BIO
Born in Amagasaki, Japan in 1943 — just a couple years prior to the Hiroshima bombing — Dr. Ritsuko Komaki recalls the effects of the radiation throughout her childhood as the aftermath vividly manifested through her daily life as well as those of her relatives and friends. The passing of her elementary school friend Sadako especially planted a curiosity and ambition in her to eventually pursue a career in radiation oncology. After graduating from Hiroshima University School of Medicine in 1969, Dr. Komaki immigrated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1970 to pursue radiation oncology residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin. In 1988, she moved to Houston, Texas as she was appointed a professor of thoracic radiation oncology at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, where she has worked for 31 years since and is currently a Professor Emeritus of Radiation Oncology. As the Adjunct Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Komaki continues to teach and treat countless patients in the Houston area. This interview largely covers Dr. Komaki’s unique upbringing in post-WW2 Japan that intricately intertwines with her dynamic career in radiation oncology throughout both the United States and Japan. She details her encounters with patients and different treatment technologies that actively evolved throughout her career spanning over five decades. She discusses the implementation of proton therapy treatment methods in the field of oncology and in her personal practice, as well as the different values and approaches between the medical scenes of the United States and Japan. She shares numerous touching stories from her career dedicated to training the future generation of radiation oncologists as well as educating her patients with unfailing dedication.