Who is Richard M. Watanabe?
....and are you sure you really want to know?



    I'm a 4th generation Japanese-American ("Yonsei") born and raised in Los Angeles, CA.   Like most Japanese-Americans, I have a Japanese middle name, "Megumi".  Most of my friends call me "Watt" for short.  My Japanese-American friends who went to Japanese school with me (all those years so long ago) used to call me "Meg".....obviously short for my middle name.

    I am an only child (aka "spoiled brat").  I'm the shy and quiet type, pretty much in control of my emotions most of the time.  I try to get along with everyone.  My parents and some of my friends say I'm too nice.  My parents sometimes describe me using the the Japanese phrase "Hito ga yosugiru" which roughly translates to "You're too good a person".  You'll have to make your own judgement.

    My Father is a Kibei-Sansei (a 3rd generation JA who went back to Japan for a while then came back to the US) also born in Los Angeles and my Mother is a native Japanese.  Both my parents lived in Japan during the Second World War in the city of Hiroshima and are both A-bomb survivors.

    I lived in the San Fernando Valley until going to the University of Southern California to get my so-called "higher" education.  Well, I guess leaving is an exaggeration since USC is only 20-25 miles away from the "Valley".  Anyway, I lived in a dorm (Touton Hall) for all but my last year of college.  After getting my B.S. in biological sciences, I then went to graduate school (since I'm a glutten for punishment) and worked on a M.S. in applied biometrics.  During grad school, I moved into an apartment in Pasadena.

    After my M.S., I got my Ph.D. in exercise physiology (see how much of a glutten I am?).   Though I was theoretically working on a degree in exercise physiology, I didn't do any exercise related research.   Rather, my area of interest has been in diabetes, mainly in the non-insulin-dependent form of the disease.  After the Ph.D., my desire to learn genetics, but not the molecular biology benchwork end of things, led me to attempt to combine my apparent expertise in biostastics, physiology, basic/clinical research, and epidemiology by learning statistical genetics here at the University of Michigan.  I moved here to Ann Arbor in September 1995.

Some Miscellaneous Info About Me

Birth Date.....................................	September 7, 1962
Astrological Sign.........................	Virgo
Asian Zodiac Sign........................	Tiger
Marital Status...............................	Divorced
Favorite Food..............................	I'll try anything as long as it isn't trying to crawl off the plate
Favorite Alcoholic Drink.............	Greyhound
Highest Education........................	Ph.D., Exercise Physiology
Current Position...........................	Research Investigator, Dept. of Biostatistics
Research Area..............................	Genetics of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

Musical Interests -What I'm currently listening to

Classical Music............................	I'll listen to it all, but I love symphonies the most
Jazz/Swing/Big Band....................	I love it all!
Blues.............................................	I like it all, but I mostly love the Chicago-Style
Rock.............................................	I like most of it...but keep the headbangin' stuff away
Country.........................................	I'll listen to it, but I won't rush out to buy it
New Age......................................	Some of it is OK, but again I won't rush out to buy it
Others...........................................	I'm always willing to give new stuff a try!

Hobbies

Reading........................................	Mystery, Suspense, Science Fiction, and Non-fiction(mostly history and biographies)
Japanese History..........................	Mostly focussing on the era leading to the Tokugawa period
Woodworking..............................	Don't have all the tools, but I love to do it
Photography.................................	I take 'em, but I don't do my own developing. Visit my photo gallery
Music...........................................	I play a synthesizer; currently own a Korg T-1

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