Honjo-JMSA Scholarship

Nina Harano 原野 新渚

Ph.D. Candidate at New York University Langone Health

Nina Harano is a second-year Neuroscience PhD student at NYU Langone School of Medicine and the recipient of the Honjo-JMSA Scholarship. In her project, she works with her mentors Dr. Sei Higuchi and Dr. Keiichi Ito to organize JMSA New York Life Science Forum — a series of events which served as impactful networking platforms before the pandemic — with an aim to restore the pre-pandemic momentum in the Japanese researcher community. Furthermore, with her passion to give back to the community that helped her develop her interest in science, she organizes an outreach event Kids Science Forum. Nina is grateful for the opportunity to pay back what she received from the community as a budding scientist, as she hopes to make a first step toward her long-term career goal of contributing to the future of JMSA, the Japanese researcher community, and eventually a broader landscape of research. She aspires to be a neuroscientist who can bridge US and Japan through medical research, specifically focusing on finding novel therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases.

Midori Hosoda 細田 翠

Medical Student (MS2) at Yale School of Medicine

Midori Hosoda is a second-year MD student at Yale School of Medicine and a recipient of the Honjo-JMSA Scholarship. Hosoda’s project titled “Comparative study on sexual health education between Japan and the U.S.” is mentored by Dr. Mihoko Tanabe. By implementing this project, Hosoda seeks to serve as an advocate for her peers and promote the overall health, safety, and wellbeing of Japanese and Japanese-American young adults. This connects to her overarching passion for addressing social determinants of health to achieve global health equity. Receiving the JMSA scholarship has both personal and professional implications for Hosoda as she identifies young people’s attitudes toward sexual health, sexual respect, and mental health and determines how to make tangible interventions within the prevailing Japanese culture.

Satoko Ugai 鵜飼 智子

Research Fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Satoko Ugai, MD, PhD, MPH is a Japanese board-certificated pediatrician with experience in childbirth and parenting in the U.S. Currently, Dr. Ugai is a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is a recipient of the Honjo-Japanese Medical Society of America scholarship. Her particular interest lies in childhood health and lifecourse epidemiology. Her scholarship project is “Postpartum mental health among the Japanese community in the U.S.” In the proposed project, she aims to clarify the prevalence of postpartum mental health problems and their risk factors among Japanese parents living in the U.S. under the mentorship of Dr. Mio Sawai. The Japanese Medical Society of America scholarship allows her to develop not only methodological skills but also networking with experts in mental health in U.S. She also plans to develop her leadership capacity, which, in turn, will help support her future work.

Mitsui USA-JMSA Scholarship

Genichiro Fujioka 藤岡 源一郎

Medical Student (MS3) at Texas A&M University College of Medicine

Genichiro Fujioka is a 3rd year medical student at the Texas A&M College of Medicine and a recipient of the Mitsui USA- Japanese Medical Society of America scholarship. The title of “Developing a Platform to Educate Japanese American Patients on End-of-Life Care,” conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Masaya Higuchi. Genichiro aspires to be a future intensivist. The Japanese Medical Society of America scholarship has allowed him to gain experience in creating resources to educate patients on complex and sensitive subjects. Ultimately through this project, Genichiro hopes to help Japanese American patients decipher the complex system that currently exists and to develop skills in patient education.

Haruka Kokaze 小風 華香

Master of Arts Candidate in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness at New York University

Haruka Kokaze is a workplace mental health research associate at Columbia University’s Mental Health + Work Design Lab, a heartfulness fellow at Stanford School of Medicine, and a multidisciplinary addiction training scholar at NYU Langone Health. She is deeply honored to receive the Mitsui USA Foundation-JMSA Scholarship, which recognizes the collective labor of love and service she and her colleagues have contributed to the mental health of the Japanese and Japanese American communities. Under the mentorship of Dr. Robert Yanagisawa, Haruka will organize an event focused on raising awareness of the mental health needs of Japanese expatriates and their families, while exploring how Japanese subsidiaries can better support them. Drawing on her unique upbringing as an expatriate child in Kobe, Tokyo, New York, Houston, and London, she aspires to become a transnational, bilingual psychologist advocating for culturally relevant mental health care for Japanese and Japanese American communities. Haruka values JMSA’s extensive network of Japanese medical professionals and subsidiaries, which she sees as key to both the success of this project and the fulfillment of her professional goals.

Itsuki Osawa 大沢 樹輝

Post-doctoral Research Fellow at Cardiology Department, Columbia University Irving Medical
Center, New York, USA

Itsuki Osawa, M.D. is a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and recipient of Mitsui USA-JMSA Scholarship. The proposed project, “From Non-PhD Postdoc to Physician-Scientist: Sharing My Journey in the US on Social Media,” is in progress under the supervision of Dr. Yuichi Shimada. Dr. Osawa will share his original experience and process of trying to become an independent principal investigator in the US as a non-PhD physician-scientist with like-minded Japanese-American medical students and physicians. Dr. Osawa hopes that the project can collectively lead Japan’s and the world’s healthcare toward a brighter future from this North American community.

Nippon Life-JMSA Scholarship

Yuki Arita 有田 祐起

Research Fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center/New York University

Yuki Arita, MD, PhD, is a research staff member (formerly a research fellow at the time of scholarship application) at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He is the recipient of the Nippon Life-Japanese Medical Society of America Scholarship. His project, “Establishing and Delivering Personalized Medicine for Genitourinary Cancer Patients within the Japanese Communities in North America,” integrates both clinical and research dimensions. Under the mentorship of Dr. Sei Higuchi and Dr. Keiichi Ito, Yuki is working to enhance patient care through advanced imaging techniques and personalized cancer treatment. Looking ahead, Yuki aims to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice, developing innovative solutions for genitourinary cancer care and sharing cutting-edge knowledge with the community while serving Japanese communities across North America.

