Dr. Ratchayut Thanapiyachaikul, a stroke specialist at BNH Hospital’s Brain and Nervous System Center, has so many hobbies and interests that he seems to have more than 24 hours in his day. But it’s really the result of good life planning — which turns out to be good for the brain and mental health of someone who spends his days caring for other people’s brains.
Let’s take a look at what else the doctor devotes his time to, beyond caring for his patients.
A Doctor from Paknam
“As a kid, I ate seafood all the time.”
Dr. Ratchayut comes from a Chinese fishing family in Paknam, Samut Prakan. His first language was Teochew, and he grew up attending a Chinese school through lower secondary level, since his family wanted him to learn Mandarin. He never planned on becoming a doctor — he was actually more drawn to technology — but since he was a good student, his father began hoping one of his children would go into medicine. Ratchayut had no objection, so he sat the entrance exam for Triam Udom Suksa School for his father’s sake. Once there, the school’s culture naturally pushed most students toward medicine, Ratchayut included, and he went on to pass the entrance exam for the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University.
As a medical student, Ratchayut loved neurosurgery and had several professors who inspired him. But once he went to serve his required rotation, the frequent emergency surgeries worried the people close to him. Since his real interest was the brain and nervous system as a whole, he switched to internal medicine in this field instead, then went on to sub-specialize in stroke — the most common brain condition after headaches.
After finishing his specialty training, Dr. Ratchayut worked as a full-time physician at a private hospital. But his busy, activity-filled lifestyle made it hard to keep a good work-life balance. He was recommended to join BNH Hospital, and around the same time was invited to teach as a lecturer at Chulalongkorn Hospital. To manage his workload well while still staying happy, he chose to do both — treating patients and teaching medical students part-time — and he’s kept up this balance for over 10 years now.
“BNH feels like home — like the hospital for the whole family. It makes me happier here than anywhere else I’ve worked.”
Helping Patients Truly Realize
“I think information matters most nowadays. Sometimes when I just explain something verbally, the patient says they understand — but ‘understanding’ and truly ‘realizing’ something are two different levels. So I make sure to show them the actual information: pull up the images, search it up on the computer right in front of them, so they can see for themselves why I’ve reached this conclusion, what the reasoning is, and how the condition is likely to progress. That way they understand what they need to do. Once they see it for themselves, most patients realize it isn’t just something I’m making up — it’s not just my word for it.”
For treatment to go smoothly, Dr. Ratchayut first builds his patients’ trust — everything else becomes easier from there. Stroke is a race against time, from diagnosing it quickly enough for the patient to take action and prevent a blocked or ruptured blood vessel in the brain. When patients trust their doctor’s diagnosis and follow instructions closely, the chances of the disease progressing to a dangerous stage go down. Because stroke is also linked to many other health factors — weight, blood pressure, stress, nutrition, heart health, and more — Dr. Ratchayut’s care has to take a comprehensive approach to these other risk factors too, in line with BNH Hospital’s Complete Care philosophy of protecting patients’ health on every front.
And once a patient already shows signs of stroke, Dr. Ratchayut has to race against the clock even more — the faster the treatment, the higher the chance the patient recovers close to their normal condition. What matters most in that limited window of time is the doctor’s decision on what to do first.
“One case that really stands out to me was a foreign patient who came in with a blocked blood vessel in the brain. It was severe — weak arms and legs, unable to speak, all coming on suddenly about an hour before. We sent him for a clot-retrieval procedure, and afterward he recovered to almost 100%. I felt like we’d saved him from a disability.”
Now approaching 50, and having handled well over a hundred cases, Dr. Ratchayut still feels he doesn’t know enough — or more precisely, that he can’t always keep pace with new knowledge emerging in the world. Especially now that patients can use AI to look things up themselves, he feels it’s essential to keep improving and adapting, even as a highly experienced doctor.
“Patients can just ask AI and get a flood of information. If the doctor doesn’t keep updating himself, that becomes a disadvantage to the doctor. So personally, I have to improve myself every day — whenever something new comes out, I need to know about it first, so I can advise patients on whether the information they’ve found actually applies to them.”
Stillness Beneath the Surface
Dr. Ratchayut’s way of life is all about balance — making time for the things he loves, surrounded by the people he loves, which is also his own way of taking care of his brain. That includes trying new activities like scuba diving, something he never expected to enjoy this much.
“I found that the underwater world makes me calm — it’s time alone with myself. Once you’re down there, you can’t talk to anyone, so you have to stay mindful. It’s the opposite of being on land — underwater, you have to move slowly and stay calm to get good results. The more you rush, the more air you use, and the faster it runs out.”
Dr. Ratchayut speaks passionately about his love of diving. He’s been diving for several years now, first sparked by his wife’s interest, and has since earned his Advanced certification, allowing him to dive as deep as 40 meters. Diving has also taken him to unusual places — the islands of Sumatra, West Papua, Komodo Island — where he’s seen extraordinary creatures swimming through the sea, a completely different feeling from seeing them in an aquarium.
“When you see a photo of coral someone else has taken, it’s just one small patch. But if you actually go to Indonesia, the hard coral stretches as far as the eye can see — it’s magnificent. Sometimes the coral is layered like a mountain, with small, brightly colored fish everywhere. Even a National Geographic-level photo can’t truly capture what it feels like to be there.”
