Yoko Kato (, ''Katō Yōko'', born 9 November 1952) is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

neurosurgeon Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and peri ...

. She is professor and chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at

Fujita Health University is a private university at Toyoake, Aichi, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, w ...

. She was the first woman in Japan to be promoted to full professor of neurosurgery.

Biography

Yoko Kato received her MD in 1978 from

Aichi Medical University is a private university Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public stu ...

, where she also completed her residency in the department of neurosurgery. She joined the neurosurgery department at

in 1980, then became an instructor in the department of neurosurgery at Suzhou Medical College in 1981. Kato returned to Fujita Health University as an assistant instructor in 1983. She was promoted to assistant professor in 1988 and associate professor in 2000. She has held visiting professorships at the University of Mainz (1995),

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

(1998), and Sri Ramachandra University (2000). In 2006, Kato was promoted to full professor, becoming the first female professor of neurosurgery in Japan. She was named chief of Fujita Health University Banbuntane Hotokukai Hospital's Stroke Center in 2014. Kato specializes in surgical treatment of

cerebrovascular disease Cerebrovascular disease includes a variety of medical conditions that affect the blood vessels of the brain and the cerebral circulation. Arteries supplying oxygen and nutrients to the brain are often damaged or deformed in these disorders. The ...

, particularly aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations. She has performed more than 1,800 brain aneurysmal clipping procedures throughout her career. Kato is a proponent for the advancement of neurosurgery in

developing countries A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreem ...

by directly mentoring neurosurgeons, organizing educational courses, and donating funds for neurosurgical equipment. She also advocates for inclusion of women in neurosurgery. She founded the Women's Neurosurgical Association (WNA) of Japan in 1990 and the Asian Women's Neurosurgical Association (AWNA) in 1996. Kato has spoken about experiences of bias against woman surgeons, such as being mistaken for support staff or perceived as less focused due to family duties. She has advocated for improved research mentorship and access to childcare resources to address gender disparities in academic neurosurgery, as well as increased visibility of successful female neurosurgeons to encourage female trainees to join the profession.

Awards

* 2021 AANS International Lifetime Recognition Award,

American Association of Neurological Surgeons The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is a scientific and educational association focused on advancing the specialty of neurological surgery. The organization has over 8,000 members around the world. It is one of the five Conti ...

* 2019 Medal of Honor,

World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies The World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS), founded in 1955, in Switzerland, as a professional, scientific, non governmental organization, is composed of 130 member societies: consisting of 5 Continental Associations ( AANS, AASNS, C ...

* 2019 Honorary Fellowship,

American College of Surgeons The American College of Surgeons is an educational association of surgeons created in 1913.American College of Surgeons Online "What is the American College of Surgeons?"/ref> See also *American College of Physicians The American College o ...

Selected publications

Books

* *

References

External links

Works by Yoko Kato
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kato, Yoko 1952 births Living people Japanese neurosurgeons Women surgeons Fujita Health University faculty