Akiko Saito, MD, PhD

 

Center/Department

Akiko Saito

Clinical Research Center
Chief, Laboratory of Clinical, Epidemiological and Health Services Research
Chief, Division of Clinical Research Operations
Chief, Division of Monitoring Support

Interest

Data management of clinical research
Outcomes and Health service research

 

Area of Research

Methodology of Clinical data management
Communication between patients and doctors

 

Contact Information

Akiko Saito, MD, PhD
National Hospital Organization Nagoya Medical Center
4-1-1 Sannomaru, Naka-ku, Nagoya
Aichi 460-0001, Japan
Office phone: +81-52-951-1111
Fax: +81-52-972-7740
E-mail: saitoa[at]nnh.hosp.go.jp

Preferred contact method: e-mail

 

Research

 

Recent Award

2004 Study Abroad Fellowship, Pfizer Health Research Foundation
2004 Patterson Fellowship, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
2005-6 Marx Fellowship, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
2005-6 Study Abroad Fellowship, Japanese Society of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
2006 Travel Award, 2006 BMT tandem meeting (ASBMT/CIBMTR)
2007-8 Patterson Fellowship, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

 

Biography

Akiko Saito received her medical degree from the University of Gunma Medical School in 1996, in Japan. Thereafter, she spent four years as a clinical trainee, learning to treat patients with hematological diseases, especially hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Throughout these clinical experiences, she has always maintained a strong interest in outcomes-based research. She published a retrospective study of the length of hospitalization following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in Japan in 2000 (see PART III, Original Article ref. 3). Realizing the importance of developing skills in biostatistics for this kind of work, she then enrolled in a Ph.D. program at the University of Tokyo Graduate School in 2000. She completed in a nation-wide investigator-initiated prospective randomized clinical trial to evaluate complications and outcomes following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation with reduced intensity conditioning regimens (see PART III, Original Article ref. 15); these allowed her to learn in great depth about clinical safety and outcomes data management. Her thesis demonstrated a new system for collecting these data more efficiently and accurately (see PART III, Original Article ref. 12, Proceedings of meetings, ref. 4); over the course of this work, her thesis supervisor Dr. Ohashi and she succeeded in developing a system that improved the circumstances for investigator-initiated clinical trials in Japan (see PART III, Book chapters, ref. 1). These years of graduate training provided her with an excellent background to continue her research training in this field.

As a postdoctoral fellow, I worked on the quality of life and costs associated with HCT, under the supervision of Dr. Stephanie Lee (2004-2006) at the Center for Outcomes and Policy Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The researches were presented at several international scientific meetings (see PART III, Proceedings of meetings, ref 5-7). My research on cost comparison between HCT using reduced intensity and high-dose regimens was published in Bone Marrow Transplantation (see PART III, Original Article ref. 16). Costs of complications after HCT were also published in Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation (see PART III, Original Article ref. 18). These experiences helped me to focus my interest on issues related to the quality of medical care in the field of hematology & oncology. Is medical care given to the public equally? What are the barriers to care? How the variability in care makes differences in outcomes? These are the questions that I want to address in my research. I joined Dr. Craig Earle’s laboratory in 2006: he has recently established an evaluation methodology for quality end-of-life care for cancer patients using large administrative databases; this methodology offers an excellent opportunity to investigate these research questions. Our published studies looking at a disparity in access to palliative care, and the increasing trend of using aggressive end-of-life care for patients with solid tumor, are the central motivations for my current research. I have recently submitted a manuscript (see PART III, Original Article ref. 20) indicating that continuing aggressive care close to death is not associated with prolonged survival, and in fact, it is linked to a decreased likelihood of receiving appropriate care in a hospice. End-of-life care is an important issue and often presents a considerable financial burden for the patient, which needs to be further evaluated.

 

Selected Publications

1. Lee SJ, Joffe S, Artz AS, Champlin RE, Davies SM, Jagasia M, Kernan NA, Loberiza FR Jr, Soiffer RJ, Eapen M. Individual physician practice variation in hematopoietic cell transplantation.
J Clin Oncol. 2008 May 1;26(13):2162-70.
2. Saito AM, Zahrieh D, Cutler C, Ho VT, Antin JH, Soiffer RJ, Alyea EP, and Lee SJ. Lower costs associated with hematopoietic cell transplantation using reduced intensity vs high-dose regimens for hematological malignancy. Bone Marrow Transplant. 40(3):209-17. 2007
3. Saito AM, Cutler C, Zahrieh D, Soiffer RJ, Ho VT, Alyea EP, Koreth J, Antin JH, and Lee SJ. Costs of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation with high-dose regimens. Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplant. 14(2); 197-207. 2008

Complete list of all publications.

 

Investigators

Kaori Nagai