October 2013

A Very Tough Choice By Leonard Zwelling             The spectacle that Congress made of itself in the first two weeks of October could well be repeated at year’s end. The government shutdown/debt ceiling deal that temporarily delayed America defaulting on paying her debts, is only good for a few weeks.             With time running short, […]

Even a 3rd Grader… By Leonard Zwelling             When I was first shopping for an iPhone some years ago, I went to the AT and T store and was asked what I wanted to do with my new phone.             “Talk and listen, you know, it’s a telephone”, I foolishly said.             Any 3rd grader

What Is Health Care Reform About Really? Hint: It’s Not About Health Care By Leonard Zwelling          For the past 5 years or so, I have been living and breathing the politics of health care reform. And, the economics of health care reform. And, the regulation of health care reform. Surprisingly perhaps, I have not

Conflict of Interest-No Mr. Bill, Not Again! By Leonard Zwelling It is very interesting that IBM Watson and MD Anderson are collaborating on a research project. While I am quite confused as to what it really is, perhaps we should not at all be confused that this collaboration was launched. Did you know that the

Afraid I Would Die and Afraid I Wouldn’t: Understanding the Concept of a Sunk Cost? By Leonard Zwelling             In 1981, on a dare from some pretty famous oncologists—Allen Lichter, Marc Lippman and Robert C. Young—I trained for and ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC. We galloped as a group from February, through

Confusing Watson, Confusing Me By Leonard Zwelling             I was just sent the video of the conference held last Friday, October 18, that demonstrated the Oncology Expert Advisor, the Madison Avenue name for the MD Anderson/IBM Watson collaboration. It’s definitely worth a look. http://www3.mdanderson.org/streams/FullVideoPlayer.cfm?xml=cfg%2FMoon-Shots-IBM-Watson-2013             Without going into the details of the presentation, I came

Reunion, Regrets and Rebirth By Leonard Zwelling      The Great Hall at the new Semons Learning Center at Duke was packed. Grand Rounds that morning, the start of Medical Alumni Weekend, was a special one. Dr. Ralph Snyderman, Chancellor Emeritus of the Duke Health System was telling the story of how Robert J. Lefkowitz, his closest

Elementary, But It’s the Wrong Watson By Leonard Zwelling           I received an email from Houston while in Durham, NC. I was back at Duke for my 40th medical school reunion and thus did not see the article in Friday’s Chronicle reporting on the scheduled news conference at Anderson to announce the new partnership between

Words and Deeds and Rolled-Up Newspapers By Leonard Zwelling             It’s a little harder to take the temperature of the faculty from the Montrose than it was from South Campus. A lot of that is due to no longer having an MD Anderson email account so I cannot see what the 20th floor is sending

The Unfulfilled Deal By Leonard Zwelling             As many of my readers know, I have been writing a book that compares the dysfunction of which you are all painfully aware, that of a major cancer center in organizational vertigo, and that observable every night since October 1 on the evening news, US lawmakers making fools