March 2015

Recent MD Anderson History: Is Blame Another Word For Cause? By Leonard Zwelling          It is probably no surprise that in the winter of my years (okay, maybe late autumn), I should be interested in history. I always liked history in school, but ever since I spent the year (2008-2009) in Washington, where it pours […]

Sea of Blue, Puddle of Burnt Orange By Leonard Zwelling          NRG Reliant Park is no place to watch a basketball game. Yet, on Friday evening, March 27, there I was with my son Andrew doing exactly that along with 21,000 of my closest friends. Why?          In a word—DUKE.          The nation I joined

The Heuristic Value of Good and Bad Crisis Management By Leonard Zwelling          Yesterday, March 26 will go down as a day of learning, particularly self-learning. It will have heuristic value.          In a stunning development, French prosecutors have notified the world that the crash of the Germanwings flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf was no

Animal Farm or Animal House? By Leonard Zwelling          I have two types of friends from MD Anderson.          One group, let me call them the Animal Farm group, are appalled by the transition that has occurred at Anderson particularly over the last three plus years. They view the current leadership as a cross between

Taking Back the TMC By Leonard Zwelling (Dedicated to my new friend of vast experience, wisdom, and knowledge)          It has become increasingly clear that many people in positions of great responsibility in the Texas Medical Center have forgotten what the TMC is all about. In a word, it’s about patients!           The TMC, academic

EXTRA: Ted Cruz and Ron DePinho Are Leaders With Equal Qualifications for Their Jobs Or Ones They Seek By Leonard Zwelling          I would like to remind everyone who may have forgotten what happens when you elect a freshman Senator to be President. It works out poorly. Why?          Mr. Obama never took the time

The Chancellor Gave You the Means. Do You Have the Motivation? By Leonard Zwelling          From both the story in the Houston Chronicle on the morning of March 20 and the one in the Cancer Letter later that day, it is apparent that someone did not turn off his or her cell phone during the

The Collateral Damage of Naïve Leadership and Delusional World Views By Leonard Zwelling “So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, and who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity. This cycle of

Curing Cancer: A Small Effect on Life Expectancy, A Large Effect on Our Budgets By Leonard Zwelling          What does that phrase, “curing cancer,” mean?          Essentially it means that all patients diagnosed with a malignant disease die of something else and manage to inch their way back onto the actuarial survival charts used by

The Pre-emptive Attack Dogs of Holcombe By Leonard Zwelling http://chronicle.com/article/An-AAUP-Target-Disputed-an/228503?cid=megamenu http://chronicle.com/items/biz/pdf/MD%20Anderson%20Draft%20Report%20-%2027%20Feb%202015.pdf http://chronicle.com/items/biz/pdf/AAUP%20FINAL%20letter.pdf          On March 16, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported on the interchange between the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the administration, faculty and Faculty Senate of MD Anderson (first link). Through links in the article, one is able to acquire