IMG_0130It’s been quite a busy week with new projects, proposals and contracts on the go plus we’re heading off to the International Society of GastroIntestinal Oncology (ISGIO) meeting in Philadelphia tomorrow.

Jaffer Ajani does a really nice job of organising this educational conference. It includes the latest updates in the field from a esteemed panel of experts, as well as practical case studies, to help teach a diverse international and US audience how to manage complex or unusual cases.

There’s not a lot of science, but there is serious emphasis is on practical learning and questions from the attendees are encouraged, which I really like. They also have proffered papers on clinical issues, which encourages young up and coming clinicians or researchers to present their work and gain some feedback.

The thought leaders are generally relaxed, approachable and chatty during the breaks, so this makes networking much more fun. John Marshall from DC, for example, is nearly always guaranteed to make the audience (and sometimes his fellow panel members) sit up and pay attention by asking provocative questions or creating a controversy to challenge people’s thinking. A good debate usually follows as a result.

If anyone is going to the meeting or is in Philly and wants to meet up, do let me know and schedule permitting, I do try to accomodate requests. My email link is in the right margin and the phone link in the About page under the blog header – just click on the Google Voice widget to leave a message.

Finally, I would really like to thank all the readers who share papers, suggest topics either in person at conferences or by email or through their thoughts and observations as a result of interacting with this blog. It is much appreciated and I learn from others too. Science, cancer research, drug development and commercialisation were not meant for lonely activity by the nudist on the late shift, but as an interactive learning environment where we can all benefit. That’s what makes it all much more fun.

Please keep the correspondence and suggestions for new blog topics coming. I may not get round to them all in the week they are sent, but do try to research and schedule them at some point.