Deep-sea diving is considered a high-risk activity. Dr. Ratchayut, who’s dived hundreds of times, has had several dangerous experiences of his own. One happened in the Maldives — his group was at a depth of 10 meters, with a normal current drifting left and right, when the current suddenly shifted straight downward.
“Suddenly my dive computer started giving strange warnings, and before I knew it, I was already at 40 meters. You really have to stay calm and clear-headed in that moment.”
It wasn’t just the doctor who got pulled down by the current that time — the whole group went through the same thing and was equally startled. Once they surfaced, they talked about it together, and it brought them closer.
There are more advanced diving skills he could pursue, like 60-meter dives or cave diving, but Dr. Ratchayut just wants to enjoy diving as it is, so he hasn’t thought about further certifications. The skill he’s actually interested in is underwater photography.
“The principles of underwater photography are basically the opposite of shooting on land. On land, you try to use natural light — but underwater, there’s no natural light at all. And the deeper you go, colors start disappearing one by one, so you have to rely on artificial light, whether it’s a torch or a strobe. On top of that, both the subject and you are constantly moving, from the current and from holding your breath to shoot — you keep drifting. If you’ve never done it, it’s really difficult. Sometimes the subject is as small as a grain of rice, so you’re shooting macro, and the slightest movement blurs the shot.”
Cars and Customization
Since the 90s, when Japanese modified cars became popular in Thailand, Dr. Ratchayut — who was already driving by then — got into the car customization scene too. Whenever a car had features stripped down for import into Thailand, he’d source parts to upgrade it: new alloy wheels, skirts, spoilers, sound systems, power-closing doors — to the point where the modifications sometimes cost more than the car itself.
What Dr. Ratchayut loves isn’t collecting cars or speed — it’s driving stability, the feeling of a car gripping the road, especially through corners. And on that front, he says Subaru wins hands down.
“Subarus grip the road so well — you can take corners smoothly, sometimes without even having to drop your speed, which gives you real confidence. When it’s raining and the road is slippery, the low center of gravity keeps the car planted. You might not even feel that the road is wet at all.”
Roads in Thailand have speed limits, but that’s not the case on the German Autobahn, where the doctor has once pushed his speed to nearly 200 kilometers per hour.
“It felt incredibly fast, and the person next to me told me to slow down. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started thinking more about safety.”
Vinyl Records and Books
One of Dr. Ratchayut’s childhood memories is the vinyl records his grandfather used to play every morning. As a child, though, he never really appreciated them. Once he grew more interested in music, he moved through different formats over the years — cassette tapes, CDs, MP3s — which taught him that each one sounds genuinely different.
As a teenager, he was out walking around World Trade Center — known today as CentralWorld — where there was a record shop. He asked to have a listen there and discovered that vinyl was, in fact, the best-sounding format of all. That’s when he started collecting records, and he’s kept it up ever since.
Today, Dr. Ratchayut owns over a hundred records, ranging from vintage classics to modern releases — though he notes that records by today’s artists tend to be very expensive.
“But if I really love it, I’ll still buy it. Honestly, I’d like to buy even more, but the problem is the records are large, so you need storage space for them.”
In the age of streaming, Dr. Ratchayut has actually unsubscribed from everything and built his own personal streaming network instead — setting up a server to store his music and an app that lets him play it from anywhere in the world, essentially his own private Spotify.
“My files are all high-definition, adding up to several terabytes. If I sat down and tried to listen through all of it, I don’t think I’d finish in this lifetime.”
Beyond his grandfather’s records, Dr. Ratchayut also grew up watching classic Chinese television series with his family. After watching the shows, he sought out the original novels by authors like Jin Yong (Louis Cha) and Gu Long. It fostered a lifelong habit of reading.
He still reads every single day, currently following Japanese detective fiction by Keigo Higashino alongside investment literature to aid his future financial planning.
“My life is ready for change, and I’m always ready to be someone who can change too. I don’t hold on too tightly — nothing in this world is certain. I just want to be someone who doesn’t take advantage of others and who does some good in the world. That’s enough.”
Dr. Ratchayut Thanapiyachaikul possesses a remarkably diverse array of interests. He makes time for the activities he loves and opens his mind to continuous change. Balancing his life by living it fully for himself allows him to give his absolute all to his patients. Furthermore, his wide array of interests serves as an excellent starting point for conversations, putting his patients instantly at ease whenever they sit down to consult with him.
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RATCHAYUT THANAPIYACHAIKUL, M.D.
นพ. รัชยุทธ (วรัชญ์) ธนปิยชัยกุล (ชำนินาวากุล)
Speciality
Neurology
Education
Medical Degree, Doctor of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
Board and Sub board Certification
Thai Medical Council, Neurology, Rajavithi Hospital
Certificate
Procedure Sedation, BNH hospital, Thailand
Language
English
Thai
Gender
Male
Schedule
Neuro Centre
| Day | Time |
|---|---|
| Monday | 08:00 - 12:00 |
| Tuesday | - |
| Wednesday | 08:00 - 12:00 |
| Thursday | 13:00 - 16:00 |
| Friday | 08:00 - 12:00 |
| Saturday | - |
| Sunday | - |
This is the doctor's regular weekly schedule. Actual availability may vary — please confirm the available date and time when you make an appointment.