In 2024, many JGO authors make outstanding contributions to our journal. Their articles published with us have received very well feedback in the field and stimulate a lot of discussions and new insights among the peers.

Hereby, we would like to highlight some of our outstanding authors who have been making immense efforts in their research fields, with a brief interview of their unique perspective and insightful view as authors.

Outstanding Authors (2024)

Taku Noumi, Okayama University, Japan

Kingsley Nnawuba, The University of Arkansas, USA

Silvio Matsas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo, Brazil

Suguru Yamada, Nagoya Central Hospital, Japan

Matthias Mattke, The University Hospital of Salzburg, Austria

Hermann B. Frieboes, University of Louisville, USA

Bruno Ramos-Molina, Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia, Spain

Paul H. Sugarbaker, Washington Cancer Institute, USA

Outstanding Author

Taku Noumi

Taku Noumi now is a graduate student in the Department of Hematology and Oncology at Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan, after the Japanese Red Cross Society Himeji Hospital. He is dedicated to researching morphological analysis of sarcoma with pleomorphism and clonal evolution of lung cancer. He is also a part-time respiratory medicine physician at the Japanese Red Cross Kobe Hospital, working on lung cancer chemotherapy and benign respiratory disease. He is interested in controlling the toxicities of chemotherapy and immunotherapy for the better lives of cancer patients.

Dr. Noumi reckons that a good academic paper should enlighten the readers and improve daily practice. While new scientific discoveries are important, it is crucial that they are presented in a way that is accessible and understandable to a broad readers.

From Dr. Noumi’s perspective, authors should carefully study what is generally accepted on the topic, including guidelines and their evidence level. In addition, authors can sincerely consult co-authors and specialists around them. Finally, authors should systematically verify the new theories and sophisticate them comprehensively to the readers.

“I am a rookie at academic activities, but I believe continuing writing is essential. One submission of ours can progress the future of medicine. Even one small case report can support somebody in trouble or suffering from similar symptoms. Our efforts can change patients' futures,” Dr. Noumi says.

(by Sasa Zhu, Brad Li)

Kingsley Nnawuba

Kingsley Nnawuba, MD, is an internal medicine resident physician at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). He enjoys diagnosing and treating complex medical conditions, especially blood disorders. His research focuses on disease mechanisms, treatment optimization and improving medical access for underserved populations. Recently, he has investigated novel therapies and healthcare disparities in racial minorities. Through his dedication to research and patient care, Dr. Nnawuba makes significant contributions to internal medicine, oncology, and hematology. His long-term goal involves enhancing the quality of healthcare for patients irrespective of their socio-economic status. Connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

From Dr. Nnawuba’s perspective, academic writing is crucial in spreading research findings. It is a medium to facilitate scholarly discourse while fostering scientific knowledge. It basically provides a structured framework for conveying complex ideas through outlined; methodologies, results, and interpretations. In addition, it acts as a fund of knowledge for future researchers to draw from.

Dr. Nnawuba points out that selecting appropriate evidence for synthesis and analysis in academic writing involves prioritizing peer-reviewed sources from reputable journals, focusing on their relevance, credibility, and quality. Authors should favor studies directly addressing the research question, emphasizing systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomized controlled trials. Objectivity, transparency, critical evaluation of strengths and limitations are also crucial to avoiding bias and ensuring accuracy. On the same note, coherent organization and clear connections between sources enhance readability and comprehension.

“I believe that it is pertinent for authors to share their research data in scientific writing for several reasons. Firstly, it promotes transparency and accountability in research, allowing peers to verify and replicate these findings. Additionally, it enhances the credibility and reliability of scientific literature. This reproducibility facilitates collaboration and accelerates scientific progress by enabling researchers to build upon existing data sets, leading to novel discoveries and innovations. Similarly, data sharing promotes efficiency and cost-effectiveness by reducing duplication of efforts on already researched projects and maximizing the utility of collected data,” Dr. Nnawuba says.

