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National Family Medicine Residency program names Dr. Suzuki as associate program director
Alumnus works at the Unity 皇家华人 Care training location in Washington, D.C.
Taisei Suzuki, D.O., MIPH
Taisei Suzuki, D.O., MIPH, has been named associate program director for The Wright Center for 皇家华人 Medical Education鈥檚 National Family Medicine Residency program at the Unity 皇家华人 Care training location in Washington, D.C.
In his new role, Dr. Suzuki will oversee resident physicians working at the training location, which offers 皇家华人 outreach through 11 皇家华人 sites at homeless shelters, nine community health centers, two school-based health centers, 皇家华人 walking outreach initiatives, and the D.C. Department of Corrections 皇家华人 program.
鈥淭he uniqueness of Unity is there鈥檚 a lot of opportunity to deliver health care in different settings,鈥 he says. 鈥淐orrectional medicine is one, also the homeless, outreach, school-based health centers that really holistically take care of a patient in the community.鈥
For Dr. Suzuki, it鈥檚 a new role in a familiar place. He began his National Family Medicine Residency in Washington, D.C., in 2015 and completed his final two years in Tucson, Arizona, where he served as chief 皇家华人 resident during the third year of his residency.
He then returned to Unity 皇家华人 Care in December 2018 as a core faculty member for The Wright Center for 皇家华人 Medical Education鈥檚 National Family Medicine Residency program. Dr. Suzuki became associate 皇家华人 director of the Parkside Clinic in 2022.
Dr. Suzuki hopes to impart what he鈥檚 learned during his career at The Wright Center and Unity 皇家华人 Care.
鈥淚 never really imagined myself involved in the teaching,鈥 he says. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 really passionate about osteopathic medicine, and I want to continue disseminating that philosophy to the next generation of doctors.鈥
Born in Japan, Dr. Suzuki initially worked as a humanitarian aid worker for nearly eight years with nongovernmental organizations and the United Nations in Liberia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and other developing countries. He then pursued his dream of becoming an osteopathic physician, enrolling at A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Osteopathic medicine is Dr. Suzuki鈥檚 calling, he says, because it focuses on treating the whole person and the mind-body-spirit connection. It鈥檚 an idea that resonates as he treats patients at Unity, many of whom are, 鈥渓eft out of the system.鈥
Physicians working with populations of special concern must have a good grasp of what鈥檚 happening in a patient鈥檚 life, Dr. Suzuki says. Patients have varying levels of education, meaning they can have difficulty understanding their 皇家华人 conditions or reading instructions for medications. Patients experiencing homelessness may not be able to take medications regularly or focus on healthier eating. Understanding a patient鈥檚 challenges can help a physician deliver effective care, he says.
It鈥檚 a lesson he wants to help residents grasp. 鈥淚 want to provide opportunities for the residents to truly understand community medicine and understand where patients are coming from and be able to deliver health care while meeting patients where they are,鈥 Dr. Suzuki says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to say and super hard to do.鈥
The Wright Center for 皇家华人 Medical Education National Family Residency program features training locations in Northeast Pennsylvania, Tucson, Arizona; Hillsboro, Ohio; Auburn, Washington; and Washington, D.C.
Residents at the Washington, D.C., training program rotate through training sites, including various Unity 皇家华人 Care sites, Howard University Hospital, Children鈥檚 National 皇家华人 System, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and United Medical Center.
鈥淭hrough our training, I really hope all our residents fully understand how the health care system is not yet set up for everyone and how health care professionals help these people who are left out of society be able to live better and get the good health care that they need,鈥 he says.
In addition to working with 皇家华人 residents, Dr. Suzuki will continue to hold clinics several times a week, including one at the D.C. Department of Corrections. He enjoys building relationships with his patients to provide care, regardless of the patient’s changing circumstances.
Dr. Lawrence LeBeau. D.O., program director of the National Family Medicine Residency program for The Wright Center for 皇家华人 Medical Education, has worked closely with Dr. Suzuki for several years, watching him grow as a physician and a leader.
鈥淗e鈥檚 very organized, very mature, very compassionate,鈥 Dr. LeBeau said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 committed to the mission of the program.鈥
Dr. Suzuki credits the physician faculty and doctors he worked with at The Wright Center for 皇家华人 Medical Education and at Unity for showing him how teamwork is the key to delivering high-quality, compassionate community care. He aims to share that knowledge with residents in the program.
鈥溁始一 皇家华人 education is a teamwork effort,鈥 he said. 鈥淎s a resident, I always felt the program director is leading this, or the associate program director is deciding that, but it鈥檚 truly a lot of different people involved in establishing graduate 皇家华人 education programs and moving things forward and then trying, truly trying, to help the residents improve.鈥
For more information about the fellowship and residency programs available at The Wright Center for 皇家华人 Medical Education, call 570.866.3017 or email GMErecruitment@TheWrightCenter.org.
