McDonnell Scholar Kato takes on medicine and law

When one thinks of challenging careers, law and medicine might quickly come to mind.

Not a problem for Ryotaro Kato, M.D. Kato, who completed a three-year residency in internal medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in 2004, will receive a doctor of law degree at the May 18 Commencement ceremony.

Ryotaro Kato, M.D., talks with Rebecca Dresser, J.D., the Daniel Noyes Kirby Professor of Law and professor of ethics in medicine. A native of Japan, Kato completed a residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, then entered the School of Law to pursue a career with international qualities that encompasses his interests in medicine and bioethics.
Ryotaro Kato, M.D., talks with Rebecca Dresser, J.D., the Daniel Noyes Kirby Professor of Law and professor of ethics in medicine. A native of Japan, Kato completed a residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, then entered the School of Law to pursue a career with international qualities that encompasses his interests in medicine and bioethics.

Born in Tokyo, Kato graduated from high school in Maryland after moving there in eighth grade. He returned to Tokyo in 1991 to begin his medical studies.

“We don’t have undergraduate degrees in Japan,” says Kato, 33. “When you graduate from high school, you are expected to decide which field you will go into. I thought being a physician would make for a rewarding career.”

He graduated from the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine in 1999, followed by an anesthesiology residency in Japan.

He came to St. Louis in 2001 to begin his residency at Barnes-Jewish, which led to his being named the School of Medicine’s Karl-Flance Teaching Resident of the Year in 2004.

While he considers it an honor to treat patients, his interests were leading him toward a career in health-care policy, looking for ways to deals with issues such as malpractice.

“Medical malpractice is becoming much more common in Japan,” he says. “It used to be that you would have one family doctor you saw for your entire life. Medicine in Japan is becoming more Westernized, and with the large amount of specialists comes an increasing amount of malpractice lawsuits.”

So following his residency, Kato entered the School of Law — a good fit for the lifelong world traveler who seeks a career with international qualities.

“I thought that if I really wanted to do something international, I should go to law school,” he says. “It seemed like a fitting choice.”

Such international awareness also is fitting with the University’s McDonnell International Scholars Academy, in which Kato is one of 18 McDonnell Scholars.

The McDonnell Academy enrolls exceptional graduate and professional students from Partner Universities in Asia and the Middle East.

The Academy provides rigorous graduate instruction and uniquely steeps McDonnell Scholars in a cultural, political and social education program designed to prepare them as future leaders knowledgeable about the United States, other countries and critical international issues.

In keeping with that mission, Kato and his fellow McDonnell Scholars visited Washington this spring and met with numerous dignitaries, including Missouri’s Senate delegation Christopher “Kit” Bond and Claire McCaskill, as well as representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and The Brookings Institution.

At law school, Kato developed an interest in bioethics — a topic he finds fascinating.

School of Law

“If you have a bad heart, you might require a pacemaker or even an artificial heart,” he says. “But if doing so will only prolong your life a few months, is it worth spending the thousands of dollars surgery would require? Those are the types of questions I find very interesting and challenging.”

After graduation, Kato will return to the medical school as an attending physician and will work in general medicine at the St. Louis VA Medical Center.

“I had considered returning to Japan to work as a lawyer, but the medical school was very excited to have me back,” he says. “It’s one of the best medical schools in the nation, and I’m thrilled to work in such a great community.”

His goal is to work as a physician and stay involved in ethics committees and risk-management work. He’ll also be teaching students and interns.

“I might go back to Japan at some point in my career to help the Japanese health-care system,” he says. “But I’d like to stay here as long as possible. I think my new job will be challenging, but it’s very exciting for me, too. I’m especially looking forward to working with extremely talented residents and medical students of Washington University.”

James V. Wertsch, Ph.D., the Marshall S. Snow Professor in Arts & Sciences and director of the McDonnell Academy, says Kato has a bright future.

“Ryotaro Kato promises to be a global leader on health-care policy,” Wertsch says, “and we hope the ties he has developed through the McDonnell Academy will serve him well in what promises to be a very important future.”