Dr. Iwakuma received his M.D. at Kyushu University in Japan, majoring in Orthopedics in 1991. He also received his Ph.D. at the Department of Biochemistry at the same University in 1997. He spent several years as a research fellow studying gene therapy, pharmacology, and molecular genetics in different laboratories. Following postdoctoral training at the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, he joined Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in the Department of Genetics as an assistant professor on August 15, 2005. As of August 1, 2011, he transitioned to KUMC as an associate professor.