Friends of UTokyo Inc. (FUTI) hosted a lecture and social gathering with Dr. Yuichi Shimada, Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia University on Friday, November 10, 2023 (U.S. Eastern Time, Saturday, November 11, Japan Standard Time). The topic of the lecture was “Interacting with Doctors in the US: From the Viewpoint of a Practicing Clinician”. Dr. Shimada discussed unique features of the medical/health care practice in the U.S. which was of great interest to the audience. His discussion included topics such as 1) the diversity of the MD’s specialty (e.g., primary doctors vs. specialty physicians) and hierarchy in the profession (e.g., interns, residents, attending physicians), 2) healthcare insurance systems, and 3) the role of language interpreters in the U.S. medical practice.
Nearly 60 people have registered for the lecture. Their comments included: “The lecture was useful for understanding the complicated medical/healthcare system in the U.S.,” “I wish more Japanese people living in the U.S. could have known about this lecture,” and “In principle, medical interpreters are supposed to be available, if needed, at hospitals and physicians’ offices, but, in actual practice, they are not.”
During the social gathering that followed the lecture, the participants were divided into three groups for casual exchanges. Group 1 was led by Dr. Shimada, while Group 2 was chaired by Dr. Yuichiro Kuwama, Vice President of FUTI and Director of the Mount Sinai Beth Israel Tokyo Marine Memorial Clinic. These two sessions discussed medical care in the US. Participants in Group 3 had a good time exchanging recent personal news and topics related to living in the U.S.
We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Dr. Shimada and everyone who supported this event. Organized by: Friends of the University of Tokyo (FUTI)
Supported by: Satsuki-kai America, New York Icho-kai, University of Tokyo New York Office, Washington
DC Area University of Tokyo Alumni Association, FUTI Alumni Association
Brief biography of the lecturer：
Yuichi Shimada, Associate Professor of Cardiology, Columbia University Medical Center, USA
Dr. Shimada graduated from the University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2007, where he received his U.S. medical license while still a student. After initial training at Asahi Chuo Hospital and the University of Tokyo Hospital, he worked as a resident and chief resident in internal medicine at Beth Israel Hospital. From 2012, he was a specialist resident in cardiology at Harvard University Brigham and Women’s Hospital; from 2015, he was an instructor in cardiovascular medicine at Harvard University Massachusetts General Hospital; and in 2017 was appointed Associate Professor of Cardiology at Columbia University Medical Center. On the research front, he received his Master of Public Health (MPH) from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in 2014 alongside his clinical training, and as the head of a research laboratory since 2021, he has been a recipient of multiple research grants (R01 grants) from the NIH. He is the author of “All About Studying Medicine in the United States” and “All About Studying Medicine Abroad.”
