Former Dermatology Department chair’s bequest creates endowed chair
Robert M. Mentzer Jr., M.D., dean of the School of Medicine, presents a gift of appreciation to Dr. Ken Hashimoto and his wife, Noriko, for establishing an endowed chair in the Department of Dermatology. Darius R. Mehregan, M.D., right, is the Hermann Pinkus chairman of the department.
The Hashimotos recently made a significant bequest to establish the Dr. Ken Hashimoto and Noriko Hashimoto Endowed Chair in the Department of Dermatology and Syphilology. Dr. Hashimoto chaired the Department of Dermatology from 1980 to 2000, when he retired as professor emeritus.
“Research was the most important element of my job,” said Dr. Hashimoto, who wrote 384 professional papers, 39 book chapters and eight books during his distinguished career. Earning respect as an excellent educator and widely regarded as a top clinician internationally, in addition to managing classroom and laboratory teaching responsibilities, Dr. Hashimoto trained 100 resident physicians and 40 research fellows, assuring the continuance and growth of his academic and clinical expertise in new generations of dermatologists.
Dr. Hashimoto was born and raised in Niigata City, Japan. A strong legacy of achievement in academic medicine exists in his family. His father held the position of professor and chairman of dermatology, dean of the Niigata University School of Medicine and president of the university, where Dr. Hashimoto received his M.D. degree. Dr. Hashimoto’s brother also is a dermatologist and Noriko's father was the professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery at Niigata University.
Dr. Hashimoto held faculty positions at the University of Tennessee and Tufts University, and was chairman of Dermatology at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, before coming to Wayne State University in 1980.
Dr. Hashimoto and his wife divide their time between their home in Ann Arbor and their birthplace in Niigata City, spending the winter in Japan. Dr. Hashimoto enjoys gardening and farming, and owns four tractors.
“When I retired from the Department of Dermatology, the faculty gave me a John Deere tractor as a retirement gift,” Dr. Hashimoto recalled.
The Hashimotos have four grown children, a son and three daughters, all with advanced college degrees. Their daughters are employed in various health care fields, and their son works in finance.
When asked what inspired him to establish an endowed chair in Dermatology, Dr. Hashimoto said, “I had a satisfactory career at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and two of my daughters trained there. The future of the department looks bright.”