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My name is Lise Sasaki. I obtained my MSc Medical Anthropology degree at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº in 2017. Before this, I was a student at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan, studying for a BA in Anthropology. Growing up in several countries, mostly in the Pacific Islands, I always had the urge to understand the various perspectives of not only ourselves, but also of each other. The Medical Anthropology courses at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº were diverse and enriching, and the small scale classes for graduate students were a wonderful way to learn and build relationships with fellow students and lecturers.

Learning from psychiatrists and psychologists, to experts in global health and of course, anthropologists, the multidisciplinary approach at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº allowed me to gain a broad understanding of medical anthropology. I also valued being introduced to a group of international students with various expertise and personal experiences. Learning the fundamentals of Medical Anthropology and progressing through to advanced clinical ethnography, I was able to compare personal understandings of illness in natural and spiritual terms against scientific or medical interpretations, drawing on my own experiences in the Pacific Islands and Japan.

I especially enjoyed the Medical Anthropology seminars where students were given the chance to listen to and engage with diverse contemporary researchers from across the world. ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Anthropology promotes a friendly atmosphere and there is always someone to support you. While the educational environment is excellent with exceptional resources and the MSc grounds students in contemporary anthropological debates, I felt that it was the department’s warm social environment that truly encouraged my motivation towards the degree and my further scholarly journey. After my degree, I was involved in the ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Anthropology of Smartphones and Smart Ageing project as a local research assistant in Japan as well as being employed as a research assistant at Osaka University. The immense support from ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº continued after my graduation, and now I am on my way to enroll as a PhD student at the Department of Anthropology of the University of Toronto.