In 2024, many 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, with a brief interview of their thoughts and insights as authors. Allow us to express our heartfelt gratitude for their tremendous effort and valuable contributions to the scientific process.

Outstanding Authors (2024)

Kota Iwahori, Osaka University, Japan

Ali Sadoughi, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA

Nobukazu Fujimot, Okayama Rosai Hospital, Japan

Mau Ern Poh, University of Malaya, Malaysia

Rachael Helen Dodd, The Daffodil Centre, Australia

Carl G. Maki, Rush University Medical Center, USA

Palma Fedele, Dario Camberlingo Hospital, Italy

Outstanding Author

Kota Iwahori

Kota Iwahori, MD, PhD, is a Specially Appointed Associate Professor of the Department of Clinical Research in Tumor Immunology at the Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Japan. He received his MD and PhD from the Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University. He completed his pulmonary medicine residency and fellowship at the Osaka University Hospital. He investigated T-cell therapy of cancer as a research associate at the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, USA. He has focused on developing predictive biomarkers and novel therapeutics for cancer immunotherapy. His recent projects include peripheral T cell cytotoxicity as a predictive biomarker of immune checkpoint inhibitors, and cancer immunotherapy based on the mechanism of T cell activation induced by tetracyclines. His team found tetracyclines enhanced T-cell activity and conducted a clinical trial to investigate the efficacy and safety of tetracycline in patients with COVID-19.

One of Dr. Iwahori’s focuses is translating basic research to the clinic. He points out that academic writing will provide opportunities for collaboration with other researchers. Specifically, his team is collaborating with researchers in the United States who read their paper on peripheral T cell cytotoxicity as a predictive biomarker of immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Dr. Iwahori thinks it is important for an author to clarify the positioning of the research in the future direction. It will be critical for an author to tell readers what the research is for. It will promote the research to translate into the clinic. In his experience, his team published a paper on the clinical trial to investigate the efficacy and safety of tetracycline in patients with COVID-19 based on their findings of T cell activation enhanced by tetracyclines. As a result, the paper showed evidence of their findings in the clinical trial. They are currently developing novel immunotherapy based on the mechanism of action of tetracyclines.

“The motivation to translate research into the clinic has led me to write papers in this field,” says Dr. Iwahori.

(by Sasa Zhu, Brad Li)

Ali Sadoughi

Dr. Ali Sadoughi is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of Interventional Pulmonology and Bronchoscopy at Albert Einstein College of Medicine - Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, USA. His research focuses on the development and application of advanced technologies for minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. His studies in peripheral airway bronchoscopy have helped the pulmonologists and the engineers in this field to step up the efforts in diagnosing lung cancer and better profiling its tissue when it is still in its early stages. He has explored the utilization of ultrathin bronchoscopy plus intraprocedural 3D scanning and used new ideas in virtual and real-time bronchoscopy platforms such as robotic bronchoscopy. His techniques enabled him to explore for the first time the utilization of particle-based radiation treatment in the lung and mediastinum which is expected to open a new line of treatment in lung cancer via bronchoscopy. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Dr. Sadoughi states that a good academic paper is an honest presentation of scientific questions and how authors helped answer them. Besides, research methods and ethical considerations are crucial components of any valid scholarly paper. From his perspective, academic papers are a reflection of tremendous efforts by scientists and academicians. They clarify the authors’ knowledge at the current time and document it for future reference. For this purpose, academic papers should be flawless, so they can be trusted and be used as a base for further studies.

“While scholarly writing may not always be easy, it is indeed a rewarding experience. Academic papers serve as medals of appreciation, reflecting your contributions to the academic community,” Dr. Sadoughi says.

(by Sasa Zhu, Brad Li)

Nobukazu Fujimot

Dr. Nobukazu Fujimot graduated from Okayama University Medical School in 1994 and was a research member of the Saitama Cancer Center in Japan during 2000-2001. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Thoracic / Head and Neck Medical Oncology during 2003-2006. Nowadays, he is a manger of both the Department of Pulmonary Medicine and the Department of Medical Oncology in Okayama Rosai Hospital. His research area is the diagnosis and treatment of thoracic cancers such as lung cancer and pleural mesothelioma, and he has been focusing on developing novel treatments for pleural mesothelioma for several years.

