Strategic International Session (Panel Discussion) 1(JGES・JSGE・JSH・JSGS・JSGCS)
Sat. November 7th   14:00 - 17:00   Room 9: Portopia Hotel Main Building Kairaku 3
ST-PD1-4_E
 Two years in US: Was it worth the time and cost? Or is Youtube good enough?
Yousuke Nakai
Department of Endoscopy and Endoscopic Surgery, The University of Tokyo
I had a privilege to spend two-years at University of California, Irvine, from 2010 to 2012, with Prof. Kenneth Chang. Ten years have passed since I first landed on LAX without knowing what was waiting for me and what I should expect.
I reflected on my personal experience of this fellowship and asked three questions to myself.
-Would I do this again if I could go back to 2010?
-Did I gain more than lose for two years?
-Could I have done this better with support from JGES/ASGE/WEO?
My answers to all three questions are Yes.
What I have learned is not the knowledge or skill of endoscopy alone. I have learned more about the differences in the rationale, system and culture, which can never be learned from Youtube videos of endoscopic procedures. My only disappointment was my English skill that has never improved after two year stay in US.
With the exchange program and grant support from JGES as well as ASGE and WEO, I would expect more young Japanese endoscopists can visit the centers of excellence in US or other countries to broaden their knowledge and mindset.
Index Term 1: JGES
Index Term 2: ASGE
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