Research

2020 Thomas B. Ferguson Lecture
Domenico Pagano, MD, FRCS(C-Th), FETSC

The Thomas B. Ferguson Lecture at The Society of Thoracic Surgeons 56th Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, was delivered by Dr. Domenico Pagano, Secretary General of the European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.

In his lecture, M.E.G.A.: Make Evidence Great Again, Dr. Pagano explored how cardiothoracic surgeons can challenge the soundness of data that support the practice of evidence-based medicine.

Despite mandates that determinants of health and differences in sex be incorporated into clinical trials, some groups—such as minorities, women, and those of lower socioeconomic status—are still underrepresented. Drs. David T. Cooke, Loretta Erhunmwunsee, and Linda W. Martin discuss why diverse groups are important, how to improve clinical trial design, and strategies to enroll more broadly representative groups into clinical trials.

On average, it takes 17 years before new innovation is disseminated into clinical practice. How can cardiothoracic surgery change that statistic and speed up the process? Juan A. Sanchez, MD (St. Agnes HealthCare Baltimore) moderates a discussion with Michael S.