To recognize Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, we want to highlight a member of NASPGHAN who has made a significant impact in our field, Katryn N. Furuya, MD, FRCPC
Dr. Furuya’s Story:
I am board certified in Pediatric Gastroenterology and hold the certificate of added qualification in Pediatric Transplant Hepatology (with certificate #12!). And I might have been the first person to pass the pediatric GI exams in Canada after they were offered by the Royal College of Physicians of Canada. I am Canadian and was born in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. I went to medical school at the University of Toronto and did my internship, residency and fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology at The Hospital for Sick Children. I did post-doctoral training in molecular biology at Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA) and then at St. Jude Children’s Hospital (Memphis, TN). I am married and my husband, Michel, is a retired Appeal Court Judge from France. Michel and I like to travel, and most recently we were in Japan.
Current position and institution: Professor (CHS) of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Medical Director of the Pediatric Liver Transplant Program
Favorite GI disease: Of course, my favorite disease is any kind of pediatric liver disease (I believe in a livercentric world).
Hobbies: I love crocheting (it is a real stress reliever), photography (natural wonders and scenic views) and watching Canadian men’s curling (especially if they win!)
Favorite Vacation Spot: would have to be France or Japan. France is wonderful for epicurean delights and retail therapy! Japan is so very clean, people are polite, food is terrific and there one can have not just retail therapy but a retail retreat!
Favorite Activist: I don’t have a favorite activist – however I would have to say that I have always been inspired by the late Dr. Peter Durie (Pediatric GI – discovered the Schwachman gene and was a past winner of the Harry Schwachman award) – and whostrongly believed that patients come first and in equality, equity, justice, fairness and in doing the right thing.
Book you recommend: Glory Enough for All by Michael Bliss which was also made into a Canadian Television miniseries. It focuses on the dramatic discovery of insulin at the University of Toronto in 1921-22 by Dr. Frederick Banting, Charles Best, James Collip and JJR Macleod. In 1923 Banting and Macleod won the Nobel Prize who then shared their money with Best and Collip – noting that there was “Glory Enough for All”.
Best Career Advice You’ve Received: I think that the best career advice I ever received was from the late Dr. M. James Phillips, who I considered my mentor from medical school onward. He was the Chief of Pathology and a pediatric liver pathologist at The Hospital for Sick Children, who inspired my love of the liver. He told me that whatever I decided to do, I should make sure that I was passionate about my specialty. He was certainly right – I am passionate about my field, and I love what I do!
