Dr Fujita was born and raised in Hawaii. He graduated from the University of Hawaii, majoring in biology, and later went to medical school at the University of California at Irvine. He completed his internal medicine internship at University of California, Los Angles, Los Angeles County, Harbor General Hospital, and returned to University of California at Irvine to complete his dermatology residency. In 1980, Dr Fujita returned to Hawaii to practice dermatology in Aiea, central Oahu.
Dr Fujita is the oldest of three children. He is married to Diane, his wife of 41 years, and has three adult sons and four grandchildren. He enjoys traveling on Crystal cruises, photography, snorkeling and scuba diving, and is a life-long die-hard University of Hawaii athletics supporter–Go Bows!
Q. What part of your work gives you the most pleasure?
A. Achieving the best possible outcome in patient care is very gratifying. This is the most rewarding part of dermatology for me. Great outcomes are not always achievable. Continuous dialog with patients regarding their level of satisfaction regarding their skin problem influences how aggressively to pursue diagnosis and treatment. Providing treatments not generally available in the community can help with maintaining a growing patient base. Biologic drugs have significantly enhanced our ability to improve outcomes for patients with moderate to severe psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and atopic dermatitis. JAK inhibitors with their potential to treat inflammatory skin disorders are anticipated to be available in dermatology soon. Narrowband UV-B therapy is a safe, effective treatment alternative that can be used for a wide range of patients. Novel treatment options in dermatology continue to be developed, making it more possible to achieve great treatment outcomes. This is a wonderful time to be a dermatologist.
Q. Are an understanding and 
appreciation of the humanities important in dermatology and why?
A. The definition of “humanities” is the human race. Subjects that make up the humanities include all languages, literature, music, philosophy, history, law, politics, religion, and art. Knowledge and appreciation of the humanities are important for people who take care of other people. I enjoy listening to and (long-ago) performing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Clarinet Concerto in A.” This musical piece was written 300 years ago by a young Austrian who I am sure is ethnically very different from me. Because we are both human, his musical genius resonates with me and serves as
a connection between us.
Providing compassionate care consistently throughout a long medical career is challenging. Patients present to us with different personalities, concerns, cultural values, and anxieties. We label negative patients as noncompliant, difficult, rude, demanding, and even worse. We occasionally discharge patients from our practice. Understanding and appreciation of the humanities helps enable us to connect better with other different people. We are all similar human beings. It allows us to be more understanding and tolerant. This is good for the patient and good for the provider too. If we understand and perhaps enjoy the interaction with our patients, our job becomes more enjoyablea
Q. What is your greatest regret?
A. My paternal grandfather immigrated from Japan to Hawaii independently searching for a better quality of life. Without a job or place to live, he arrived in Honolulu at the age of 18. He found a job and a place to live, raised six children–four of whom went to college. He travelled to mainland China and experienced life in a way I cannot imagine. I regret not getting to know him better before he passed away at the age of 94. There were the language barrier and time constraints, but these excuses seem regrettable in retrospect. I would have learned much about life, what my ancestors accomplished in their life, and a better understanding of my genetics. Whenever I start to feel sorry for myself or get carried away with my success, I remember what “Jitchan” accomplished two generations before. He keeps me grounded.
Q. Who was your hero/mentor and why?
A. My father is my hero and mentor. He is a second-generation Japanese American and the first born of six children. My father graduated from college, volunteered and served in the US Army during World War II, paid for my college and medical school education, paid for my two boys’ college and postgraduate education, helped raise my two boys, and provided guidance for me during my formative years. He worked for the Internal Revenue Service, earned a middle-class income, and provided me with everything I really needed for music lessons and instruments, sports coaching and equipment, and academic tutoring. Dad passed 2 years ago and I still try to conduct myself as he did.
Q. What is the best piece of advice you have received and from whom?
A. The “three As” for success in private practice. A prominent busy allergist once told me that to be successful in medicine, you must be available to accommodate patients when they need you. This is the most important element for success, but it can be physically taxing. Secondly, you must always be affable to your patients and colleagues. This will make you popular and lessen the potential fatigue factor of being available. Hard work is easier when you are enjoying the work! Lastly, there must be ability. If availability and being affable are great, you will be motivated to maintain ability at a high level too. I work Tuesday through Saturday, hire people-friendly staff, and try my best to maintain professional competency. I attend professional meetings, interact with colleagues, and utilize online references on my smart phone for medications and evidence-based patient care data.
Q. What is the greatest political danger in the field of dermatology?
A. In dermatology, the patient comes first. We are dermatologists because we take care of patients. We treat patients the best we can and trust our compensation will be enough to pay our bills and allow a good quality of life. This is why we are respected in our society.
Private equity partnerships buying dermatology practices will shift the emphasis in dermatology from the patient comes first to the financial profits of the purchasing group. This is the greatest political danger in the field of dermatology. Increasing profits for the company will be the new primary goal. As most of us run efficient practices, the increase in profit will come from unnecessary or unwanted goods and services. There will be mandates for more skin biopsies, utilizing dermatopathologists employed by the same company, having patients return for follow-up visits more often, advocating unnecessary complex surgeries performed by in-house surgeons, and high-pressure marketing of expensive cosmetic procedures and products that patients never intended to purchase. Midlevel providers will play an even larger role caring for more patients with less supervision. I have always considered dermatology to be a scholarly subspecialty of medicine. This high-level of excellence cannot be maintained given this trend in how dermatology care will be delivered.
