Discover Nikkei Logo

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/455/

Creating a registry to study the outcome of transplants

We studied the outcome of transplants, and we wanted to know if we matched the people, what would be the outcome if they mismatched the person’s [race]. And also, if they mismatched for one type and another type for another type, does it make a difference? So out of that, we needed to get data. We needed to find out what happened after transplant. So we created this registry, 1970, and it still exists today1.

The registry is to collect the data of the patients, the transplant patients, after being transplanted and to see how they are. So every year we would ask them, ask the center, how the patient was doing. And from this, then, we could look at different factors—as you mentioned, race of the donor. For example, the size of the donor, we found that if the donor’s too small, kidney’s too small, then it puts an extra stress on the kidney and the kidney doesn’t last as long as a larger kidney. Also, if the kidney is from an old person, a lot of the nephrons2 are damaged. So when you put the kidney in, it doesn’t work as well. So all of these different factors that we’ve looked for. Sometimes, the Black patients, there’s a lower graft level. And we don’t know exactly what that has to do. Some of it might be socio-economic conditions, but others might be inherent—strong immune response that was able to react against the kidney. So, it’s been sort of a gold mine.

We’ve had the registry at UCLA. And then subsequently, the government set up what’s called the UNOS Registry. And from 1987 to 1999, we had the UNOS Registry. So [we] collected data from every patient. And the UNOS Registry is unusual in the world in that it requires every transplant patient to be registered. There’s no other treatment in medicine that is like this, where from the registry, you can study all these various factors in transplantation. And I think it’s very unique. It’s the only disease related registry and the only one in the world that’s compulsory—means that every transplant that some surgeon, if he does it, has to report it. And also, the government has a way where if he does not report it, he does not get paid. So it’s a very important kind of activity that has been going on the last 20 years.

1. In 1970 Dr. Terasaki was instrumental in the creation of the UCLA Kidney Transplant Registry. Later it evolved into the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) Kidney Transplant Registry.

2. Nephrons are the basic functional units of the Kidney. There are about one million nephrons in each kidney.


medicine

Date: February 10, 2004

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Gwenn M. Jensen

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum.

Interviewee Bio

Paul Terasaki, born in 1929, is a UCLA Medical Professor Emeritus and a pioneer in tissue transfer research who continues to speak globally on tissue typing and organ transplantation. In 1991 he edited a volume entitled History of Transplantation: Thirty-five Recollections.

He and his wife Hisako, a renowned painter, take a strong interest in U.S.-Japan relations and the affairs of the Japanese American community. Together they established an endowment at the UCLA Asian American Studies Center to fund fellowships for UCLA graduate students from Japan pursuing research on the historical and contemporary experiences and issues of the Japanese American population. Additionally, a Paul I. Terasaki Endowed Chair in U.S.-Japan Relations supports a distinguished teaching program designed to bring experts in the field of Japanese studies and U.S.-Japan relations to UCLA. (February 10, 2004)

Toshio Inahara
en
ja
es
pt
Toshio Inahara

Inahara shunt

(b. 1921) Vascular surgeon

en
ja
es
pt
Richard Mamiya
en
ja
es
pt
Richard Mamiya

Treating international and VIP patients

(b.1925) Sansei, cardiovascular surgeon.

en
ja
es
pt
Richard Mamiya
en
ja
es
pt
Richard Mamiya

Innovation in heart surgery

(b.1925) Sansei, cardiovascular surgeon.

en
ja
es
pt
Richard Mamiya
en
ja
es
pt
Richard Mamiya

Taking pride in children’s surgery

(b.1925) Sansei, cardiovascular surgeon.

en
ja
es
pt
Richard Mamiya
en
ja
es
pt
Richard Mamiya

Former child patient turned professional volleyball player

(b.1925) Sansei, cardiovascular surgeon.

en
ja
es
pt
Richard Mamiya
en
ja
es
pt
Richard Mamiya

Starting a medical program in Hawai‘i

(b.1925) Sansei, cardiovascular surgeon.

en
ja
es
pt
Sakaye Shigekawa
en
ja
es
pt
Sakaye Shigekawa

Getting good guidance

(1913-2013) Doctor specializing in obstetrics in Southern California

en
ja
es
pt
Sakaye Shigekawa
en
ja
es
pt
Sakaye Shigekawa

Joining the hospital unit in Santa Anita Race Track

(1913-2013) Doctor specializing in obstetrics in Southern California

en
ja
es
pt
Sakaye Shigekawa
en
ja
es
pt
Sakaye Shigekawa

Never married

(1913-2013) Doctor specializing in obstetrics in Southern California

en
ja
es
pt
Frances Midori Tashiro Kaji
en
ja
es
pt
Frances Midori Tashiro Kaji

Father became trilingual to practice medicine

(1928–2016) Daughter of an Issei doctor 

en
ja
es
pt
Frances Midori Tashiro Kaji
en
ja
es
pt
Frances Midori Tashiro Kaji

Typical day for the doctors

(1928–2016) Daughter of an Issei doctor 

en
ja
es
pt
Frances Midori Tashiro Kaji
en
ja
es
pt
Frances Midori Tashiro Kaji

Discrimination for Nisei doctors

(1928–2016) Daughter of an Issei doctor 

en
ja
es
pt
Frances Midori Tashiro Kaji
en
ja
es
pt
Frances Midori Tashiro Kaji

Recalls seeing her father off on a business trip with his surgery nurse

(1928–2016) Daughter of an Issei doctor 

en
ja
es
pt
Frances Midori Tashiro Kaji
en
ja
es
pt
Frances Midori Tashiro Kaji

Finding out about her father's case

(1928–2016) Daughter of an Issei doctor 

en
ja
es
pt
Frances Midori Tashiro Kaji
en
ja
es
pt
Frances Midori Tashiro Kaji

Making patients feel comfortable by using patient's regional dialects

(1928–2016) Daughter of an Issei doctor 

en
ja
es
pt

Discover Nikkei Updates

NIKKEI NAMES 2
Vote for Nima-kai Favorite!
Read the stories and give a star to the ones you like the most! Help select our Community Favorite.
NIMA VOICES
Episode 17
November 12
5pm PDT | 7pm PET
Featured Nima:
Graciela Nakachi
Guest Host:
Enrique Higa

Presented in Spanish
NEW SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT
We’re on Instagram!
Follow us @discovernikkei for new site content, program announcements, and more!