In 2025, 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 (2025)

Scarlett Tohme, Northwell Health, USA

Outstanding Author

Scarlett Tohme

Scarlett Tohme, MD, MS, is an integrated cardiothoracic surgery resident at Northwell Health in Long Island, New York. She completed her undergraduate studies at Columbia University, graduate studies at Georgetown University and obtained her medical degree at New York Medical College before beginning residency. As a cardiothoracic resident, she has been immersing herself in the training with an outstanding thoracic surgery team under the directorship and mentorship of Dr. Paul C. Lee, MD, who has curated a robust and diverse department of open, minimally invasive, and robotic lung and foregut surgery. While her main career interests are adult cardiac surgery, Dr. Tohme holds a great appreciation and interest in complex lung cancer cases, always eager to learn from her mentors to apply the knowledge gained to every aspect of her practice as a resident and future cardiothoracic surgeon. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

The way Dr. Tohme sees it, academic literature is one of the most important aspects of medicine that allows clinicians and researchers across the globe to communicate ideas, practices, and most importantly, the door to advancing medicine. To achieve these ideals, a good academic paper must provide reproducible and evidence-based data and conclusions that encourage intellectual and productive conversations among professionals. In addition, a paper should provide an impact of changing practice to provide patients more efficient and safer treatment options by incorporating the multidisciplinary efforts of various specialties and advancements in basic and translational research.

In Dr. Tohme’s opinion, there are many questions being developed during the process of academic writing, and it is easy to lose sight of the main goal of writing the paper. She adds, “I have been taught and am teaching my own mentees to stay organized and focus on answering the main inquiry in a concise manner that allows any readers to be able to follow and apply the data and views to their own practice.”

“Every step of academic writing is a valuable learning opportunity for everyone involved. It also allows for personal and professional growth, allowing anyone who writes or reads academic literature to go beyond their potential to be an active member of society and help others. It is also an amazing vehicle to bring together like-minded individuals from around the world to collaborate with each other, bringing forth different perspectives and diversity to the advancement in the field of medicine,” says Dr. Tohme.

(by Brad Li, Masaki Lo)