In October of this year, Dr. Saori Hamada and Dr. Kunitaka Maruyama of our department successfully passed the Japanese Society of Neurosurgery’s board exam for medical specialists. I was relieved that they passed the exam, even though I could not provide them with enough time to concentrate on studying for the exam. However, I did not say “congratulations” to them. It is only natural for them to pass the exam if they are keeping themselves disciplined and studying hard here in Toyama, and passing the board exam is not a goal for them, but merely the first step they have finally taken. There is no end to training on the “path” of neurosurgery until one retires completely, and this is a path that cannot be walked with half-hearted determination. Kuroda, too, is still carrying on with his daily life, never forgetting the feelings of the ascetics of Mt. Tateyama.
I hope that they will continue to encounter hardships, but overcome them with all their might and grow to become splendid neurosurgeons and neuroscientists, and that we will all support them with warm hearts and strict eyes.
Boys and girls, be ambitious.
*Photo with our Emeritus Professors, Dr. Akira Takaku and Dr. Shunro Endo.