To Sir, With Love.

In this biography, the life of William Hugh Isbister is traced through three continents, where he planted the seeds of academic surgery into a generation of leaders in colorectal surgery. This ultimately improved the care for thousands of patients. His last station in Saudi Arabia made a huge impact on the country. I hope this article inspires others to write about their mentors who were important in their development as surgeons and physicians. Short biographies of these important figures will serve as a valuable historical record for generations to come.

Introducing new group leaders: Christina Towers.

Christina Towers discusses her search for a collaborative institute and why she chose the Salk, San Diego, to establish her lab studying autophagy in cancer. She shares her advice for applying, the importance of identifying what you want, tackling the perceived requirement for geographic mobility, and her hope to hire people who share her curiosity and love of asking questions.

Perspectives on Geoff Burnstock as researcher, teacher and friend.

Geoffrey Burnstock, one of the most talented and brilliant scientists of his generation, was born on the 10th of May 1929 in London and died on the 2ndof June 2020, aged 91, in Melbourne (Australia). Geoffrey Burnstock started his research studies with an interest in the nerves controlling the guts of guinea pigs, and discovered a completely unexpected and ubiquitous signalling system mediated via extracellular nucleotides (the "purinergic theory"), which revolutionized our understanding of how cells communicate between each other. He made the highly controversial discovery that ATP (adenosine triphosphate), a molecule well known to biochemists for its role as a source of energy inside cells, could also transmit signals between them. Initially, his somewhat heretical theory, that did not fit conventional views, found considerable resistance in the scientific community. However, he continued to accumulate evidence in favor of his hypothesis, extending it to a variety of organs and systems and demonstrating a role for purinergic signaling in the cardiovascular, respiratory and nervous systems, and in the pathophysiology of pain, blood clotting, cell proliferation and differentiation, and immunity. For his entire life, he struggled to attract scientists to this new field and, finally, in the early 1990s, did evidence emerge that convinced the doubters, due to new molecular biology techniques making it possible to isolate and identify the cell surface receptors for ATP and its breakdown product, adenosine. His death clearly impacted a huge number of scientists who have lost their pioneering leader. In this Review, I will not talk of the many discoveries made by Professor Burnstock, nor of his enormous scientific contributions to the field and of the incredible number of prizes and public recognitions that he has received after his theory was accepted worldwide. Instead, I will share some personal memories on him as a teacher and scientist, and, most of all, as a loyal and reliable friend. Geoff was an extraordinary human being, always eager to collaborate and share data, never jealous of his findings and capable of learning even from young people. He was known for his enthusiasm, empathy and ability to motivate young scientists. I was lucky to meet him when I was still very young, and the collaboration and friendship that we established and maintained across the years has profoundly conditioned my professional and personal life. For me, Geoff was what in Italy we call a "Maestro", one of those leading figures who are fundamental not only for mentoring an individual's career but also their growth as a scientist and as a human being.

Reflexiones de un neurocirujano militar de la segunda mitad del siglo XX / Reflections of a military neurosurgeon from the second half of the 20th century

Experiencias y reflexiones del Dr. José Hernán Salas Rubio, presentadas en forma de conferencia, en el Congreso Internacional Neuro-Cuba 2017. Es profesor titular y consultante, uno de los más prominentes neurocirujanos cubanos. Ha trabajado como neurocirujano desde 1962 y contribuido a la formación de jóvenes neurocirujanos. Ha publicado cinco libros y más de cincuenta artículos científicos(AU)

Experiences and reflections of Dr. José Hernán Salas Rubio, presented as a lecture, at the Neuro-Cuba International Congress 2017. He is a full professor and consultant, one of the most prominent Cuban neurosurgeons. He has worked as a neurosurgeon since 1962 and contributed to the training of young neurosurgeons. He has published five books and more than fifty scientific articles(AU)

From the Historical Examples of Drs. Osler, Cushing, and Van Wagenen: Lessons on the Importance of Mentorship in Contemporary Neurosurgery.

