Ross Merkin, MD

Head/Neck Medical Oncologist at Mass General Cancer Center #massgeneral #headneckonc #ClinicalTrials #TranslationalMedicine. tweets my own.

[Ross Merkin, MD @RossMerkin]

Pleased to announce our recent publishing showing that immunosuppression for immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment significantly increases infection risk (https://t.co/fe5zwAa3fb). See @MGBResearchNews article here (https://t.co/gFUezBP7yp). @kreynoldsMD

[Ross Merkin, MD @RossMerkin]

Many thanks to @amberlikesgenes and @ClodaghMurray12, part of the team at @NeoGenomics who helped make this research happen!

[Ross Merkin, MD @RossMerkin]

Happy to announce our paper was published in @Nature_NPJ today! #ctDNA can stratify good vs poor outcomes in patients with recurrent/metastatic #headandneckcancer treated with immunotherapy. A privilege to work with @FadenLab @NeoGenomics. https://t.co/JSOMQmfo46

[Ross Merkin, MD @RossMerkin]

Zelensky rightly questions whether a peace with Putin can be trusted given Putin’s past actions, then Zelensky is attacked by Trump/Vance. If Trump wants peace then why is he using it as a bargaining chip for Ukraine’s mineral deposits? #TrumpisaNationalDisgrace #StandWithUkraine

[National Park Service @NatlParkService]

Hello there! We've been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty…

[Ross Merkin, MD @RossMerkin]

Good luck to all of the new interns beginning their medical trainee journey tomorrow! #MedicalProfessionals

[Yale Cancer Center @YaleCancer]

Proud to share a review of managing brain mets in patients with #NSCLC in @TAMedOncolfrom from authors Dr. Ross Merkin @RossMerkin, Dr. Veronica Chiang, & Dr. Sarah Goldberg.⬇️
https://t.co/IEa4JTf7Af
@SmilowCancer @YaleMed @YNHH @YaleThoracic

[Andrew Akbashev @Andrew_Akbashev]

Rejection of your paper or grant has NO relevance to the opinion of #research community. It is nothing but the opinion of one person.

Several examples:

1. The first paper on graphene was rejected from Nature because “it did not constitute a sufficient scientific advance”. Later, it was awarded a Nobel prize.

2. The first manuscript showing the microbiome-brain connection was published after 7 submissions that took 3 years. Today, this field has exploded. I expect it will get a Nobel prize in the future.

3. Theodore Maiman tried to publish a paper describing the first operating laser in Physical Review Letters and… got a rejection!

4. Peter Ratcliffe, who worked on cells’ response to changes in oxygen levels, got his key paper rejected from Nature (see photo). Later, he was awarded a Nobel Prize for this work.

And there are many other examples…
.

And yet I see so many young scientists stressing about rejections. For some reason, they seem to genuinely expect that the editors should know which study is truly worth it.

As a result, many rejections are met with surprise and disbelief: 
“How could they reject it? They publish so much trash, and yet they think our detailed 3-year-long study is not interesting to the community! WHY?”
.

Well, the reality is:

- Most editors have very little time to delve into your study. They can easily FAIL to recognize the potential impact of your study. Proper communication in the cover letter and clear writing style can help (although only to a limited degree).

- Many reviewers have little idea about the science in your paper. But they can have a big ego. So, if they have a bad day or were rejected recently, it’s easy for them to find 1000 technical reasons to reject your paper as well.

- Most scientists genuinely don’t know if your discovery can make any impact. If we could predict the course of science, we would be living very differently!

My message is simple:

Forget about objectivity. Academia is a very subjective world. Fight for objectivity but don’t take it for granted.

A great study will be found, cited and recognized. Disregard of where it’s published.

A bad study requires a high-impact journal to be found and cited. But the long-time recognition might be a problem.

High-IF journals are simply billboards. Their rejections do NOT represent the opinion of a scientific community.

You can get rejected but don’t reject yourself!
Believe in your results.

#AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter

[Ross Merkin, MD @RossMerkin]

Check out our recently published review on managing brain mets in NSCLC without a driver mutation! We address when to consider proceeding directly to IO-based systemic therapy without local therapy. #LCSM #lungcancer #Immunotherapy @DrRoyHerbstYale https://t.co/FMmXUaKb9a

[Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology @TAMedOncol]

📢Next paper in our series 'Controversies in #Immunotherapy for Pts w/ #LungCancer' is out!
📝Management of pts w/ brain metastases from #NSCLC w/out genetic driver alteration: upfront radiotherapy or immunotherapy? @RossMerkin @YaleCancer @pwheatleyprice https://t.co/p7BUn938H1

[Yale Cancer Center @YaleCancer]

.@Dr_AmerZeidan shared that Imetelstat helped 1/3 of patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes achieve complete transfusion independence. #ASCO23 #MDSsm #IMerge @ASCO @YaleHematology @SmilowCancer @YaleMed @YNHH @OncoAlert

[Roy Herbst @DrRoyHerbst]

Congratulations to our three Yale Fellows @YaleHemOnc @YaleCancer who received YIA awards @ASCO @ConquerCancerFd today. Drs. Jeremy Jacox, Adriana Kahn and Curtis Perry. Well done! and thank you to your mentors! Looking forward to following your progress @YaleMed @ASCOPres

[Yale Hematology Oncology Fellows @YaleHemOnc]

👏🥳🌟 We're proud to see our fellows engaged in activism and advocacy for health equity!!! 📢📢📢 Sharing an op ed from Dr. Norin Ansari re fertility preservation for patients with cancer and Medicaid insurance. @NorinAnsariMD ⚖️📰🖊️ Read here ➡️ https://t.co/9GxG702QvA

[Yale Cancer Center @YaleCancer]

Congratulations to Yuval Kluger, PhD, a member of Yale Cancer Center’s Genomics, Genetics & Epigenetics Research Program. Dr. Kluger was recently appointed the Anthony N. Brady Professor of Pathology. @yalepathology @YaleMed @YNHH @SmilowCancer

[Yale Cancer Center @YaleCancer]

We are proud to announce Dr. Patricia LoRusso as President-Elect of @AACR. Dr. LoRusso is an extraordinary physician and leader who will advocate for cancer research and innovation on behalf of all patients. #CancerResearch @SmilowCancer @YaleMed @YNHH
https://t.co/QCq659medn

[Yale Cancer Center @YaleCancer]

"Being able to translate knowledge to the clinic & study some of the clinical observations in the lab is the biggest privilege one can have as a clinician & scientist," said Dr. Harriet Kluger for #kidneycancerawarenessmonth. https://t.co/d4vVEclerj
@SmilowCancer @YaleMed @YNHH

[David Rosenthal MD @davidrosenthal]

Well this made my day to see this. #XtheXwaiver

[Yale Cancer Center @YaleCancer]

Dr. Barbara Burtness provides an editorial response on why combination #immunotherapy in #HNSCC warrants further exploration to benefit patients across all stages and prognosis. @SmilowCancer @YaleMed @YNHH @JCO_ASCO
https://t.co/tdTxmnDHZW

[Yale Hematology Oncology Fellows @YaleHemOnc]

📸 A great shot of part of our sickle cell team, featuring APRN Joanna Cole, star 1st year fellow Dr. Afranie-Sakyi @lesyeuxetoiles, and attending Dr. @LaylaDoren1. We're loving these smiles😃😃😃 What a fantastic team! 🩸🩺🏥🥼 #hemeteam #dreamteam #sicklecelldisease

[Sumanta K. Pal, MD, FASCO @montypal]

Huge congrats to @DrSapnaPatel @MDAndersonNews & team on acritical study (now in @NEJM!!) that gets us to rethink across disease states the way we conceive of #neoadjuvant #IO. Recall seeing the tremendous presentation at #ESMO23; exciting to see it in print! Go @SWOG!