Interview

Ms. Yoko Takahashi studied at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)^{*Note 1} of the U.S. from November 2013 through March 2014. Her research life there turned out to be excellent, with her work featured in academic journal Brain Research. We asked Ms. Takahashi about what she gained from her short-term overseas study experience.

PR Office:
First of all, what made you decide to study at MGH?

Takahashi:
I had wanted to know the world better in order to work at a global level, and I had been thinking about going abroad. Then, I found out that the basic medical training^{*Note 2} program for third-year students would give an opportunity to study abroad for a long period of time.

PR Office:
Is it OK to receive basic medical training in a foreign country?

Takahashi:
Yes. You can receive the training abroad on condition that you get permission from a professor of the school where you want to study and get a referral to an overseas research institute.

PR Office:
What did you do to study abroad?

Takahashi:
I chose the laboratory of Professor Noriko Osumi (Department of Developmental Neuroscience) for the basic medical training program, but no one at the lab had gone abroad for basic medical training. I was determined to study abroad and told the professor about my intention. I said that I would like to stay for a long term if possible, not just for a short term like one month. She asked me where I wanted to go, and I replied, “America.” America is a big country, and there are lots of research institutes there. I told the professor that I would like to study at a world-leading institute, and she referred me to MGH, an affiliated hospital of Harvard Medical School. I am really grateful to Professor Osumi and Tohoku University for giving this great opportunity, as well as to Professor Arai and members of his lab who all accepted me kindly.

PR Office:
Didn’t you have any communication problem at the lab?

Takahashi:
Technicians were of my generation, and I shared the room with them. When I went to the cafeteria with them, they would engage in lively girl talk. I knew they were having girl talk, but at first I didn’t understand what they were talking about at all.

PR Office:
In the U.S., it is common for medical students to work as technicians for about two years to see if the lab is the right place for them before going to college or postgraduate school. There are also students who choose to serve as technicians because the experience is highly regarded at interviews for admission.

Takahashi:
I’d had no knowledge about that practice before I went to the U.S. So, I was surprised at first.

Note 1. Massachusetts General Hospital or MGH: One of the medical institutes associated with Harvard University that is located in Boston, Massachusetts, the U.S. It is the central hospital among Harvard-affiliated medical institutes.
Note 2. Basic medical training: Training program for third-year students offered as part of the program that Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine is carrying out to promote high-quality education, “Establishment of a medical education system for fostering research-minded professionals: Project to help students develop a spirit of seeking truth and a practical ability”. To find out more, visit the website of the program.
http://www.gakubu-gp.med.tohoku.ac.jp/outline/index.html(Japanese)

PR Office:
How many people were there at the lab where you worked?

Takahashi:
About 30 people.

PR Office:
It’s large for a lab. How about the equipment?

Takahashi:
MGH is an internationally famous institute, so I thought I’d see a lot of state-of-the-art equipment. When I went to the lab, though, I found out that not all the equipment was up to date. They take care of old equipment and keep using it. The latest equipment is in the shared machine room, not in every lab.

PR Office:
Did you get to work flexibly in your research life?

Takahashi:
Yes. I decided myself when to go to the lab and when to go home. On Fridays, though, we had a regular meeting to check on the progress of research work. Lab members also come and go at different times. That is because, I learned, work-life balance is considered important in the U.S. and people respect the way other people work.

PR Office:
The image that comes to mind when I think of a researcher is one of a person deeply absorbed in experiments alone at the lab. Do you talk to other members when you are working at the lab?

Takahashi:
There were many social people at the lab where I worked, so we often chatted with each other while doing experiments. The atmosphere was always cheerful. Probably because I’m an undergraduate, the lab staff friendly spoke to me often. Since few students had worked at the lab, they all kindly taught me everything from scratch. When I asked them to tell me about something or show me something, they generously gave me an in-depth explanation. I guess that’s a precious kind of experience that only students are privileged to get. Post-doctoral researchers from abroad have to study, make plans, and conduct experiments all by themselves.

PR Office:
So it didn’t take so long for you to fit in the lab.

Takahashi:
No. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. I think that one big reason why I was able to fit in the lab so quickly is that I had acquired basic skills to a certain extent before the basic training, by repeatedly visiting Professor Osumi’s lab on a voluntary basis since I went there during the Lab Open House^{*Note 3}.

PR Office:
Tell us about the work you did while studying abroad.

Takahashi:
At the lab, I was involved in several projects in parallel. I had thought it impractical to complete a paper while I stayed abroad. So my initial goal was to create at least one figure (illustration or photo) that would be a key part of a major paper, with the hope that I would be named as one of the coauthors of that paper. At one research meeting, I told Professor Arai about what I would like to accomplish and asked him if that would be possible. Professor Arai said, “Given the period of time you are staying with us, I think we have a research subject that’s appropriate for you. Do you want to put together a paper on that?” The research subject he assigned me was blood vessels in the brain, on which I wrote a report that was accepted as a paper.
The project assigned to me was about blood vessels in the brain and pericytes. Pericytes are cells that wrap around the blood vessels in the brain in direct contact with the outer surface of those blood vessels. The pericytes are surrounded by cells called astrocytes to block foreign substances from entering the brain through blood vessels and strictly regulate the flow of substances. When seen from inside a blood vessel, vascular endothelial cells come first, followed by pericytes and then astrocytes. This mechanism is called the blood-brain barrier (BBB).
The BBB is a vital mechanism that protects the brain from foreign substances. From the perspective of medicine, on the other hand, it blocks drugs from entering the brain. That’s why a lot of attention is now focused on efforts to figure out how substances are delivered from blood vessels through the BBB.

