Clinical Exchange in Japan

was honored to have spent two weeks with the Adult Hematology and Oncology Department during my time at Nagoya University. From day one, I was floored by the graciousness of the department. Every faculty member and graduate student I worked with showed the utmost care and attention to my learning. Though I’m entering a oncologic specialty, there were so many important principles of cancer care that only existed to me in theory before this clinical exchange experience.

The faculty made sure that I saw my first bone marrow aspiration and peripheral blood stem cell transplant, taught me one-on-one about rare diseases like intravascular lymphoma, hunted down patients’ pathology slides to offer more hands-on learning, and even showed me how to do a Ficoll separation. It was clear that I was in an institution that valued not only the highest quality of patient care, but was also actively pushing the boundaries of medicine forward. I quickly realized that I was rotating at one of the world’s leading departments for FLT3 research, one that had collaborated with familiar faculty at my home institution on several research and clinical protocols.

I also caught amazing glimpses into wonderful physician-patient relationships. I remember being somewhat taken aback one morning when the physician I was working with printed out the lab results worksheet and brought it to a patient room. He went line by line, circling the abnormal results (from white blood cell count to cholesterol to creating) while simultaneously explaining and reassuring the patient of these confusing numbers. Though I couldn’t understand a word of Japanese conversation being exchanged, I did understand that – without a doubt - this relationship was built on pure mutual respect for one another. Witnessing countless moments like these at Nagoya Hospital gave me such admiration for the healthcare system and culture in Japan.

I’m really thankful for the time I was able to spend at Nagoya University. Lessons I learned in my short two weeks – both academic and otherwise – are ones that I hope to carry forward for the rest of my career treating cancer patients.