In 2024, many CCTS 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)

Christopher F. Janowak, University of Cincinnati, USA

Haytham Elgharably, Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, USA

Taryne A. Imai, University of Hawaii, USA

Outstanding Author

Christopher F. Janowak

Dr. Christopher Janowak, MD, FACS, is an Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Cincinnati, Ohio. After completing medical school at Loyola University in Chicago and training in general surgery at the University of Wisconsin, he completed a fellowship in Trauma and Surgical Intensive Care at Indiana University. As a member of the Chest Wall Injury Society, he has an interest in the pathophysiology of operative and non-operative thoracic trauma, respiratory physiology, large-scale outcomes research, and the intersection of injury and surgical treatments. His recent projects have ranged from developing techniques for dense biomedical data analytics, application of cross-disciplinary analytical tools to surgical pedagogy, and teaching introductory research methodology to students and trainees.

CCTS: What do you regard as a good academic paper?

Dr. Janowak: In short, a good academic paper can be simply asking appropriate and thoughtful questions and obtaining thoughtful answers. Towards that end, I try to structure everything I write so that it can be read linearly without placing unnecessary effort on the audience to follow the line of thought. I keep in mind the axiom of Albert Einstein: “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler. If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

CCTS: What are the most commonly encountered difficulties in academic writing?

Dr. Janowak: The foundation of academic writing starts with spending quality time honing the question posed and designing the experiment, project, or study toward best answering that question. I keep a running log of each project, including turning points, changes, and important or purposeful decisions over the course of the project. These items ultimately become the story to be told. Losing sight of the story being told appears to be one of the biggest difficulties in scientific writing.

CCTS: What is fascinating about academic writing?

Dr. Janowak: Academic writing, unlike other types of writing, is an experience of refining and honing a manuscript to have the most potency and streamlined information transmission. The typical medical academic format balances critical review with humility, and the process is often rewarding.

(by Brad Li, Alisa Lu)

Haytham Elgharably

Haytham Elgharably is a surgeon in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute. He is the surgical director of the infective endocarditis center at the Cleveland Clinic. He specialized in lung transplantation, pulmonary endarterectomy, radiation heart disease, right heart failure, complex reoperation and endocarditis cases. His research areas include reperfusion injury after lung transplantation and bacterial virulence in endocarditis. Learn more about Dr. Elgharably here, and connect with him on Twitter/X @HElgharablyMD and LinkedIn.

In Dr. Elgharably’s opinion, a good academic paper starts with an important clinically relevant question that drives a hypothesis, then a proper methodology to address the question and test the hypothesis, which ends up with a clear message that can advance the field.

Dr. Elgharably points out that the authors of an academic paper need to keep in mind the goal of the article and the audience who will read and interpret the results of the paper. The simpler and more focused the article with a clear layout, the easier it can be interpreted by readers and impact other relevant research.

“I was attracted to the journal CCTS. I think it serves well for relevant research work that aims to tackle current issues in different areas of thoracic surgery, including lung transplantation. The peer-review process was constructive and expedited,” says Dr. Elgharably.

(by Brad Li, Alisa Lu)

Taryne A. Imai

Dr. Taryne A. Imai, MD, MEHP, FACS, currently serves as the Division of Thoracic Surgery Chief for the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii and the Medical Director for Surgical Services at the Queen's Medical Center. She specializes in using advanced robotics to treat benign and malignant chest diseases. Her primary clinical focus is on improving the lung cancer care process by providing patients with a fully robotic approach to diagnose, stage, and treat lung cancer within a single anesthetic session. Her research focus is investigating the outcomes of robotic approaches for treating thoracic oncologic disease. Beyond her clinical work, Dr. Imai is actively involved in many professional organizations. She serves on the Executive Committee for the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Health Policy, Reform, and Advocacy. She is an editorial board member for the Annals of Surgery and The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

In Dr. Imai’s view, the essential elements of a good academic paper include being innovative, having clinical impact that creates a change in practice, and clear research aims with quality methodology.

In addition, Dr. Imai thinks it is crucial to adhere to reporting guidelines, such as PRISMA and CARE, because it ensures that a standard set of important components are included in a publication. To her, this improves the quality of studies accepted for publication and guarantees the validity of the conclusions and learning points.

“Engaging in research and advancing scientific progress is a significant responsibility and extremely crucial for the communities we serve. Research and academic writing are the foundation of clinical medicine, allowing clinicians to improve their practice and maintain the quality of patient care. Academic writers set the pace and steer the course of medicine,” says Dr. Imai.

(by Brad Li, Alisa Lu)