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Fighting the Good Fight: Olivier Hermine, MD, PhD

December 21, 2021

January 2022

In this edition, Olivier Hermine, MD, PhD, shares the importance of fighting the good fight. The skills he learned earning a black belt in judo are not just applicable on the mat, but have also served him well in clinical practice and research.

Jill Sederstrom

Jill Sederstrom is a journalist based in Kansas City.

Olivier Hermine, MD, PhD

Olivier Hermine, MD, PhD

Head of the Hematology and Immunology Department at Hôpital Necker, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris in France; head of the Laboratory of Hematological Disorders Physiopathology and Treatment at Imagine Institute in Paris, France; and founder and coordinator of the Laboratory of Excellence on Red Cells and of the National Reference Center of Mastocytosis and Related Disorders

 


What is judo and what makes it distinctive as a form of martial arts?

Judo was founded in Japan by Kanō Jigorō, an educational science professor. At the beginning of the 20th century, he used modern education skills and motivation as a way to teach ancient martial arts used by samurai warriors. At the same time, he taught the codes and rules that are specific to judo and applicable in everyday life, such as politeness, courage, sincerity, honor, modesty, respect, self-control, and friendship.

The aim of judo is to throw or pin your opponent, who is trying to do the same thing, and, eventually to win by what we call a choke or an arm bar. This could result in loss of consciousness and joint dislocation, but the end goal is not to cause injury to your opponent like in boxing where eventually you want to get a knockout. In judo, you see your opponent more as a partner.

Dr. Olivier Hermine, dressed in blue, demonstrates a judo throw known as uchi mata during a demonstration at his research center, Imagine Institute, for a group of pediatric patients.
Dr. Olivier Hermine, dressed in blue,
demonstrates a judo throw known as
uchi mata during a demonstration at his
research center, Imagine Institute, for
a group of pediatric patients.

What is the progression for a judo practitioner?

Once you complete a skill level, the judo teachers give students a belt, starting with a white belt and proceeding all the way to a black belt. To obtain a black belt, you have to show a national jury a series of techniques and earn a sufficient number of points in competition.

In the beginning, you think that obtaining a black belt is the culmination, but in fact, when you get a black belt, you realize it’s just the beginning. Before the black belt, you learn all the basic techniques and how to use them, but after achieving your black belt, you stylize your own judo practice depending on your skill, abilities, and technique. This process is similar to getting your medical degree, and it can take more than 10 years to achieve.

When did you start practicing judo?

I started when I was 6 years old, but I stopped at 7 because I found judo too demanding.

I started back when I was 13, and this time I got more passionate about my objective to get my black belt. Judo helped me to be disciplined and focused with my schoolwork.

How did you maintain your practice while training to be a physician?

Even when I was in medical school, which was a demanding time, I tried to train at least two to three times a week, because the training is short but intense, and I was able to achieve my black belt.

It was quite difficult to do judo competitions during residency because of the numerous nights at the hospital.

When I went to the U.S. to start a post-doc in science and research on erythropoietin at the University of Chicago, I decided the best way to meet people and learn English was to join a judo club. I eventually found a very good dojo, the Japanese name for judo club, where the teacher, or sensei, came from a Japanese university that was strong in judo. A lot of very good judo players from everywhere in the world came to practice there, including past and recent Olympians.

Tell us about the training and competition schedule.

I trained almost every day. In the morning, I ran and lifted weights to improve my stamina and strength. As often as I could, I traveled across the U.S. to tournaments on weekends. I visited a lot of the country by doing judo and was welcomed everywhere, even if I eventually won the tournament.

As a recognition of my improvement in judo, my sensei sent me to train at the traditional Japanese judo university. It was an interesting time because the training was very demanding. We woke up at 4:00 a.m. and trained from 5:00 to 9:00 a.m. and then went back from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. It was nine hours of judo per day. I was one of only three students who were not Japanese, and everybody wanted to fight against us and beat us, so it was a very difficult and exhausting training.

It sounds like judo requires a lot of discipline. How did that affect your training?

If your technique doesn’t work to defeat your opponent, the Japanese teaching style instructs you to practice that technique 1,000 times. If it still does not work, do it 2,000 times, do it 10,000 times, until you find your way to success. It was very tough. I had to accept any challenge to fight, regardless of my condition and my exhaustion, which made me stronger and forced me to use my brain and skills rather than my strength, but it was a little bit crazy. I’ve heard that teaching has changed and is less wild today.

I improved a lot, and while I was in the U.S., I made the U.S. Open tournament in Colorado Springs – one of the biggest judo tournaments in the world – with the French national team, fighting the best judo players in the world. There, I realized the work to reach the top was not actually compatible with an active MD, PhD. Still, when I returned to France, I kept training – just not quite so hard because of my clinical duties – and I managed to win the world championship for physicians six times.

Have you been able to apply any lessons of judo to your hematology practice?

Yes, I do both clinical work and research. In the research world, things are not always easy and you work very hard. Sometimes you don’t find anything, but you must remain focused.

You learn in judo, consciously or not, that we need to keep getting better. We need to respect our opponent. That’s also true in science and research.

Seeing the disease in patients can be a source of motivation to do research and win, like in judo. If it doesn’t work out in judo or research, it’s not the end of the world. You say, “OK, I failed. Tomorrow I will fight again.” You learn from your weakness and your defeat and eventually you will find a solution. In medical practice, like in a judo fight, even if it is difficult to win against a disease or a strong opponent, you never give up, and at the end of the day, you may win.

What is your advice to judo beginners?

You can start anytime. You have to be efficient and learn how to do it and adapt your practice depending on your time, stamina, age, etc.

If you look at the guys, like all of the black belts, who are premiere fighters and say, “Oh, it would be too difficult to become like that,” it could be, but by training every day you may reach that level. If you don’t, you can enjoy the level you are at and realize you helped someone else improve their judo.

It’s more difficult for someone like me who used to be at a high skill level because it can be frustrating if you see you aren’t as good as you used to be, or even if you’re unable to fight. So, you have to be humble and change your objectives, maybe to teaching and transferring your experience to the next generation. This is also similar in the practice of medicine and science.


This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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