Daiji Takajo.

Daiji Takajo, MD, MPH


  • Clinical Cardiology Fellow, Division of Cardiology
As a pediatric cardiologist-in-training, my clinical goal is to provide the best care for the patient, cooperating with a multidisciplinary team to improve their quality of life at home, school and work.
Daiji Takajo, MD, MPH

About

Biography

I am a cardiology fellow at Cincinnati Children's. I am a part of the pediatric cardiology team, caring for children and adults with heart conditions. I was fascinated by this specialty because of the need to frequently engage a multidisciplinary team to provide the best care for the sickest patients in our hospital.

I was born and raised in Japan and came to the United States at 28 years of age. In Japan, I worked as a general pediatrician in the local community. I was fortunate to serve as a primary care pediatrician for patients with complex congenital heart diseases. Through this experience, I realized that a patient's quality of life depends not only on the quality of the surgical repair of the heart condition but also on pre-and post-surgical care and non-cardiac care.

Kids will be happy if they can eat the foods they want. Kids will be pleased if they can run and play outside as much as they want without restriction. Their quality of life is not always related to their heart condition. As a pediatric cardiologist-in-training, my clinical goal is to provide the best care for the patient, cooperating with a multidisciplinary team to improve their quality of life at home, school and work.

As a young professional, I am eager to contribute to the advances in pediatric cardiology. Although there has been significant progress in this field over the past decades, we still need many scientific studies to improve our cardiology care. As a researcher, I mainly focus on cardiac catheterization and exercise capacity. My work aims to identify how we can optimize the clinical outcomes of pediatric patients undergoing cardiac catheterization. In addition, exercise capacity in patients with heart conditions is not well studied yet, although it is imperative to maintain the patient's quality of life.

I live with my wife and twin children. We enjoy spending time together at local parks and the Cincinnati Zoo during our free time. Since I still feel new to the U.S., I am excited to learn about cultures in the country in general and to learn more about Cincinnati.

MD: National Defense Medical College, Japan, 2015.

Internship: National Defense Medical College Hospital, Japan, 2017.

Residency: Children's Hospital of Michigan, MI, 2022.

Interests

Pediatric cardiology

Interests

Cardiac catheterization; exercise capacity

Publications

Case 2: Poor Weight Gain in a 9-month-old Girl. Talukder, MH; Takajo, D; Kakkerala, S; Kumar, B. Pediatrics in review / American Academy of Pediatrics. 2024; 45:333-337.

B-18 | Elevated Right Ventricular Systolic Pressure is an Independent Predictor of Mortality in Pediatric Pulmonary Vein Stenosis. Takajo, D; Critser, P; Cash, M; Magness, M; Hirsch, R. Journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions. 2024; 3:101584.

Left ventricle hypertrophy and re-modeling in children with essential hypertension: does the race matter?. Takajo, D; Przybycien, TS; Balakrishnan, PL; Natarajan, G; Singh, GK; Aggarwal, S. Cardiology in the Young. 2024; 34:906-913.

Incidence, risk factors, and management following cardiac catheterization via carotid and axillary artery approaches: A single-center experience on pseudoaneurysms in young infants. Takajo, D; Newkirk, B; Shahanavaz, S. Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions. 2024; 103:580-586.

Exercise Capacity After Arterial Switch Operation in Patients with D-Transposition of Great Arteries: Does the Coronary Artery Anatomy Matter?. Takajo, D; Sriram, CS; Mahadin, D; Aggarwal, S. Pediatric Cardiology. 2022; 43:1752-1760.

Subclavian Steal Phenomenon Associated With Vascular Ring in an Infant Who Had a Prenatally Diagnosed Right Aortic Arch With an Atretic Aberrant Left Subclavian Artery. Takajo, D; Blake, J; Aggarwal, S. Texas Heart Institute journal / from the Texas Heart Institute of St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital. 2022; 49.

RACIAL DIFFERENCES IN LEFT VENTRICLE HYPERTROPHY AND REMODELING IN CHILDREN WITH ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION. Takajo, D; Przybycien, T; Natarajan, G; Aggarwal, S. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2022; 79:1377.

An echocardiographic finding mimicking tricuspid atresia in a neonate with dilated cardiomyopathy. Takajo, D; Gupta, P; Aggarwal, S. Cardiology in the Young. 2022; 32:497-499.

Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction in a patient with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricle septum following Fontan procedure: a rare complication. Takajo, D; Balakrishnan, PL; Aggarwal, S. Cardiology in the Young. 2021; 31:2022-2024.

The Identification and Impact of Abnormal Spirometry Patterns on Exercise Capacity in Pediatric Patients with Fontan Palliation. Takajo, D; Sriram, CS; Balakrishnan, PL; Aggarwal, S. Pediatric Cardiology. 2021; 42:1766-1774.