(by Sasa Zhu, Brad Li)

Silvio Matsas

Dr. Silvio Matsas pursued his medical degree at the Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo, Brazil, where his fascination with Oncology began and led him to engage in research from his second year of study. He graduated in 2023 and has since been working as a generalist physician. Currently, he is preparing for the USMLE exams with an aspiration to specialize in Internal Medicine and Hematology-Oncology in the United States. Connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

In Dr. Matsas’s view, writing serves the purpose of presenting ideas to an audience, whether for educational or entertainment purposes. Scientific writing shares this objective but places a greater emphasis on presenting clear ideas supported by reliable data. Medical education in various countries lacks formal instruction on scientific methods and writing skills. As a result, few people are interested in developing research projects and advancing science. Moreover, insufficient public funding for scientific research adds to this burden. Interest in scientific development and writing is growing in many developing countries due to the updating of medical school curricula, but there is still a long way to go.

Dr. Matsas thinks it is challenging to stay fully updated with every scientific advancement nowadays, as the number of published papers far exceeds our capacity to read. Therefore, authors must read as many papers as possible within their area of interest. Doing so not only helps them stay informed but also nurtures critical thinking skills. These skills are essential for identifying gaps in knowledge, and presenting opportunities to contribute to scientific literature through the development of new articles. It is also crucial to share ideas with colleagues and teammates. Collaborative efforts enhance writing and help in staying current, as teamwork is often more effective than individual efforts.

Balancing the demanding roles of an author or doctor can be challenging. In view of this, Dr. Matsas shares, “Many individuals are unable to reduce their work commitments to engage in research or lack interest in participating in research projects. Those who can manage both bear the responsibility of conducting research in developing countries. This is due to a lack of public funding and incentives for scientific project development in these regions. Therefore, allocating a portion of time that would otherwise be devoted to other activities is necessary. The amount of time, however, can be significantly reduced by working with a team, with multiple people involved in different tasks and engaged in double-checking. I primarily work or study, but I also dedicate part of my time to research projects.”

(by Sasa Zhu, Brad Li)

Suguru Yamada

Dr. Suguru Yamada is affiliated with the Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Nagoya Central Hospital, Japan. His research area is Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery and his recent projects focus on surgical oncology of pancreatic cancer, including conversion surgery.

Dr. Yamada states that in the field of pancreatic cancer treatment, the survival outcomes after surgery unfortunately remain poor, despite recent advances in new anticancer drugs and perioperative management. Now, researchers challenge aggressive pancreatic surgery, including conversion surgery, even though the disease is unresectable at diagnosis. At the same time, they should accumulate the patients’ precious data, and make their best effort to analyze them. He believes that such a daily effort could contribute to improving the survival outcomes of pancreatic cancer patients. In this regard, academic writing plays an important role in the advance of science.

Dr. Yamada thinks pancreatic surgeons should reflect on their procedures and techniques and further improve them. In the same way, they should keep themselves abreast of the knowledge in their research area through up-to-date papers and academic conferences, in which they could notice and understand the topics that they have to resolve currently.

“I believe that we surgeons should not only perform surgery but also contribute to future medical science. Therefore, I have strong faith that our academic activity could improve the dismal survival outcomes of pancreatic cancer in the near future. That is my strong motivation for the academic activity,” says Dr. Yamada.

(by Sasa Zhu, Brad Li)

Matthias Mattke

Dr. Matthias Mattke completed his specialist training at the University Hospital in Heidelberg, Germany. As he had already worked on chordomas and chondrosarcomas of the skull base as part of his doctoral thesis, this became his main area of research for the next few years. He also worked on particle therapy in general and on innovative technical approaches to radiotherapy. After completing his specialist training, he moved to the University Hospital of Salzburg (Austria) in 2021. His scientific focus is now on researching and implementing new technical innovations in everyday clinical practice.