Although the historical relationships between William Osler, Harvey Williams Cushing, and William Perine Van Wagenen are well known in the neurosurgical world, the nature of the mentor-mentee relationships that existed between these historical giants is not widely appreciated. In this historical vignette, we describe and exemplify such relationships, while at the same time extract important and applicable principles from them. We reviewed relevant primary and secondary sources that documented the interactions between Cushing, Osler, and Van Wagenen. In founding the field of neurological surgery, the brilliant yet volatile Dr. Harvey Cushing received guidance from his mentor, Dr. William Osler. Through our review, it is undeniable that Dr. Osler's personal and professional guidance was vital to young Dr. Cushing's success as the founder of modern neurosurgery. Likewise, Cushing's tutelage of Van Wagenen enabled Van Wagenen to become a leader of a second generation of neurosurgeons, thereby perpetuating the existence of Cushing's high neurosurgical standards. These historical mentor-mentee relationships were built on 4 primary components: accurate recognition of talent, guidance, arrangement of opportunity, and sustenance of mentorship-actions that are commonly implicated in effective mentorship in contemporary studies. Proper mentorship remains indispensable for the success of neurosurgical trainees.

Pioneers in Modern Craniofacial Surgery: Assessing the Academic Impact of Drs. Joseph Gruss and Paul Manson.

BACKGROUND: The authors conducted this study to assess the impact that Drs. Joseph Gruss and Paul Manson have had on craniofacial surgery through their individual contributions and through their trainees. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of fellows trained by either Dr. Gruss or Dr. Manson. Demographic and bibliometric measures were recorded for each fellow. Demographic factors included years since completion of fellowship training, current practice of craniomaxillofacial surgery, academic practice, and academic leadership roles. Bibliometric measures included number of publications, number of citations, and h-index. To adjust for scholarly activity before fellowship training, only contributions published after fellowship training were included. RESULTS: Over a 39-year period, a total of 86 surgeons completed fellowship training with either of the two principal surgeons. The mean time since completion of training was 18.7 ± 11.4 years. Seventy-nine percent of surgeons had active practices in craniomaxillofacial surgery; 54 percent had academic practices. The mean number of publications was 26.4 ± 69.3, the mean number of citations was 582 ± 2406, and the average h-index was 6.7 ± 10.6. Among academic surgeons, the average h-index was 10.7 ± 13.1, 89 percent practiced in North America, 89 percent had active practices in craniomaxillofacial surgery, and nearly 50 percent had achieved a leadership role. CONCLUSIONS: Modern craniofacial reconstruction has evolved from principles used in trauma and correction of congenital differences. The extensive impact that Drs. Paul Manson and Joseph Gruss have had on the field, and plastic surgery at large, is evident through their primary contributions and the immense impact their trainees have had on the field.

The seven professorial protégés of John Gillies.

John Gillies was the founding head of the Department of Anaesthetics at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, which began in 1940. An astute educator, he was instrumental in establishing anesthesia as a medical specialty, on equal footing with surgery, from the start of the National Health Service in 1948. Gillies' kudos attracted medical graduates from the UK, USA and Canada to work in his Department. The excellence of his teaching and mentoring may be judged from the fact that no less than seven of his protégés became professors of anesthesia/anesthesiology. This paper identifies these seven professorial protégés and reviews their careers. Reasons for the successful consequences of John Gillies' tutelage are considered.

Pediatría y cultura de viaje: los pensionados españoles y la apropiación del laboratorio en la periferia, 1907-1939 / Pediatrics and travel culture: Spanish travel award-holders and the appropriation of laboratories on the periphery, 1907-1939

Resumen Partiendo de la hipótesis de que el laboratorio jugó un papel importante en la autonomía disciplinar de la pediatría, este artículo estudia la influencia del viaje científico en la apropiación de nuevas metodologías por parte de los pediatras y puericultores españoles del primer tercio del siglo XX. Para ello, se analizan las pensiones concedidas a tal efecto por la Junta para Ampliación de Estudios e Investigaciones Científicas. Se describe la geografía científica creada por el programa y se profundiza en el papel de los mentores - especialmente de Gustavo Pittaluga (1876-1956) - en este proceso. Además de un estudio prosopográfico del grupo, se presentan tres casos que demuestran la importancia del programa en el encuentro de la pediatría con la bacteriología, la anatomía patológica y la bioquímica.

