Professor & Chairman
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery
Hyogo Medical University

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Professor Taichi Sakaguchi is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at Hyogo Medical University and a globally recognized leader in Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery (MICS). With over 1,000 MICS procedures performed, he is one of Japan’s foremost experts in the field.

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Professor Sakaguchi earned his MD from Osaka University Medical School in 1992 and his Ph.D. from Osaka University Graduate School in 2000. His postgraduate training includes residencies in Cardiothoracic and General Surgery at Osaka University Hospital (1992–1993) and Osaka Koseinenkin Hospital (1993–1995), as well as a Fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Kinan General Hospital (1995–1996). He further honed his expertise through a Research Fellowship (1999–2002) and a Clinical Fellowship in Cardiac Surgery (2002–2004), followed by junior attending cardiothoracic surgeon (2004-2007) at Columbia University Medical Center in the USA.

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Professor Sakaguchi holds leadership roles in numerous prestigious organizations, including President of the Japanese Association for Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, Director of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Director of the Japanese Coronary Association, the Japanese Society for Cardiovascular Surgery. He is also a Councilor for the Japan Surgical Society, the Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery, and a member of the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and the Asian Society for Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery.

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As a prolific academic, Professor Sakaguchi has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and is frequently invited to lecture at international conferences. His contributions to the field have been recognized with prestigious awards such as a finalist for the Vivien Thomas Young Investigator Award at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in 2001. He was also awarded the Overseas Fellowship by the Uehara Memorial Foundation in 2002, further cementing his international reputation in cardiovascular surgery.