PR Office:
Regarding the delivery of drugs to the brain, can you be specific about what kinds of disorder are concerned?

Takahashi:
Disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Huntington’s disease, and depression.

PR Office:
You mean, by figuring out how the BBB works, it could be possible to develop drugs that are more effective and more focused on each of those disorders.

Takahashi:
Actually, drug development is not exactly what I do. My research is more about understanding how the BBB loses its function. When you suffer a stroke or similar disorder, the BBB breaks down, allowing bad cells that are normally kept out of the brain to enter and attack the brain. How are those substances secreted that are involved in the breakdown of the BBB function? I worked to unravel that mechanism.

PR Office:
While it was Professor Arai who picked up the research subject, you led the project, not under the leadership of someone else. Am I right?

Takahashi:
Yes. Before starting experiments, I made a hypothesis in consultation with Professor Arai. We began by figuring out what kinds of figures would be needed and what we should do to create those figures.

PR Office:
You laid out a very detailed plan before starting experiments.

Takahashi:
Yes. I hadn’t done something like that before, so I learned a lot from the process.

Note 3. Lab Open House: Program that Tohoku University School of Medicine offers to help students gain the research mindset at early stages of their academic life. Under the program, first-year students can visit labs and receive instructions on basic experiment methods, how to make research plans, etc.

PR Office:
Do you feel you have improved in your abilities by studying abroad?

Takahashi:
I feel that, in terms of science, I have improved in the way of thinking. That is, the ability to figure out how to verify new things one after another. In terms of the language ability, I think I have improved a lot in listening comprehension. As for speaking skills, though, I think I have to practice much more. Sometimes I still find myself at a loss for words when speaking English.
I also learned how to create a strict research schedule. For my research, I had to repeat a number of experiments. To do those experiments efficiently, I gained the habit of laying out a detailed plan and making sure that this would be done in the morning and that this would be done this week. The lab members were also working very hard, doing incredible numbers of experiments. So I had a very good experience working in that kind of environment without feeling reserved.

PR Office:
Ms. Takahashi, which do you want to be in the future, a doctor or a researcher?

Takahashi:
I’d rather be both, if possible. Doing research is fun. But I’m enrolled in the School of Medicine, and I’ll have a chance to get a doctor’s license, which I wouldn’t be able to get if I was in any other department. Besides, treating patients in clinical practice seems to be very fulfilling to me. I think it would be great if I could see patients as a clinician and conduct research to solve the problems I find through clinical practice.

PR Office:
Regardless of whether you are going to be a doctor or a researcher, you can pursue a career not just in Japan but in foreign countries as well. Has your point of view changed since you studied abroad?

Takahashi:
Before going to the U.S., I had thought that American researchers and research environments were overwhelmingly superior. After going there, I realized it didn’t matter where I worked, Japan or the U.S. Not all American researchers are remarkably good. We have world-class researchers here in Japan as well. I no longer have the idea that you must go to the U.S. in order to do research on the cutting-edge medicine.

PR Office:
If you want to pursue a career as a doctor abroad, you need to get a doctor’s license in foreign countries, too.

Takahashi:
That’s right. Japan’s academic degrees are well recognized in the rest of the world as well. In the U.S., for example, pass the medical licensing examination and receive several years of clinical training, and you will qualify to get a doctor’s license and engage in medical practice. You don’ need to re-enter a medical school. So, if you study diligently, I think that you will be able to practice medicine anywhere in the world.

PR Office:
Suppose that you are given an opportunity to study abroad again. Is there any specific area you would want to study more?

Takahashi:
If I could study abroad again, I would want to learn about clinical practice. In the U.S., there is a thorough division of labor between doctors and nurses and they have an advanced system for team medical care. If I have a chance to learn about this system, I will definitely give it a try.

PR Office:
Lastly, can you give advice to students who are thinking about studying abroad?

Takahashi:
It seems to me that Tohoku University has more students who aspire to study abroad than other universities do. As a matter of fact, some of my acquaintances are willing to go abroad to study. What I can say from my own experience is this: If you are considering studying abroad, do it while you are an undergraduate, because you will likely benefit more. People there do not expect much from undergraduate students. They are not surprised if undergraduate students know little about things. If undergraduate students have a lot of knowledge, they will be marveled. That’s how people see undergraduate students. So, I think it’s not a bad idea to study abroad while you are an undergraduate.

PR Office:
Your information is very useful. Thank you very much.