Hayami Koga (M.P.H. 2016, Ph.D. 2023) is researching how Japanese philosophies of hospitality and mindfulness can help make the workplace a more psychologically healthy environment.
May 31, 2024 — Sami Koga remembers her father always telling her to “laugh for your health.” It wasn't until she entered medical school that she realized the wisdom of that advice. In Koga's native Japan, sudden deaths from overwork became so common that the term “karoshi” was coined in the 1970s. Through her work as a physician and public health researcher, Koga is trying to steer workplaces in Japan and other countries in a healthier direction.
“I have seen how dangerous, harmful and unhealthy work can be,” Koga said. “I want to change the structure of work from something that is harmful to health to something that is beneficial to health, a source of happiness and optimism.”
Koga attended medical school at the University of Occupational and Environmental Health in Japan, which focuses on worker health, but he came to believe the school's approach, which focuses on educating patients about preventing and managing health risk factors like high cholesterol and high blood pressure, wasn't enough to get to the root causes of poor physical and mental health in the workplace.
After graduation, she continued to explore her interest in worker health and well-being, working first as a doctor in a hospital and then as a research analyst for the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare while reading voraciously. One of the books she came across was Social Epidemiology, edited by Harvard School of Public Health professors Lisa Berkman, Ichiro Kawachi, and Maria Grimoire. This book changed the trajectory of her career and inspired her to enroll at the school.
“The book looks at health from a more structural, population-based perspective and focuses on social determinants,” Koga says. “None of this was what I learned in medical school, so it was very new to me, but I wanted to do whatever I could to understand it.”
The Health Benefits of Optimism
Koga will receive his Master of Public Health in Social and Behavioral Sciences in 2016 and his PhD in 2023 from the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin School of Letters and Sciences. He conducted his research in the Population Health Sciences Program affiliated with Harvard Chan School. Two years ago, he was lead author of a study that garnered much media coverage, finding that increased optimism is associated with increased longevity and increases the likelihood of women living beyond age 90, regardless of race or ethnicity. He strongly believes that increased optimism is beneficial for everyone's health and hopes that research in this area will continue.
Koga's doctoral studies were supported by financial assistance from a Dillon Family Fellowship, which gave her the opportunity to participate in the Work and Well-Being Initiative, a research partnership between the Harvard Chan School and the MIT Sloan School of Management that aims to better understand the working conditions that support worker well-being and to identify policies and practices that can help workers stay healthy both in and out of the workplace.
“As the eldest Dillon and a longtime supporter of research conducted through the Harvard Chan School, I am pleased that our fellowship will encourage Hayami-san to continue her research into optimism,” said Phyllis Collins. “Optimism, and how to attain and maintain it, is very important to me, especially in the workplace where we spend so much of our time. I hope we can put an end to death from overwork.”
Share the hospitality
As a postdoc, Koga continues to research how promoting positive psychological factors in the workplace can improve worker health and well-being. She is supported by Plan Do See, a hospitality group whose mission is to spread the Japanese philosophy of hospitality and mindfulness around the world. “If you translate omotenashi in Western terms, it's like an act of kindness, and I think it contributes to worker well-being. Part of my research focuses on why this is the case,” Koga says.
Seiko Miyama, Executive Assistant at Plan Do See, said employee happiness is one of the company's top priorities. “We are excited to welcome Hayami-san to our company to continue creating an excellent work environment and improve results. When I met her, I was immediately drawn to how her research and interests align so well with Plan Do See's values. We are excited to team up with her to spread hospitality to the world.”
Koga's supervisor, Laura Kubzanski, professor of social and behavioral sciences, values what students gain from pursuing their curiosity: “The intellectual capital that students and researchers like Hayami-san bring to the table is incredibly special and powerful. They are passionate and dedicated, and they want to make the world a better place by answering their own questions.”
To answer questions about happiness as part of their collaboration, Koga and Kubzansky looked at early psychological research on optimism conducted by Martin Seligman, who coined the term “learned optimism.” While researching his work, Koga happened to come across a reference to Seligman's research on optimism and health in a book her father had published on personal growth and success. Kubzansky has a similar family connection: She was able to publish a paper on optimism with her father, whom she calls “the ultimate optimist,” before he passed away.
Koga calls Kubzansky and Lisa Berkman, another mentor at Harvard Chan School, “superwomen.” “They overcame many obstacles to get to where they are now, and they taught me that being a woman is not an obstacle. It was hard to imagine working in this field with people like them. It is rare for Japanese doctors, especially women, to get a PhD in the United States, and I managed to do it while raising my children. I am proud of that and what I have accomplished. I could not have done it without them as role models.”
Berkman, co-editor of the book that inspired Koga to apply to Harvard Chan School in 2023, hosted her graduation dinner. “These full-circle stories are so special to me and make me feel hopeful about what we can all accomplish together in this field,” Koga said.
–Shweta Shreyarthi
Photo: Kent Deighton
