How long have you been a member of AAAM?
7 years
What inspired you to join AAAM?
The impact of its work on global traffic safety and the nice annual conference.
What are your main areas of interest in the field of Automotive Medicine?
Safety, safety, and safety.
What do you find most rewarding about working in this field?
Saving lives and preventing injuries.
What challenges have you faced over the years and how have you overcome them?
At the beginning of my career, I could not understand how my research connected with real transport problems. By engaging in activities such as AAAM and discussing with experts in the field, I understood how my research may be applied to solve real-life problems.
What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know?
I am a decent badminton player, but a terrible golf player. Seeing me playing golf is certainly fun.
How do you think the field is changing and what trends do you see coming up on the horizon?
Road and vehicle safety research is transitioning from protecting only car occupants to protecting also vulnerable road users. We should keep pushing in this direction.
What advice would you give to someone interested in this field?
Join AAAM and other related conferences and talk to as many people as you can, especially those with white hair.
What’s one thing – either field-related or not – you learned in the last month?
An international move with the family is an extremely painful process (I just moved from Japan to the US).
Is there anything else you would like to share you’re your colleagues?
Yes. In order to achieve road traffic safety-related SDGs, we should shift the focus of our research from high-income countries to low- and middle-income countries. Also, private cars should be removed from city centers and priority should be given to pedestrians and cyclists. We can do all this together.