Dr. Akie Watanabe is a PGY3 in the UBC General Surgery Residency program. A proud Vancouver local, she received her Bachelor’s degree from UBC and was drawn to general surgery after her 3rd year clerkship at St. Paul’s hospital. Continue reading below to read more about her residency experience.
Choosing the UBC General Surgery Residency Program
It was not just Dr. Watanabe’s love for her hometown that made her stay here in BC for her residency program. She enjoyed her electives elsewhere in Canada during medical school, but in the end the collegial attitude, approachable faculty, and the diverse training opportunities in the UBC program drew her back home. She also loved that the program makes it easy to lay the foundations for what you want to do after residency.
Surgical Oncology and Research
Dr. Watanabe started getting involved in surgical oncology research in medical school and her passion for the field has only grown along with her impressive list of research projects. Her dedication to research is also a longstanding part of her life. She has done both quality- and data-based research and has come to enjoy both throughout the learning process.
It’s no doubt that Dr. Watanabe already knew early on that she wanted to pursue the UBC Clinician-Investigator program (CIP), a two-year, RCPSC accredited program for residents interested in pursuing a Master, PhD, or postgraduate studies. Her passion and dedication to the field were clear to the faculty as well, who supported her in her journey. And she expressed her gratitude to the residency program’s faculty for guiding her and fostering her skills throughout her journey. She is particularly thankful to her CIP mentor, Dr. Sam Wiseman and her surgical oncology mentors, Drs. Heather Stuart and Trevor Hamilton for supporting her application and connecting her to research opportunities in the field.
Advice for Fellow Research-Minded Residents
For her fellow residents (or even keen medical students!) who are dedicated to pursuing research, she advises them to start early. She warns that planning and preparing for a research project can take time and it takes a while to build strong relationships with peers and mentors. On top of that, research itself is a long process! That’s why she advises that if you know what you’re interested in, get involved and hands-on early. She also reassures everyone that there’s plenty of research opportunities for residents due to the diverse and far-reaching members of the UBC general surgery community, so it’s just a matter of finding what you want to focus on and finding people to support you along the way.
For those who are not as certain about what they want to do yet, she adds, “Don’t be anxious. Talk to a lot of staff and think about what you enjoy doing.”
What’s next for Dr. Akie Watanabe
Right now, Dr. Watanabe is in the clinician investigator program and is working on building a synoptic operative report for thyroid oncology in Canada. She admits that while she loves doing research, she’s also excited to go back to doing surgeries. In the future, she’s hoping to someday have her own clinical research lab and be able to do the two things she enjoys the most side by side: surgery and research.