Season 8

Season 8: Guest Bios

Kazuna Yamamoto (CAJ 2015)
Entrepreneur

Kazuna was born in Hong Kong, raised in Singapore and Japan, and currently resides in Chile.

She is the Founder and President of Voice Up Japan, an organization with a vision of a society where anyone can raise their voice, in hopes of creating an equitable society where one is not judged by gender, sexuality, nationality, and religion.

She is the Co-Founder and CEO of WAYVX, a Chilean-based firm dedicated to the digitalization and democratization of the financial industry through the implementation of blockchain and other decentralized ledgers.

Currently, she is working in Corporate Venture Capital Investments at Kauffman Ventures.

Harald Gjerde, MD, FRCSC (St. Mary’s 2006)
Physician – Pediatric Ophthalmologist

Harald is a Canadian national who is ethnically Norwegian and Chinese, who was born and raised in Tokyo. He attended the now-closed Santa Maria International School, later transferring and graduating from St. Mary’s International School as Valedictorian for the class of 2006.

He earned an Honors degree in Microbiology and Immunology from McGill University and completed medical school at the University of Manitoba. He completed a residency in Ophthalmology at Dalhousie University, and finished a fellowship in Pediatric Ophthalmology at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

He was the Clinical Director of the Special Olympics Canada Opening Eyes eye-screening program for Atlantic Canada. He has worked as a professional narrator and voice actor, to authoring scientific papers, as well as being a published poet and writer. He will be moving to Vancouver this winter to work for the BC Children’s Hospital as a Pediatric Ophthalmologist, and work as a Clinical Instructor at the University of British Columbia.

Minako Abe, M.D. (ASIJ 1988)
Tokyo Cancer Clinic

Minako Abe is the director of the Tokyo Cancer Clinic in Japan. She attended ASIJ from 1976-1988 and after graduating, attended UC Berkeley for her B.A. and earned her M.D. at SUNY Stony Brook. She has dual U.S. board certifications in Emergency Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine.

Practicing Emergency Medicine in NYC and NJ for over 15 years, she loved treating all kinds of illnesses and people from all walks of life, but found that nearly 80% of what she saw was related to unhealthy lifestyle choices. Chronic illnesses such as obesity, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and even 30-50% of cancers are preventable. As such, she developed a strong interest in Lifestyle Medicine, particularly in relation to the field of immunology and oncology.

In 2014, she and her family moved to Tokyo to help with her father’s cancer immunotherapy clinic. Having lived outside of Japan for 26 years, she experienced a bit of culture shock, having to relearn Japanese and understanding a completely different medical system. However with both of her children currently attending ASIJ, this has given her family a sense of belonging within this very special international community.

A year into moving here, her husband was diagnosed with a rare spinal cord tumor, and when searching for the best treatment options in the U.S., she was surprised find that the most advanced treatment options were actually right here in Japan. Even the patented cancer vaccines and immune cell treatments at the Tokyo Cancer Clinic is not widely known or available elsewhere in the world!

This experience got her thinking – how isolating it is for expats in Japan to go through a cancer diagnosis while also navigating a foreign medical system. How are people to know that perhaps the best treatments and opportunities lie right here? Her passion project is to help cancer patients navigate the Japanese medical system, while coaching them to thrive and not just survive with Lifestyle Medicine and Mindset.
You can find her at
https://tokyocancerclinic.jp/
https://www.drminako.com/

Andrew Melton (ASIJ 1994)
Educator

I am from Arkansas. I grew up overseas in Riyadh and Tokyo. My parents became international school teachers in the 1980’s which gave me the bug to do it. I attended ASIJ from 1991 to 1994. At Berklee College of Music I studied film scoring, and my instrument was the vibraphone.

After college I went to Los Angeles. I had a wonderful time there juggling film scoring, band composing and arranging, and playing piano in improv comedy theaters.

I then focused on international teaching, at the American School of Marrakech, Morocco, the American School of Lima, Peru, and then Shanghai American School. Now Canadian Ac. in Kobe. At all of these I taught some combination of band, choir, strings, and general music. It’s so great to be back in Japan, still trying to learn the darn language!

Towards the end of my time in Lima, I married Jen Van Ness whom I met at an ASIJ 20 year reunion in Washington DC. She attended ASIJ just for one year as a 9th grader in 1991.

John Mikton (Former ASIJ Tech Coach 2000-2005)
Deputy Principal at the International School of Luxembourg

I am a bi national Swiss-American born and raised in Switzerland, in the Nyon area, and grew up in a bilingual home with an American father and Swiss Mother, and was educated in Switzerland and England, I studied in the United States for my Bachelor's, Teaching Certification and Masters. Currently I am the Head of Education and Media Technology/ Deputy Principal at the International School of Luxembourg.

I am a trainer and course designer at the Principal Training Center and Teacher Training Center. , a Learning2 Community Coach and trainer at the Institut de formation de l’Éducation nationale du Luxembourg.
I have 25 years experience working in Education and Media Technology and 17 years as a Leadership Team member in International Schools.( International School of Tanganyika, Western Academy of Beijing, American School in Japan, International School of Prague, Inter Community School Zurich and currently in Luxembourg)

I share my learning and passion for digital fluency at : https://beyonddigital.org and https://digitallife.live/ . and co host a podcast focused on international education, innovation, creativity and learning https://www.theinternationalschoolspodcast.com/

Christopher Harris (EIS 2015)
Associate at The Early Stage Banking Team

He is an American National born and raised in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

During his time in Honduras, he attended SERAN Bilingual School, Escuela Internacional La Lima for and graduated from Escuela Internacional Sampedrana in 2015.

He earned a bachelors in Business Administration from Northeastern University. During his time at Northeastern, Chris was involved with the IDEA Venture Studio on campus and did co-ops in accounting and asset management. During his senior year at Northeastern, Chris was part of the founding of Disrupt, the Fintech Initiative at Northeastern, aimed at building a community on campus at the intersection of finance and technology.

He now works as an Associate at The Early Stage Banking team at Silicon Valley Bank in San Francisco learning and building relationships with young startups, founders, and investors from the Bay Area.

Lina Yamashita (ASIJ 1997-2003) *Graduate of ISM (Philippines 2004)
Program Director at VIA (Nonprofit)

Lina Yamashita is Program Director at VIA, an international education nonprofit based in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she develops programs that promote cross-cultural understanding between Asia and the U.S.

Her experiences living in Japan*, Singapore, and the Philippines have shaped her commitment as an educator to highlight diverse perspectives, especially those that are less visible.

Lina earned a doctorate in Education from UC Davis, a master’s degree from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a bachelor’s degree in Biology & Environmental Studies from Oberlin College.

Outside of work, Lina enjoys making latte art, reading contemporary and historical fiction, and spending time with her husband and son.

TBD