World lung cancer day posted on 2019-08-01
August 1 is World Lung Cancer Day. According to the World Health Organization, there were 2.09 million lung cancer cases in 2018 and 1.76 million deaths. Almost everywhere, 5-year survival is less than 20 percent. Despite spending millions of dollars, making advances in molecular biology, immunology, and genetics-related research, building knowledge of cancer epidemiology, improving [Read More]
More action, less words posted on 2019-07-27
Imagine a hands-on experience where experts work with small groups of learners instead of the traditional “pre-conference workshop” followed by hours of lectures. We did this at the recent Asian Pacific meeting held in Australia under the leadership of Dr. David Fielding, and again at a bronchoscopy course led by Dr. Javier Flandes in Spain. [Read More]
In Mourning: Viktor Sokolov posted on 2019-07-26
In 1826, The Russian poet Alexander Pushkin wrote “But with the truth he attracted hearts. But with science he quelled mores.” (From, Stanzas). Such words could be used to describe the life and work of my friend Professor Viktor Sokolov (1946-2019), who died last month at the young age of 73. Viktor was an accomplished [Read More]
The Bronchoscopist’s Umwelt posted on 2019-04-29
Ten years after Shigeto Ikeda first introduced the flexible bronchoscope to the world, I gazed into the incredible fractal anatomy of a patient’s tracheobronchial tree. Back then, flexible bronchoscopes were made of fiberoptic bundles that required an external light source for illumination. Today’s instruments incorporate increasingly complex technologies that provide greater visibility and access than [Read More]
Death in Venice posted on 2019-04-15
Venice has 150 waterways and 455 bridges connecting more than 120 small islands. There are hundreds of narrow alleyways, art museums, shops, restaurants and outdoor cafés. The city is an emblem of Italy’s charms, and its people have a history rich with experience in diplomacy, the humanities, and intellectual creativity. This week, a limited-attendance conference [Read More]