Written by Maki Kano, M.D. On 12/8, the JMSA hosted a holiday cocktail party in the 18th floor penthouse of the Kitano Hotel in NYC. The event was extremely well attended, with over 70 people including the JMSA board of directors, members, residents and students. The guests enjoyed cocktails, sushi and other hors d'ouevres and a spectacular view of the Empire State building from the terrace. The event was co-chaired by Maki Kano, M.D. and Mrs. Lydia Horiguchi. A brief board of directors meeting was held prior to the event. Dr. Shunichi Homma, the President of the JMSA, invited the major corporate and individual sponsors of the JMSA scholarship and general fund as a way to both thank and acknowledge their contributions to the society. Some of the notable guests included Mr. Tada, the President of the Mitsui Corporation and his wife. Mr. Matsubara, the President of the Yamanouchi America Inc. also attended the event. The JMSA is extremely grateful to both corporations for their significant donations to the JMSA scholarship fund. This year's holiday party was attended by a record number of members, as well as students, residents and fellows. We would like to give a special thanks to Dr. Yuichiro Kuwama for making an effort to invite medical residents to the function. As with all JMSA events, one of the main purposes is to support medical residents and students from Japan who are studying in the US. With the soft sounds of classical guitar music in the background, it was a great way to start off the holiday season.
Dr. Shunichi Homma, president of JMSA, was named "Margaret Milliken Hatch Professor" at Columbia University, an endowed chair. He was also named Visiting Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Tokyo Women's Medical University (Jyoshi Idai). Dr. Seiichi Shimomura will be honored at the annual dinner for the Japanese-American Association (Nikkei-jin-kai). Dr. Makoto Iwahara won the photo contest for the "Diversion for Physicians at Leisure" magazine. His photo of Hawaii is featured in the November issue on page 58. He won an honorable mention. Dr. Naomi Hayashi was awarded the "Distinguished Housestaff Award" by the NewYork Weill Cornell Medical Center Alumni Council on Saturday, October 2, 2004.
Written by: Maki Kano, M.D. On April 24th, 2004, the JMSA celebrated its 32nd Annual Spring Dinner at the University Club in New York City. Over 130 JMSA members and their guests attended the event. Dr. Maki Kano, the chairperson of the event and Dr. Shunichi Homma, the President of the society, welcomed the guests with opening remarks. The society was very grateful to Mr. Hiroshi Sato, the Deputy Consulate General of Japan in New York, who addressed the group. The guests had a great time mingling, enjoying a great dinner and dancing to the music of the Manhattan Rhythm Machine. The flower arrangements were beautiful, thanks to Mrs. Lydia Horiguchi. The society thanks the Annual Dinner Committee: Dr. Maki Kano, Dr. Masazumi Adachi, Dr. Jean Furuyama, and Mrs. Lydia Horiguchi. The scholarship recipients were announced. This year’s winners were Kichiemon Asoma, SUNY Downstate, Meredith Kato, Cornell, Jennifer Mariko Neuwalder, Tufts, Yusaku Michael Shino, Cornell and Mikako Watabe, Mount Sinai. Dr. Yuzuru Anzai, the 2004 Scholarship chairperson, introduced the recipients and noted that the recipients were selected from an especially competitive pool of outstanding applicants this year. The society would like to thank the donors to the scholarship fund: Dr. and Mrs. Roy Ashikari, Dr. Tatsuji Namba, the Yamanouchi Pharma America, Inc., Susumu Sekiguchi Foundation and the Tsumura Corporation. The Society is extremely grateful to the following individuals and corporations for supporting the Annual Dinner by sponsoring a table: Dr. Yuzuru Anzai, Dr. Roy Ashikari, The Beth Israel Medical Center-The Japanese Medical Practice Fund, Dr. Hiroshi Kimura, the Mitsui Company, Otsuka Americal Pharmaceutical, Philips Corporation, Sankyo Pharma Inc., and Dr. Mitsugu Shimmyo. Without their support, the annual dinner could not be a success. An auction and raffle were held and raised over 1400 dollars toward the JMSA general fund. The society is grateful to the various members and businesses that donated gifts and their efforts toward the auction and raffle. Dr. and Mrs. Roy Ashikari again donated one week at their penthouse Puerto Rico condominium. The society thanks Dr. Jean Furuyama, Dr. Yuichiro Kuwama, Dr. Robert Yanagisawa, Dr. Masazumi Adachi, Dr. Makoto Iwahara and Marion Robertson. The society thanks the following business: Ito En Corporation, Kikuichi New York, Inc., Restaurant Nippon, Sushi Yasuda, Sushi Den and Benihana Corporation. The JMSA would like to thank the following donors to the JMSA general fund: Dr. Robert Emy, Dr. Mitsugu Shimmyo, Dr. Raymond Sekiguchi and Drs. Teruko and Herbert Neuwalder.
