Profile
Dr. Asgi T. F.
Director, Center for Women's Health Research
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
My wife and I were both born and raised in Sri Lanka but have lived for most of our lives in the USA. I moved to the US for my graduate education and following my doctoral training at the University of Illinois I also served as a member of the faculty and lived in the Chicago suburbs for the past 20 years. We moved to Michigan in October 2009 when I was recruited to be the Director of Women’s Health at Michigan State University.
Although Chicago is just a few hours from West Michigan we never appreciated what this area had to offer. This was true not only in terms of our careers but also the natural beauty, the people and the quality of life that one can enjoy. We also find Grand Rapids to be dynamic when it comes to education and the incredible growth of biomedical research and healthcare. For me personally the greatest reward has been avoiding the daily commute of over an hour each way in Chicago. I can now be home in time to have dinner with my family and put our children to bed – something I rarely had a chance to do in Chicago. With everything being so accessible our family has been able to enjoy much of the culture that Grand Rapids has to offer without worrying about driving distances.
My wife has her own tour company which specializes in customized vacations to exotic destinations in Africa and Asia. Her company is nationally recognized and it was certainly a big decision to move her business from Chicago to Grand Rapids. She did a lot of research before we moved to be sure there were plenty of opportunities to grow her business and, she has found this move to be very positive with the help of several organizations that promote new businesses in Grand Rapids.
West Michigan is one of the best-kept secrets in the world. It's a great place to raise kids; we don't worry about our young children running around our neighborhood. Not only is it safe but the neighborhood is friendly and welcoming. Another plus for us was the Forest Hills school district which is absolutely outstanding.
My friends thought I was a bit crazy to move here. I'm a real Foodie, and they kept asking how I was going to find good restaurants in Michigan, but little did they know that there are some great restaurants here until some of them visited us to enjoy the beauty of West Michigan as well as the skiing, golfing and fishing .
We love the Lake Michigan beach and we love to just get in the car and explore the state and the little towns, the out-of-the-way restaurants. Within an hour or two, we can be in some very pretty places. In short we are glad to be here…