ABSTRACT
I was there at the beginning. Well, almost! I became the Taro Takemi Professor of International Health in January 1987, joining the vision launched by Dr. Taro Takemi and Dean Howard Hiatt, and I held that position for the next ten years. I was recruited to the HSPH faculty by Dean Harvey Fineberg, and I benefitted enormously from the mentoring of David Bell, the first director of the Takemi Program, and someone we remember with respect and affection. On my arrival at HSPH, I assumed the role of program director, but Bell and I soon agreed on appointing Michael Reich into this position, a wise decision.
