Leadership
Spotlight (Week 3)
Weekly an
Asian team member serving in a leadership (i.e., central or academic
administration) capacity for the Health Science Center will be
recognized.
Week 1 -
Chanchai Singhanayok McDonald, PhD
Week 2 -
Mukta Panda, MD, FACP
Week 3 - Ken Sakauye, MD
Week 4 - Syamal K. Bhattacharya, PhD
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Activities Page
Week 3
Leadership Spotlight
Ken Sakauye, MD
Dr. Sakauye,
serves in the role of
Professor and Co-Chair Department of Psychiatry at the Health Science Center.
He is an
internationally known geriatric psychiatrist, joining UTHSC in May 2006 from the
Louisiana State University College of Medicine (New Orleans).
Dr.
Sakauye has developed the UTHSC psychiatric clinical service at St. Francis
Hospital, establishing a strong inpatient and consultative service, as well as a
teaching program. Areas of emphasis include emergency psychiatry and
electroconvulsive therapy, as well as geriatric psychiatry. Dr. Sakauye has
recently authored a textbook on geriatric psychiatry which has garnered
attention and acclaim prior to its release in January.
A graduate of
the University of Chicago in the School of Medicine, Dr. Sakauye completed his
residency in psychiatry at the University of Chicago Michael Reese Hospital. He
is board certified in adult and geriatric psychiatry. Moreover, Dr. Sakauye has
been instrumental in the development and accreditation of a UTHSC psychiatric
fellowship program in geriatric psychiatry that will begin in July 2008. The
fellowship program will be based at St. Francis Hospital and the Veterans
Administration Medical Center, both in Memphis.
In an interview
with the Office of Equity and Diversity the following information was shared:
Q. How long have you been employed with the
Health Science Center?
A. I have been at UT since May,
2006. I was a Professor of Psychiatry and in charge of a consortium of teaching
hospitals in New Orleans centered at LSU before Hurricane Katrina. That
experience forced me to relocate due to the dissolution of the health care
system.
Q.
What kind of music do you like and do you have a favorite singer/musician or
song?
A. I have been partial to jazz piano
and torch songs. Ellis Marsalis is one of my favorites. Although it is not a
singer, my favorite album is an old one with Wynton Marsalis and his father
Ellis called Standard Time, Vol 3 that captures the genre.
Q. Have you ever attended the Mid-South Fair,
and if so what junk food items do you tend to consume most often at the fair?
A. No I have not attended the
Mid-South Fair yet. If I did, I would want to get corn-dogs. This was an old
favorite in the Illinois where I grew up.
Q. Have you ever
attended a Grizzlies or Redbirds game, and which is your preference as it
relates to your level of interest?
A. I have gone to the Redbirds.
Baseball has always been a favorite sport.
Q. Do you have a
favorite dessert, and if so what is it?
A. Strawberry shortcake. Don't ask
me why.
Q. What was the last book you read (fiction
or non-fiction)?
A. Dreams and Shadows by Robin
Wright. This book captures the Middle East through its transformation to post
9/11 and present. It gives a perspective to the situation that is lost in the
way news covers the problem.
Q. Do you play any sports, and have you ever had a “Freudian slip” while playing
a sport?
A. I play tennis. I can't think of
any Freudian slips, but many choice ones.
Q. Have you visited Graceland (i.e., Elvis Presley’s home), and do you have
favorite Elvis Presley movie or song?
A. I have visited Graceland. I am
now impressed with all Elvis did that I didn't know before. No, I have no
favorite Elvis movie, song, or memory.
Q. What do you like most about working at UT Health Science Center, and working
in higher education?
A. UT actually has a lot more
resources than LSU, from my perspective, and has been much easier to get things
done. With all the complaining that I have heard about the budget, after
Hurricane Katrina my standard phrase has been "Is that all you're complaining
about?" Regarding higher education, this is a great student body. The medical
students are all very impressive and easy to teach.
Q. Do you have a most preferred vacation spot
in the United States, and if so what is the location and why is it significant?
A.
Right now, going "home" is very important. My
childhood home is still Chicago where we have many relatives.
