My biorheology research guided by curiosity

In those days, I was totally engaged in clinical practice as a cardiologist at the Hokkaido University Hospital. Ten years had passed since my graduation from medical school, and I had begun thinking about leaving the university hospital and finding a new place of work at a community hospital. One morning, Prof. Hisakazu Yasuda made me an unexpected offer. He told me that his friend Prof. Akira Kamiya, Hokkaido University Research Institute of Applied Electricity (currently Research Institute for Electronic Science), had developed a new system for measurement of arteriosclerosis and was on the lookout for a physician who would help him apply this system clinically. Prof. Yasuda asked me if I might be interested in this position. He recommended it to me, saying that experience in basic research for one year or so would expand my perspective field and benefit me. So I accepted this sudden offer that came my way. At that time, I had no idea how this decision would profoundly influence my future life direction.