October 2016
Kaori Togashi was born in 1954 in Kyoto, Japan.
After receiving her M.D. from Kyoto University in 1979 and completing her residencies at the Kyoto University Hospital and the Hospital of Shiga Medical School in Shiga, Japan, she became assistant professor in radiology at the Shiga Medical School in 1980.
From 1983 to 1987 Dr. Togashi attended the Postgraduate School of Medicine at Kyoto University, where she graduated with a degree of Doctor of Medical Science. From 1987 to 1989 she worked as clinical associate at Kyoto Teishin Hospital in Kyoto, and from 1989 to 1992 as Director in Radiology at Otsu Municipal Hospital in Shiga, before she moved back to Kyoto to become assistant professor in radiology and nuclear medicine at the Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine. After a short stint as clinical associate at the Osaka Red Cross Hospital in Osaka, Japan, in 1997/98, she then took an appointment as associate professor in Hitachi Medical Corporation Chair at the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Imageology. In 2003 Dr. Togashi went back to Kyoto as associate professor at the department of radiology, where in 2004 she was promoted to her current position as professor and chairperson at the Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine at Kyoto University's Graduate School of Medicine. Dr. Togashi thus became the first woman to chair a department at the medical school of Kyoto University, one of the most prestigious universities in Japan, known by its distinguished tradition and outstanding achievements in basic science, and the first woman in Japan to chair a radiology department in a national university.
Apart from her vast œuvre in Japanese, Dr. Togashi has published 117 original articles, 16 invited reviews and 7 books in English, most notably 'MRI of the female pelvis', and 'Magnetic Resonance imaging in cervical cancer', two virtual standards in her field of expertise. Due to her reputation in this field, in 1997 Dr. Togashi was invited to become visiting assistant professor in radiology at Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in Harvard, Massachusetts/US. Dr. Togashi is now striving to extend the horizon of MR imaging with the use of cine MR imaging technique for the uterus. This technique has attracted interests not only from radiology, obstetrics, and gynaecology, but also from the bioengineering society as a new tool to elucidate biomechanics of the uterine function.
Dr. Togashi is a member of the Japan Radiological Society (JRS), the Japanese Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, the Japanese Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the Japanese Society of Infertility, the Radiological Society of North America, the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, the Society of Uroradiology, and the Society for the advancement of Woman's Imaging. In these societies, Dr. Togashi has not only presented numerous academic achievements, but also contributed to the educational programmes such as the refresher course in the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
Dr. Togashi's remarkable achievements have been duly honoured by her peers, leading to a string of awards, such as the prize for excellent manuscript at the 49th Annual Meeting of the Japan Radiological Society (Kobe, 1990), five Certificates of Merit at RSNA (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002), two Excellence in Design Awards at RSNA (2002, 2003), the ESUR Gold Medal in 2002, the Prize for excellent subject at the 57th Scientific Meeting of the Japan Oesophageal Society (Kyoto, 2003), two International Jump Awards at ISMRM (2004, 2005), two Educational Exhibit Awards (Magna Cum Laude and Cum Laude) at ECR 2005, and two Certificate of Merits awards at ECR 2006. Many of these attainments are also the results of her assiduous effort to train young academic radiologists.
In recognition of her extraordinary accomplishments, especially in the field of women's imaging, and of her pioneering role as female radiologist and shining example for her fellow scientists, particularly in her home country, Dr. Togashi is awarded Honorary Membership of the European Congress of Radiology and the European Association of Radiology.
myESR