in the field of pediatrics. The stories that the two shared are certain to be encouraging for the audience, including students at TMDU, in facing new challenges.

Flyer(EN)_Drs. Sasaki
Date & Time:

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm, Monday, July 11, 2022.

Platform:

Zoom Meeting

Guest Speakers:

Dr. Nao Sasaki

Assistant Professor, Pediatric Cardiology,
Director of Pediatric Non-invasive Cardiac Imaging,
Weill Cornell Medicine

Dr. Jun Sasaki

Assistant Professor, Pediatric Critical Care,
Director of Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care,
Weill Cornell Medicine

 

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