I am Dr. Sarwar Ahmed Sobhan, MBBS, FCPS, MS (Hepato-biliary & Pancreatice Surgery) from Bangladesh Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. I was selected as a trainee fellow under Japan Bangladesh Medical Association (JBMA) scholarship in Advanced Hepato-biliary and Pancreatic surgery in the department of Gastroenterological Surgery in Nippon Medical School (NMSH), Tokyo, Japan. The tenure of my fellowship was from September 2025 – November 2025 (3 months).
It was a great honor to be a fellowship trainee in NMSH, where I experienced both highly advanced robotic and laparoscopic hepato-biliary & pancreatic surgeries. Our honorable chairman Professor Dr. Hiroshi Yoshida, MD, PhD, sensei was very kind to me. He is the President of Japanese Surgical Association (JSA) and arranged successful conference of 2025 in Keio Plaza, Shinjuku. I was also invited there and attended from 20th to 22nd November and participated in a lot of sessions of HBP and GI surgery.
I was placed in liver surgery unit under Prof. Yuichi Kawano MD, PhD. who is an excellent and highly skilled minimally invasive liver surgeon. I experienced a lot of liver resection surgery for different diseases and indications which I can use in developing surgical skills in our university in Bangladesh. He taught me many tips and tricks for liver surgery.
I was also lucky to observe the pancreatic surgery in NMSH from Asso. Prof. Matusta Sensai, who is a very kind and skilled pancreatic surgeon. I think my anatomical knowledge and approach to Whipple’s procedure (Pancreatic surgery) is now up to date and developed to world standard.
Another awesome person was Dr. Takahiro Murakawa, assistant professor and my local supervisor. He took very good care of me. From personal relation to response to my every request Dr. Murakawa was always beside me each time. He is not only a skilled surgeon but also a very kind man. On the very first day, he took me all around NMSH, till my last morning he received my phone at dawn when I didn’t find my taxi for airport.
Ms. Akiko Marimoto, office secretary of the department of hepato-biliary & Gastrointestinal surgery, an elegant and brilliant lady who could manage everything in one hand not only for me but also for all the staff of the department. She always responded whenever I needed help or suggestion.
Finally, I express my heartfelt gratitude to all members of Japan Bangladesh Medical Association (JBMA), especially, Professor Motohori Nozaki, Prof. Hiroyuki Sakurai, Prof. Sheikh Aleemuzzaman and Ms. Izumi Iwata, who made it possible for me to go to Japan and stay aboard for the very first time without my family. JBMA arranged a great reception party for me where the respected teachers of NMSH were also invited.
I wish I could go to Japan once again to have the touch of the Japanese culture and the flavor of the cleanest environment of the world. I could remember the autumn changes of yellow trees, the huge Osaka palace, one day Kyoto cultural trip and roaming around in Tokyo city center. I will miss the metro station in Kanamachi (near my hostel), SUICA card, vending machine, Seven-Eleven and Tokyu Stores which became a part and parcel of my day-to-day life


DR. SARWAR AHMED SOBHAN
MBBS (DMC), FCPS (SURGERY), MS (HBPS)
FELLOW IN ADVACED HBPS IN NIPPON MEDICAL SCHOOL,
TOKYO, JAPAN.