Dr. Mattke thinks scientific writing is an important part of academic work. For the global scientific community to benefit from research results, they must be summarized in clear and structured papers with as clear a message as possible. Without academic writing and the papers it produces, global research would slow down, if not stagnate, as resources would be used for redundant research. Scientific progress can only be achieved through research that builds on each other, and clear communication of results is essential to this.

Dr. Mattke asserts it is not always easy to keep up with the latest research. He tries to read relevant papers all the time, and automated alerts are very helpful. For example, he receives notifications when one of his own papers is cited, so he has a constant overview of what is happening in his research areas. However, a new publication of his own requires even more effort. In order to ensure that no relevant research results are left out, he is once again intensively involved in current literature research during the writing process.

“I consider academic writing to be a very important part of the academic work. Without academic writing, scientific progress would be much more difficult. For me, science and research are the main drivers of human development as a species. To be able to contribute to this progress (even if only in a very limited area) is a great motivation for me,” says Dr. Mattke.

(by Sasa Zhu, Brad Li)

Hermann B. Frieboes

Dr. Frieboes pursues an improved understanding of disease progression and treatment response by applying principles and techniques from engineering and the physical sciences. This interdisciplinary work integrates mathematical modeling, computational simulations, machine learning, and experiments along with pre-clinical and clinical data. The focus of this research is to predict, and in parallel, validate treatment response across spatio-temporal scales spanning from the omic to the organ, with the ultimate goal to personalize treatment to individual patient conditions. This work includes the delivery of therapeutics and fabrication/characterization of delivery vehicles targeting the cancer microenvironment as well as infectious diseases. Projects in his laboratory have focused on evaluating chemotherapy, nanotherapy, and immunotherapy in cancer, analyzing metabolomic data for disease diagnosis and prognosis, and tackling infections in the genitourinary system via probiotic and antibiotic administration.

Dr. Frieboes thinks excellent academic writing enables the conveying of ideas and facilitation of discussion based on scientific principles, logical reasoning, and respect for diversity of viewpoints. Academic writing requires thoughtful consideration of the available evidence and builds upon the testimony of prior work. This writing also strives for conciseness and accuracy, striking a balance between the breadth and depth necessary to support conclusions. Moreover, excellent writing takes practice to learn and time to complete well.

From Dr. Frieboes’s perspective, an author should be well-versed in the relevant literature and able to explain how the writing fits within previous work. The author has to be able to clearly articulate the relevance of the topic and how the new contribution potentially enhances the field. To succeed, an author must be patient, meticulous, and persistent to achieve excellent writing. Authors need to know themselves well to build upon their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. Excellent writing requires humility to accept corrections and feedback. Acquiring strong writing skills is a lifelong process.

“Finding time to write academic papers requires time management skills, with a clear view of short- and longer-term priorities so that the writing is completed promptly. This demands discipline and self-sacrifice. Excellent writing takes time and many iterations, and thus cannot be completed in a rushed manner. Academic writing is a journey that is traveled best with kind patience for oneself and others,” says Dr. Frieboes.

(by Sasa Zhu, Brad Li)

Bruno Ramos-Molina

Dr. Bruno Ramos-Molina leads the Obesity, Diabetes, and Metabolism Group at the Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB). He earned his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Murcia in 2013. Following his PhD, he completed two postdoctoral positions at the University of Maryland (Baltimore, MD) and KU Leuven (Belgium). In 2017, he received a Sara Borrell fellowship from the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) to join the Biomedical Research Institute of Málaga and a research project as principal investigator from the Andalusian Health System. In 2020, he was awarded a Miguel Servet grant by ISCIII to establish his own research group at IMIB, providing a five-year salary and installation funds. His group has been strengthened with two national research grants from ISCIII (PI20/00505 & PI23/00171) and additional regional funding from the Seneca Foundation.

