Plant-based Foot and Ankle Surgeon

Published: Jan. 24, 2020, 2 p.m.

I was born and raised in Tokyo Japan. Finished high school in Tokyo and moved to the US to attend college.\xa0\n\nI didn\u2019t plan for it initially, but I ended up going to medical school & got a job in Los Angeles. Now I\u2019m married and with a dog... so I\u2019m happily stuck in Los Angeles.\xa0\n\nAs for the athletics, I was an avid soccer player & coach; but it got harder to find a team to play for. I started dabbling in cycling, which led me to dabble in triathlon and eventually an Ironman races. \n\nAfter getting married in 2017 and doing the Ironman Canada a week later (and missing out on Kona championship slot), I decided to focus on marathon. I BQed and ran Boston in 2019. Now I\u2019m chasing my first sub 3 marathon and eventually hope to run 6 major marathons.\xa0\n\nI\u2019m an attending foot and ankle surgeon at the cedars Sinai medical center. I train and mentor 4 residents & I have a private practice in Los Angeles, 0.5 miles away from the Cedars campus. I see some of my fellow runners in my clinic for sports injuries. \n\nMy specialty is wound care, which is mostly older and chronically ill people with bed sores, burns and diabetic foot wounds.\xa0\n\nI am a Buddhist and I\u2019ve been a \u201cvegetarian\u201d my whole life. I became a vegan about 3-4 years ago & lost weight and feel great than ever.