Abstract Starting from the hypothesis that laboratories played an important role in pediatrics becoming an autonomous discipline, this article studies the influence of scientific travel on the appropriation of new methodologies by Spanish pediatricians and child-care experts in the first third of the twentieth century. To do so, it analyzes the travel awards granted by the Junta para Ampliación de Estudios e Investigaciones Científicas. It describes the scientific geography created by the program and takes an in-depth look at the role of mentors - especially Gustavo Pittaluga (1876-1956) - in this process. In addition to a prosopographical study of the group, it presents three cases that demonstrate the importance of the program in bringing pediatrics into contact with bacteriology, pathological anatomy and biochemistry.

John L. Cameron, MD: Overview of His Career.

: Introduction to the John Cameron Festschrift.

Hepatobiliary Hands of Hopkins.

OBJECTIVE: This historical perspective documents the role that John L. Cameron played in advancing hepatobiliary research, education, and surgery at Johns Hopkins in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Dating back to William S. Halsted in the 19th century, leaders of the Department of Surgery at Johns Hopkins have been interested in hepatobiliary disease and surgery. John L. Cameron had broad hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) interests when he completed his surgical training. Over the next 3 decades, he focused on the pancreas. As a result, many faculty and trainee hepatobiliary careers were launched. METHODS: This perspective is based on 18 years of service as a surgical resident and faculty member at Johns Hopkins. An extensive literature search on the hepatobiliary publications of Halsted, Trimble, Blalock, Longmire, Zuidema, and Cameron was undertaken for this manuscript. Numerous hepatobiliary publications from Johns Hopkins from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s were also reviewed. RESULTS: John L. Cameron's early biliary interests included stones, infections, malignancies, and strictures. He was innovative with respect to portal hypertension and Budd-Chiari surgery and supportive when liver transplantation emerged in the 1980s. Volume-outcome studies in the 1990s included hepatic and complex biliary surgery. He supported and encouraged studies of biliary lithotripsy, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, clinical pathways, hepatobiliary cysts, and gallstone pathogenesis. CONCLUSION: Lessons learned by many who worked with John L. Cameron included the importance of mentorship, innovation, friendship, and collaboration. He taught leadership and change management by example. He fostered a multidisciplinary approach and encouraged randomized controlled trials.

Sweet Sixteen: The Prospective Clinical Trials of John L. Cameron, MD-The Clinician-Scientist: From Alternate-allocation to Randomized Controlled Trials.

: The era of randomized controlled trials was ushered in by the British epidemiologist-statistician Austin Bradford Hill, with his work on the use of streptomycin in patients with tuberculosis. John L. Cameron, can be linked to 16 prospective clinical trials over his career thus far, starting with alternate-allocation trials and transitioning to prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trials. These trials studied various topics in surgery-from pancreatitis to surgical site infections, to drain trials, a trial in Crohn disease and multiple trials in pancreatic surgery and cancer. Herein are described the "sweet sixteen" prospective clinical trials of Dr Cameron.

John L. Cameron: A Historical Perspective.

: John Lemuel Cameron is one of the most influential surgeons of modern American surgery and has had a profound impact on shaping its current global landscape. He served as the president of 14 surgical societies and 4 of his presidential addresses focused on the lives of surgeons who he believed had made an exceptional contribution to the field of surgery: Harvey William Cushing, William Stewart Halsted, John Shaw Billings, and John Miller Turpin Finney. Many parallels can be drawn between these surgeons and Dr. Cameron. This paper describes Dr. Cameron's career in the context of the 4 legendary surgeons, about whom he chose to base his presidential addresses.