Dr. Ramos-Molina thinks a good academic paper should be well-structured and clear. It begins with a concise title and an abstract that briefly presents the background, methods, key findings, and conclusions. The introduction outlines the research context, problem, and objectives. The methods section details the design and tools used, ensuring reproducibility. Results are presented objectively, with effective use of tables and figures, followed by a discussion that interprets the findings, addresses limitations, and highlights their significance. The conclusion summarizes the study's contributions and suggests future directions. Moreover, proper referencing, adherence to ethical standards, and clear, grammatically correct writing are essential. Supplementary data may be included to support the main text, ensuring the paper is rigorous, impactful, and a valuable addition to the academic community.

Dr. Ramos-Molina believes authors should prioritize clarity, scientific integrity, and compliance with ethical and journal-specific guidelines when they prepare writing. Choosing the right journal ensures the paper aligns with the intended audience and scope. It is crucial to use rigorous methodologies, present data accurately, and provide enough detail to allow reproducibility. Authors must adhere to ethical standards, disclosing conflicts of interest, and avoiding plagiarism. The manuscript should be formatted according to the journal’s requirements, featuring well-designed figures and tables.

“To all academic writers dedicated to advancing scientific progress, your commitment to discovery and knowledge-sharing is vital for innovation and societal advancement. Every paper you write sparks new ideas and paves the way for future breakthroughs. While the research journey can be challenging, your contributions can make a significant impact, not only in your field but also in shaping a brighter future for everyone,” saysDr. Ramos-Molina.

(by Sasa Zhu, Brad Li)

Paul H. Sugarbaker

Dr. Paul H. Sugarbaker is an oncologic surgeon who has been taking care of patients and critically evaluating the quality of his work for 50 years. Through his several thousand surgical procedures, he has seen with his own eyes what cancer does to the human body. Each of these procedures has been studied and as the tools were developed, quantitated to allow a statistical evaluation of the natural history of the cancer dissemination, and the success or lack thereof in the surgical management of a particular neoplasm. His focus for the last 30 years has been on the surgical treatment failure of gastrointestinal cancer, primarily colorectal cancer. A little-understood and often neglected metastatic pattern for colorectal cancer is disease dissemination within the peritoneal space. This is now referred to as peritoneal metastases. The two foci for current research efforts are in the identification of high-risk groups prior to surgical intervention in order to prevent surgical treatment failure when the standard of care is administered. The second project focuses on perioperative intraperitoneal treatments that will supplement the efficacy of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) or function as an alternative to HIPEC. Preservation of the disease-free status of the abdomen and pelvis after cytoreductive surgery is the goal. His current affiliation is with the Washington Cancer Institute and he maintains a leadership role with the Peritoneal Surface Oncology Group International.

Dr. Sugarbaker believes if one author collects data on the patients, the surgical procedures, the adjuncts to surgery, and the outcome, then it is worthwhile to write down this experience for others to evaluate. In surgical oncologic scientific endeavor, if it is worth doing, it is worth writing up for peer review.

To Dr. Sugarbaker, the data that he produces come from his own experience. He explains that although they very often have similarities to prior clinical or pharmacologic research projects, they are unique data that come from his own comprehensive database. The major effort concerns projects that fill gaps in our knowledge. Authors must optimize the selection of patients for treatment, the treatments that they receive, and the critical evaluation of outcomes, including safety, efficacy, and convenience so that other oncologists can adopt management plans that produce a greater benefit.

Although academic writing takes a lot of time, Dr. Sugarbaker shares, “I realize that I am only on this Earth and able to function as a surgeon and surgical researcher for a short time. I have been obsessed with a desire to prevent peritoneal metastases in patients with gastrointestinal cancer, also to treat peritoneal metastases in gastrointestinal and gynecologic malignancy. The goal which I hope to obtain in my lifetime is the eradication of peritoneal metastases from the natural history of gastrointestinal and gynecologic malignancy. The motivation comes from the establishment of a habit of patient care that demands a critical evaluation of the outcome of my efforts. The motivation comes from a hope for better, more consistent outcomes.”

(by Sasa Zhu, Brad Li)