The Nippon Life-Japanese Medical Society of America Scholarship has been pivotal to my professional and academic development, allowing me to pursue research aimed at improving cancer care for Japanese communities in North America. This population faces unique healthcare challenges, such as the increased incidence of prostate cancer among Japanese immigrants, and my project seeks to address these through personalized medicine and advanced imaging techniques. The mentorship of Dr. Sei Higuchi and Dr. Keiichi Ito has provided invaluable guidance, shaping my research activities. By fostering collaboration between research and clinical care, this scholarship has strengthened my commitment to advancing oncology and delivering tailored medical care to underserved populations. It has laid a crucial foundation for the next phase of my career, where I aim to contribute to establishing personalized medicine on a broader scale.

Yusuke Matsuura 松浦 有佑

Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Fellow at the University of Washington/Seattle Children’s Hospital

Yusuke Matsuura, MD, MPH, is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics fellow in Seattle, specializing in children with developmental disabilities. He earned his medical degree from Gifu University School of Medicine and a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He completed his pediatric residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

His project, the Japan-US Intercountry Educational Pediatric Conference Program, aims to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange between Japanese and U.S. pediatric professionals. In April 2025, he will travel to Japan as an organizer and presenter for a U.S. Pediatrics Symposium and Meet-and-Greet event at the Japanese Pediatric Conference, highlighting his dedication to advancing global pediatric education and development.

Nishioka-JMSA Scholarship

Kaya Curtis カーティス 夏椰

Medical Student (MS4) at Weill Cornell Medical College

Kaya Curtis is a fourth-year medical student at Weill Cornell Medicine and recipient of the Nishioka Foundation-Japanese Medical Society of America scholarship. The title of Kaya’s project is “Cross-sectional survey study of melanoma awareness among Asian patients in a dermatology clinic,” conducted under the mentorship of principal investigator Dr. Shari Lipner and mentor Dr. Shoko Mori. As a Japanese American, Kaya is honored to be a part of a community of Japanese doctors and trainees during her medical training. Kaya aspires to be a future dermatologist. The Japanese Medical Society of America scholarship allowed her to establish a mentorship with Dr. Shoko Mori and to participate in dermatology away rotations in preparation for her residency application.

Abe Razzak 永吉 詠舞

Medical Student (MS4) at Medical College of Wisconsin

Abe Razzak is a fourth-year medical student at Medical College of Wisconsin and recipient of the Nishioka Foundation-Japanese Medical Society of America scholarship. The title of Abe’s project is “Epipharyngitis: An Educational Case Study of Medical English Translation in Japanese and English Health Literature,” conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Jay Starkey at Oregon Health and Science University. Abe will be applying into internal medicine for the upcoming cycle and pledges to continue educational support for first generation college students throughout their career journey. Thanks to the Nishioka Foundation, he was able to coordinate outreach projects at Japanese schools across the United States alongside research funding for this year’s project.

Karen Michiko Kling-JMSA Scholarship

Nanako Shirai 白井 那奈子

Medical Student (MS3) at Harvard Medical School

Nanako Shirai is a third-year medical student at Harvard Medical School and a recipient of the Karen Michiko Kling-JMSA Scholarship. The title of her project is “Educating students in Boston Japanese Language Schools about healthcare careers”, conducted with the help of JMSA mentor Dr. Shunpei Okochi. Nanako is excited to give back to the Japanese community, as it has helped shape her into the individual she is today — the JMSA scholarship will allow her to continue to mentor younger Japanese American students and establish connections with other Japanese medical professionals that also work in the United States.

Machiko and Kazutaka Mori-JMSA Scholarship

Karissa Aki Chesky カリッサ 亜希 チェスキー

Medical Student (MS3) at Baylor College of Medicine

Karissa Chesky is a third-year medical student at Baylor College of Medicine and recipient of the
Machiko Mori-JMSA scholarship. The title of Karissa’s project is “Combining Culture and Health
Education to Combat the Childhood Obesity Epidemic: Healthy Japanese Cooking for Kids,” conducted
with the support of mentor Dr. Yumiko Kanei. Karissa is very honored for the opportunity to connect
with other Japanese healthcare providers, and to celebrate our shared culture and professional interests.
Karissa aspires to be a pediatric neurologist or general pediatrician. The Japanese Medical Society of
America scholarship program has been the utmost honor for supporting Karissa’s education and allowing
her to peruse meaningful work with like-minded individuals.

Kinichi and Toyoko Shibutani-JMSA Scholarship

Erika Mitsui 三井 恵理佳

Resident/Postdoctoral Clinical Fellow at Anesthesiology, New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University

Erika Mitsui is a second year anesthesiology resident at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She is honored to be the recipient of the 2024 Kinchi and Toyoko Shibutani, MD-JMSA Scholarship, which generously supports her project to create the JMSA resident physician group with her mentor, Dr. Naomi Hayashi. The JMSA resident physician group seeks to create a supportive community that meets the needs of residents physicians affiliated with JMSA. The group will meet to exchange ideas and collaborate on resident-led initiatives that contribute to the needs of the Japanese and Japanese-American community. As a first generation physician who has received mentorship from individuals within the JMSA community and grown through the JMSA student representative group, Erika is honored to receive support from the JMSA leadership to create a community for resident physicians and further serve the health and well-being needs of the Japanese and Japanese-American community.