Clinical Exchange in Japan

My five weeks at Nagoya Graduate University of Medicine were undoubtedly some of the best in my entire medical school career and a highlight of my fourth year at Hopkins. I spent two weeks in the department of cardiology and two in the department of geriatrics, both of which were phenomenal learning experiences. Golden Week fell in the middle of my time at Nagoya University, so I was also fortunate to travel around Japan during this rotation and appreciate the country’s natural beauty.

During my cardiology rotation, I had the opportunity to see many cardiac catherizations and angioplastic interventions for rare conditions such as CTEPH (chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension) as well as bread and butter cases such as STEMIs (ST-elevation myocardial infarction). The faculty, fellows, and residents made an effort to explain the procedures, rationale, and patient background to me in English and frequently took me and the other exchange student to lunch and other meals, where we ate delicious local Nagoya dishes such as miso katsu and ankake spaghetti.

I was particularly impressed with my geriatrics rotation, where faculty members, fellows, and residents were extremely kind and made enormous efforts to get to know me and teach me about the health care system in Japan. They gave numerous lectures about the long-term care system (separate from medical care); the aging population in Japan and implications on medical provision, tax rates, and immigration policies; and dementia, delirium, and Parkinson’s. All lectures were done in English with exceptional skill and domain expertise. Furthermore, multiple attendings and fellows made an effort to take me out to see adjoining local community hospitals and explain facets of the local and national culture of Japan. I was so touched by their hospitality, and it was a fantastic exchange of perspectives on so many interesting topics. And of course, we always went out to eat delicious Japanese food.

During my weekends, I had the opportunity to travel to Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara, which were all incredibly beautiful and fun to visit. Kyoto’s amazing cultural heritage and glorious cherry blossoms, Osaka’s vibrant personality and innovative culinary forays, and Nara’s serene parks and adorable deer all enriched my time in Japan. During Golden Week, which was fortuitously longer this year because of the coronation of the new emperor and commencement of the Reiwa Era, I had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout Japan to places including Takayama, Nikko, Tokyo, Hakone, Uji, and Miyajima. I was again blown away by Japan’s breathtaking natural beauty and exciting city landscapes. Everywhere I went, I discovered more and more places I wanted to visit in the future.

However, the best parts of the exchange program were the friends I made in Nagoya. The fellow exchange students were so welcoming and generous, as were the medical students at Nagoya University. I was extremely impressed by the kindness and generosity of the Office of International Affairs and became close friends with Ms. Megumi. She helped me so much during my time in Nagoya, assisting me in booking tickets to my weekend trips and showing me around the shopping and restaurant districts of Nagoya. I am so grateful for her friendship and look forward to keeping in touch in the future.