Dr. Ken and Mrs. Noriko Hashimoto
Research in the Department of Dermatology at Wayne State University has a promising future, thanks to Dr. Ken Hashimoto and his wife Noriko. The Hashimotos recently made a significant bequest to establish the Dr. Ken Hashimoto and Noriko Hashimoto Endowed Chair in the Department of Dermatology and Syphilology. Dr. Hashimoto chaired the Department of Dermatology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine from 1980 to 2000, when he retired with the honor of Professor Emeritus.
"Research was the most important element of my job," noted Dr. Hashimoto, who wrote 384 professional papers, 39 book chapters and eight books during his distinguished career. Earning respect as an excellent educator and widely regarded as a top clinician internationally, in addition to managing classroom and laboratory teaching responsibilities, Dr. Hashimoto trained 100 resident physicians and 40 research fellows, assuring the continuance and growth of his academic and clinical expertise in new generations of dermatologists.
Dr. Hashimoto was born and raised in Niigata City, Japan. A strong legacy of achievement in academic medicine exists in his family. His father held the position of professor and chairman of dermatology, dean of the Niigata University School of Medicine and president of the university, where Dr. Hashimoto received his M.D. degree. Dr. Hashimoto's brother also is a dermatologist and Noriko's father was the professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery at the Niigata University.
Dr. Hashimoto held faculty positions at the University of Tennessee and Tufts University and was chairman of Dermatology at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio before coming to Wayne State in 1980.
Dr. Hashimoto and his wife divide their time between their home in Ann Arbor and their birthplace in Niigata City, spending the winter months in Japan. Dr. Hashimoto enjoys gardening and farming and owns four tractors. "When I retired from the Department of Dermatology, the faculty gave me a John Deere tractor as a retirement gift," Dr. Hashimoto recalled.
The Hashimotos have four grown children, a son and three daughters, all with advanced college degrees. Their daughters are employed in various fields of health care and their son works in finance. When asked what inspired him to establish an endowed chair in Dermatology, Dr. Hashimoto replied, "I had a satisfactory career at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and two of my daughters trained there. The future of the department looks bright."