Professor Norman Wolmark: perseverance sometimes pays off

Expert’s brief introduction

Norman Wolmark, MD:

• Chairman of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP);
• Professor of Surgery, Drexel University School of Medicine; Chairman of the Department of Human Oncology, Alleheny General Hospital.

Editor’s note

On the First China-America Submit Forum on Breast Cancer held in Guangzhou China in June 2016, we were honored to have an interview with Professor Norman Wolmark, Chairman of the NSABP (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Professor Norman Wolmark and our Science Editor Melanie on the First China-America Submit Forum on Breast Cancer held in Guangzhou China in June 2016.

On the Forum, Professor Wolmark gave a lecture “Contributions of NSABP over 50 years: an odyssey of breast clinical trials”, which made us keen to dig more about this historic scientific organization. Here, let’s listen to Professor Wolmark, who had taken charge of NSABP for 22 years, to tell the story between him and NSABP (Figure 2).

Figure 2 Professor Norman Wolmark: perseverance sometimes pays off (1). Available online: http://www.asvide.com/articles/1355

Interview questions

• How did the NSABP grow from a research project into a foundation as huge as it is today?
• What are the major factors that made the research project expanded into a foundation?
• How could the system work to make sure that state-of-the-art research studies and treatments in Pittsburgh are disseminated and practiced to hundreds of community-based institutions globally?
• As NSABP has been 58 years old since it was founded in 1958, what are the secrets of it keeping such a long vitality?
• What do you think is the key factor that helped you navigate through the event of NSABP in 1994?

Acknowledgements

None.

Footnote

Conflicts of Interest: The author has no conflicts of interest to declare.

References

1. He CX. Professor Norman Wolmark: perseverance sometimes pays off. Asvide 2017;4:048. Available online: http://www.asvide.com/articles/1355

[Senior Editor: Chao-Xiu (Melanie) He, CCO, editor@thecco.net]