Len Zwelling

Providers By Leonard Zwelling          My father was a provider. No, he was not a physician. He sold plastic. But he provided for my mother, my sister and me. Eventually my mother returned to teaching school once my sister stopped coming home for lunch from third grade. My mother then joined my father as one […]

Feminism’s Third Wave: Think Again About Emulating the Men By Leonard Zwelling          I am a very privileged guy. I got to watch up-close the evolution of the women’s movement during its second wave from the 1970’s to the present.          When I went to Duke in 1966, women lived on East Campus, men on

Getting the Politics Right By Leonard Zwelling          In the introduction to his new book, Things That Matter, the Pulitzer Prize winning editorialist for the Washington Post, Charles Krauthammer, discusses the elementary and fundamental importance of politics.          “You can have the most advanced and efflorescent of cultures but get your politics wrong and everything

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