As an author, Dr. Fujimot points out that authors experience some cases of unusual clinical presentation or clinical course during the usual clinical practice. When it happens, they try to research similar cases online. If there are many previous reports, they draw on their experiences for the management of the patient. If there are few previous reports, they get excited and decide to publish because they can discuss various critiques through the review process, and once published, they believe they can help some future patients and physicians in the world.

“An author should possess honesty and sincerity based on a certain level of knowledge in the area of his/her research,” Dr. Fujimot says.

(by Sasa Zhu, Brad Li)

Mau Ern Poh

Dr. Mau Ern Poh is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He is also an internal medicine physician and pulmonologist serving at the University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He completed his primary medical training at the University of Malaya and attained his Membership in the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP) in 2011. He completed his national respiratory medicine fellowship in 2016. He then underwent further training in interventional pulmonology, lung cancer and lung transplant at the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. He completed the British Specialty Certificate Examination in Respiratory Medicine in 2017. He was awarded the best lecturer award by the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya in 2018 and was made a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, London, UK in 2020. He is also a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians and the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology. Dr. Poh’s research interests include lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bronchiectasis. His research works have been published in various international peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Poh believes a good academic paper should be novel, starting with an observation of a clinical problem or gaps in clinical practice; or a lack of understanding in a particular studied field. Following this, a research question and hypothesis are formulated, not simply to address the clinical problem observed, but to guide the development of fresh ideas, introduce novel methodologies, and produce findings that significantly enhance and contribute to the existing canvas of knowledge. The academic paper should then prompt scholars to build on current limitations and prompt future investigations and research that would potentially lead to more discoveries. These findings can then be applied to clinical medicine, to transform the existing body of knowledge, to produce a greater contribution in the studied field, for example, to increase the survival of patients suffering from lung cancer. In short, a good academic paper is not only a publication of interesting findings but also one that embodies translational medicine, bringing benefit to the community as a whole by advancing patient care.

To ensure that one’s writing is up-to-date, Dr. Poh indicates that it is important to maintain a passion for reading and learning from mentors. By reading extensively, one is able to critically reflect on the limitations and gaps in clinical practice and current literature, thereby using these as a springboard to conduct research to address these gaps. Staying humble and asking for directions from mentors or leaders in the field is also crucial as they have gleaned more experiences and insights, having been further down the road of research. As a clinician who has to balance busy clinical duties and teaching, one wonders if there is any time to do any research or writing at all, let alone to provide any new insights into the field of research. As such, one way to do so is to incorporate data collection and audits into day-to-day clinical practice, thereby weaving research into clinical practice. Research then becomes the bedrock of clinical practice, which can be used to produce better evidence-based care. These findings are also able to provide important real-world evidence that cannot be produced through randomized clinical trials.

“When I first started writing as a novice, I felt the task to be difficult and I was unsure if any of my work would eventually be published. Fortunately, with the support and encouragement from mentors, their research interests and writings started to grow on me, and I developed a sense of joy seeing my work being published over time. I also began to accept that rejections by journals can be seen as opportunities to meticulously correct, improve and fine-tune the academic paper further so that it is of the highest quality when it is finally accepted. Over time, I was able to publish in more reputable journals, such as the Translational Lung Cancer Research, which aligns directly with my research interest and allows the dissemination of my research findings to a broader audience,” Dr. Poh says.

(by Sasa Zhu, Brad Li)

Rachael Helen Dodd

Dr. Rachael Dodd is a Senior Research Fellow at The Daffodil Centre, a joint venture between The University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW. She received her PhD in Psychology from University College London, UK. Her research program focuses on the behavioral and implementation aspects of healthcare communication. She works in healthcare communication and health literacy with a focus on patients diagnosed with HPV-related head and neck cancer, and people eligible for cervical screening and her most recent projects focus on the implementation of lung cancer screening in Australia.

