Monterey County Physician of the Year: Dr. Hisashi Kajikuri

Competence, dedication, and a smile

His waiting room is a place worthy of waiting. One wall is graced by a Lilliana Braico floral, another by a fabric wall hanging whose Japanese orthography refers to the reciprocity between the physician and the patient who made it for him. Silk cushions soften a carved teak bench, and Oriental carpets honor the floor. The Muzak™ would be replaced by the strains of Maria Callas if the doctor had anything to say about it.

This is the office of Dr. Hisashi Kajikuri, husband, father, grandfather, thoracic surgeon, and physician of the year, each a role he has earned and honored.

On January 27, 2003, U.S. Representative Sam Farr stood before the U.S. House of Representatives to recognize Kajikuri as an exceptional physician who has served the Monterey Peninsula for 36 years and to honor him as Monterey County Physician of the Year.

Born and educated in Japan, Kajikuri didn’t particularly aspire to be a physician. In fact, his sights were set on training to become a Navy pilot. But those were the war years, and his brother said he was too young to give up his life and advised him to give it to enduring service. He went to medical school. After spending time with his uncle, a respected surgeon, he found his inspiration.

Kajikuri began his medical career as an intern for a U.S. military hospital and was later awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to do research in cardiovascular surgery at Indiana University. On completion of his fellowship, he went on to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where “I went in as a doctor and came out a surgeon,” he says. He completed another four years of postgraduate training at the University of Minnesota and the University of Pittsburgh. His interest and ability in thoracic and vascular surgery caught the attention of respected doctor Richard Murtland, his fellow resident at Chapel Hill, who brought Kajikuri to the Monterey Peninsula in 1967.

“I practice medicine by my core principle,” says Kajikuri, “that competence and dedication lead to patient advocacy. I believe I was chosen Physician of the Year because I work hard, I’m dedicated, and I smile a lot, but there are many more deserving physicians than I. Competence and a smile will get you far.”