MEMPHIS, TN – Dr. Hiroto Inaba, a Japan-born physician, has dedicated over two decades to improving survival rates for children with leukemia and lymphoma at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Located in Memphis, Tennessee, St. Jude is renowned for its pioneering pediatric cancer research and treatment, and its commitment to ensuring families never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food.
Dr. Inaba holds several key positions at St. Jude, including Professor in the Department of Oncology, Program Director of Pediatric Hematology, and Interim Chief of the Leukemia-Lymphoma Division.
His journey began in Japan, where he realized the need for better outcomes for cancer patients and was inspired by the research published by doctors at St. Jude.
“I just noticed St. Jude is shining actually… I felt it was the best pediatric hematology/oncology hospital in the world,” Inaba said of his first impression of the research hospital. Two decades later, he continues his “good fight” by improving care and treatment for children with leukemia and lymphoma.
“The good fight is to protect and to bring the best outcome for our patients and families,” said Inaba. In addition to his clinical work, Inaba directs the Pediatric Hematology Oncology Fellowship Program at St. Jude, mentoring the next generation of doctors. He draws on his samurai ancestry and the code of values known as “Bushido,” which emphasizes respect, honesty, loyalty, courage, and benevolence.
Dr. Inaba graduated from Mie University School of Medicine in 1991 and worked in Japan for 10 years before completing his pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit.
In 2003, he joined St. Jude as a fellow in pediatric hematology/oncology. Thanks to the research and clinical trials led by Inaba and his colleagues, survival rates for some of the most common types of children’s cancers have significantly improved. For acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), survival rates have risen to 94%, compared to roughly 84% when Inaba first arrived at St. Jude in 2003. For acute myeloid leukemia (AML), survival rates have improved from 50% to 70% over the last 20 years .
Inaba calls the progress “amazing,” even as he acknowledges that work remains to fulfill St. Jude’s founder Danny Thomas’s promise that “no child should die in the dawn of life” or be denied treatment based on race, religion, or family’s ability to pay. “Patients and families always motivate me because they come here for help. They come here for hope,” Inaba said.