According to Dr. Dodd, a high-quality academic paper is characterized by coherent writing, clear and strong justification for the study, and can recognize both the strengths and limitations of the study. It is also crucial to address the implications of research in the current landscape and be clear about how the research will progress in the field.

Dr. Dodd points out that authors should consider the likely readers, which may consist of specialists in a particular field, and should not make assumptions about the readers' knowledge. She adds, “Always consider that anyone, from any field could read the paper and write it with that in mind.”

To all researchers who are devoting themselves to academic writing, Dr. Dodd says, “Keep up the great work! It can sometimes feel like a long process getting to the results and write-up stages of your research projects but always keep in mind the importance of your work and remind yourself of the reasons you do what you do. It always helps to ground me.”

(by Sasa Zhu, Brad Li)

Carl G. Maki

Carl G. Maki is a Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. The main focus of his lab at present is identifying mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies in cancer and molecular markers that can predict responses to treatment. Dr. Maki and his team also have a long-standing study in p53 and how its dysregulation contributes to cancer. In one of their current projects, they identified a drug combination that appears most active against p53 mutated or deleted cancers, and they are examining how this drug combination works. In another project, they identified a gene signature that is associated with the sensitivity of lung and breast cancer cells to spindle checkpoint inhibitors. They are exploring how the factors encoded by these genes regulate response, and if the gene signature can predict response in treated tumors.

Dr. Maki indicates that a good academic paper should cite some of the original findings in the field and give a brief history of the topic, even if it is just a paragraph or two. That way readers can understand how the question in the current paper arose and why the experiments are being done.

To Dr. Maki, sometimes there may be two papers in the field that are inconsistent with each other. He thinks one needs to believe or consider that the findings made in both papers are true, but the inconsistencies may be due to a specific experimental condition (e.g. different cell lines were used). If a consensus starts to form that supports one view over the other, one nonetheless needs to keep in mind that there are at least some papers out there that hold an opposing view.

“Read as much as you can, including the complete introduction and discussion sections of papers (sometimes people will look only through the results and data sections). Consult with physicians to find out what are the most pressing clinical issues,” Dr. Maki says.

(by Sasa Zhu, Brad Li)

Palma Fedele

Dr. Palma Fedele is a highly esteemed oncologist renowned for her impactful contributions to cancer care and leadership in the medical field. With over twenty years of experience, she has held prestigious roles such as Director of Oncology at Hospital "D. Camberlingo" in Francavilla Fontana, Brindisi, where she has spearheaded the establishment and management of various oncology programs. Dr. Fedele's expertise extends to medical education and professional organizations, supported by her extensive educational background in oncology, management, and a Master's degree in Senology. Actively engaged in national and international scientific societies, she demonstrates a commitment to advancing oncology research through participation in clinical trials and authoring peer-reviewed papers in prestigious journals. Her research focuses on innovative therapeutic strategies and advancements in breast cancer, lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and other malignancies, reflecting her dedication to enhancing patient outcomes in oncology. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Dr. Fedele considers the following as the most commonly encountered difficulties in academic writing: clarity and coherence of ideas, proper citation and referencing, maintaining academic language and tone, time management, and effective revision and editing.

In Dr. Fedele’s opinion, when selecting evidence for academic writing, authors should prioritize relevance, credibility, diversity, currency, and consistency. Authors must critically evaluate each piece of evidence, integrate it smoothly into the narrative, offer insightful interpretations, and strive for originality in their analysis. By following these guidelines, authors can effectively synthesize evidence and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in their field.

“I choose to publish in Translational Lung Cancer Research due to its focus on bridging basic science and clinical practice in lung cancer research. The journal offers a platform for sharing cutting-edge findings, its reputation within the field, rigorous peer review, a high impact factor, and a broad readership among researchers, clinicians, and policymakers interested in advancements in lung cancer treatment and care,” Dr. Fedele says.

(by Sasa Zhu, Brad Li)