What I Realized from Being a Patient | Shohei Onishi (Dean, Graduate School of Health Management)
2006.08.04
I am from Himeji City in Hyogo Prefecture. I grew up in the castle town of Himeji Castle, also known as the White Heron Castle. My father was a merchant, and I grew up watching him work from behind, hoping to one day take over his business. I didn't enjoy studying and had no image of myself becoming a teacher in the future. I believe it was during my first year of high school, while discussing my future with a friend of my father's, that I realized I had no business acumen and would have to follow a different path. I liked mathematics and physics, so I struggled with how I could make use of those skills. The period from the mid-1960s to the late 1960s was a time of intense university disputes and a less-than-favorable economy. During such a recession, being a doctor was considered one of the most promising professions. Without any lofty ideals, I chose to enter the School of Medicine and somehow ended up becoming a doctor.
After becoming a doctor, I had no choice but to study relentlessly. I became a cardiologist and worked on the front lines of emergency medicine. I'm not sure if it was due to working day and night, but my health failed, and I became a patient myself. This experience made me realize anew the patient's perspective and the importance of health.
And that brings me to the present. I now work at the Sports Medicine Research Center, where my continued research and teaching on the importance of exercise and sports for health led to the establishment of the Graduate School of Health Management last year.
While it wasn't a specific event that made me decide to become a teacher, I recognize that it was the result of a process. On the other hand, I believe that my own experience of a serious illness and standing in the shoes of a patient could be considered the turning point.
(Date of publication: 2006/08/04)