Eric Kawana, a member of the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV class of 2025, was in the fourth grade when his grandmother’s disease ignited his passion to learn everything he could about the science of medicine and medical care.
“My grandmother lived with us then, and I had grown very close to her. As a child, I did not notice the peculiarity of some of her actions that, in retrospect, I wish I had realized sooner. She would forget the bus number taking us to and from the mall despite our frequent trips there. She would need constant reminders about important dates, sometimes forgetting to go to events like medical appointments altogether. Looking back, it was no surprise that she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s three years later. At the time, I was too young to think much of it. As I got older however, I started to understand the gravity of the situation – my grandmother started to forget about my family and me. I was devastated when she eventually passed away. Her progressive brain disease instilled in me a desire to research the scientific rationale of diseases.”
To this day, Kawana wonders if the progression of the dementia disease could have been slowed if he or his parents – they thought his grandmother’s behavior was just something that happens in old age – were aware of Alzheimer’s early symptoms. “I know there’s just a couple of medications for the disease, but they might have helped.”
In high school, Kawana found case studies of complex diseases and conditions like Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Cushing’s Syndrome. “I made it a personal goal of mine to do further research on the cases that interested me most, making a Google document of their main signs and symptoms. In college, classes like cell biology and immunology allowed me to delve even deeper into mechanisms, including mishaps in cell signaling pathways.”
It was while he was an undergraduate at the University of California, Irvine, shadowing the pediatrician Jonathan Auth, MD, that Kawana says he learned that the practice of medicine was about more than just objective knowledge. “It was then that I realized there must be a crucial human element at the center of every medical practice.”
Kawana recalls how a highly agitated young woman came into the clinic where Dr. Auth practiced. “She was concerned that her baby was dangerously small, weighing in at less than five pounds. I watched in awe as Dr. Auth reassured the mother that her child was on track for a healthy weight by showing her a graph of the child's growth rate. He calmed her further by giving her suggestions for maintaining her child’s healthy growth. Watching him lead his practice with such compassion taught me that scientific knowledge and technical skills are merely the foundation of care; without empathy and effective communication, a physician’s work is not complete.”
The son of working class Japanese immigrants who ran a travel agency in Hawaii and California before retiring to Las Vegas – the struggling small business catered to Japanese nationals wanting to vacation in the U.S. – Kawana said his parents, neither of whom was fluent in English, concealed the agency’s financial challenges from him and his brother until they were older teens. “After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, business plummeted as people were hesitant to travel to the United States. My brother and I learned that even a simple loaf of bread had been out of our parents’ budget.”
Unable to pay for child care, Kawana’s parents generally took their children, who sometimes were called on to translate Japanese into English, to work with them after school and during summers and school vacations. Kawana now sees that time as a positive, bringing the family closer together as his parents espoused an “unyielding belief in the transformative power of education … My parents instilled within their children that education would be our compass, leading us toward a brighter future.” (Kawana’s brother is an investment banker).
Kawana, always an honors student, did find time in high school to tutor students. “Engaging in volunteer work as a tutor during my high school years became one of the most gratifying endeavors I pursued … How my parents raised me made me want to reach out to others … Education can help create meaningful change in the world.”
While grants largely got Kawana through his undergraduate work, he continued to tutor college students while working part-time for the Kumon education company. “I really like to see the light go off when someone gets it,” he says.
Kawana, who hasn’t decided on an area of medicine to specialize in, couldn’t have been happier when he was admitted to the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine in 2021. “This is my home now. This is where I want to practice.”
It was while Kawana was applying to medical school that he began experiencing sharp chest pain. Initially a cardiologist assured him that everything was fine after conducting a stress test and an EKG, attributing the pain to his youth and seriousness. When the chest pain persisted, he sought a second opinion. The physician found an abnormal ECG and performed an echocardiogram revealing a leaky aortic valve. To assess the severity of the valve leakage, he underwent a transesophageal echocardiogram at UMC, which confirmed a severe leak and necessitated surgery.
Kawana doesn’t entirely blame the first cardiologist for the missed diagnosis. “Medicine isn’t an exact science – that’s why it’s called the practice of medicine … in his mind, I’m sure he was following the guidelines he was told.”
There’s one thing Kawana is sure of once he becomes a practicing physician. “I think good doctors employ critical thinking to develop a range of potential diagnoses rather than checking off the boxes of what is required … If you’re unsure, I think you should talk to colleagues. Sometimes it takes multiple minds for a reasonable plan.”
