When Tadataka “Tachi” Yamada passed away in 2021, the medical community lost an academic medicine and global health leader, industry pioneer, and outstanding mentor.

That unwavering dedication to mentorship is why Tachi’s wife, Leslie Yamada, made a $1,000,000 gift to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) to establish the Dr. Tachi Yamada Leadership Fund. This fund carries on Tachi’s commitment to the next generation by facilitating opportunities for mentorship, collaboration, and innovation through the Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine (ELHM) program at the NAM. The ELHM program increases the NAM’s engagement with exceptional, interdisciplinary early- to mid-career professionals working in biomedical science, population health, health care, health policy, and related fields. 

Elected to the NAM in 1994, Tachi served on the NAM Council, was a member of the planning committee for the Global Roadmap for Healthy Longevity, co-chaired and designed the Global Catalyst Award, and helped shape the ELHM program alongside NAM President Victor J. Dzau. 

“Tachi was a brilliant man, a skilled physician, and had a clear vision for how we can develop and implement better, more efficient, and more effective health and healthcare interventions. But even more importantly, he was a kind and thoughtful friend and mentor who was entirely committed to helping others,” Dzau said.

Tachi understood people—not just their abilities, but their aspirations—and helped them achieve what they never thought possible. He guided generations of young scientists, physicians, and global health leaders and his wisdom, encouragement, and belief in others shaped countless careers.

Born in Tokyo shortly before the end of World War II, Tachi came to the United States at the age of 15, where he attended Phillips Academy - Andover, followed by Stanford University and then New York University, where he obtained his MD and did further training at the Medical College of Virginia. He did most of his postgraduate training through a fellowship in gastroenterology at UCLA and received his first academic appointment there. In 1983, he accepted the chief of gastroenterology position at the University of Michigan (UM) and then the chairman of medicine in 1990. At UM, he transformed the medical department into one of the best in the country and built a world-class department by recruiting and guiding future leaders. He then served as chair of research and development at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), where he oversaw a global team of 16,000 and led efforts to expand drug discovery, particularly in neurology and gastroenterology.

It was at GSK that he became increasingly aware of the inequities in global health, so he then shifted his focus, joining the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as executive director of global health. There, he oversaw $9 billion in global health initiatives, pioneering programs that continue to improve lives, and his work had a transformative impact on healthcare worldwide. 

Tachi had a life filled with a level of success and accomplishments that most spend their lives dreaming of. Leslie remembers Tachi as “a brilliant optimist, a lifelong learner who was always excited to hear new ideas, and a gifted mentor who lifted those around him to greater heights. He was extraordinarily accomplished, yet his family remained his most significant source of happiness and support throughout his career”.