In 2022, many AOJ authors make outstanding contributions to our journal. Their articles published with us have received very well feedback in the field and stimulate a lot of discussions and new insights among the peers.

Hereby, we would like to highlight some of our outstanding authors who have been making immense efforts in their research fields, with a brief interview of their unique perspective and insightful view as authors.

Outstanding Authors (2022)

Gian Andrea Lucidi, Rizzoli Institute, Italy

Hideyuki Koga, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan

Joseph A. Ippolito, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, USA

Marco Gastaldo, Isokinetic Medical Group, Italy

Cheol Hee Park, Kyung Hee University, Korea

Outstanding Author

Gian Andrea Lucidi

Dr. Gian Andrea Lucidi is a PGY5 Orthopaedic resident working at the Rizzoli Institute in Bologna, Italy, under the guidance of Prof. Stefano Zaffagnini. In 2016, he was the top-ranked candidate amongst all Italian orthopedic surgery residency candidates. In 2021, he was awarded with the inaugral ESSKA-Pittsburgh fellowship, where he has had the opportunity to work with Dr. Freddie Fu, Dr. Volker Musahl, and Dr. Richard Debski in clinical and biomechanical research. His research focus during his fellowship has been in knee biomechanics and stability, especially after ACL reconstruction, as well as meniscus transplantation. Apart from this, his clinical research includes synthetic meniscus scaffold, osteotomy, and other joint-preservation techniques.

Academic writing plays a vital role in the advancement of science. In Dr. Lucidi’s opinion, it is essential to ensure a rigorous methodology in every aspect of the research, and the manuscript's writing should be transparent. Both positive and negative results contribute to scientific advancement, and the innovations should be supported by evidence, both basic and clinical.

Science advances rapidly day by day. To ensure his own writing is up-to-date and can give new insights to the field of research, Dr. Lucidi visits the AJSM, OJSM, KSSTA, and Arthroscopy websites weekly, checking for the latest published article. He also tries to attend most of the European and North American Sports Medicine congresses to be updated with the most recent trends in research. Lastly, he also follows on Instagram some professors and surgeons that publish interesting discussions about new articles and research.

As an author, Dr. Lucidi lays emphasis on the importance of the use of reporting guidelines (e.g. STROBE and ARRIVE) during preparation of manuscripts. To him, following these guidelines is always required if one wants to publish in a peer-reviewed journal and is also necessary to ensure high-quality research.

“During the last years of medical school, I realized I was interested in doing research, and I always strived to get the best academic education and the best mentor possible. To achieve that goal, I knew I needed to compete with my peers and be ready to work harder than them. Therefore, having the chance to work with some orthopedic giants like Prof. Zaffagnini gives me extra motivation to put extra time into doing research after my daily workday and having the opportunity to spend a full-year fellowship with Dr. Fu and Dr. Musahl in Pittsburgh was a fantastic reward already in the early part of my professional career,” says Dr. Lucidi.

(By Brad Li, Eunice X. Xu)

Hideyuki Koga

Dr. Hideyuki Koga, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Joint Surgery and Sports Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan. One of his research topics has been regarding knee anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury prevention, and clarified detailed ACL injury mechanisms using a sophisticated 3D video analysis called model-based image-matching technique. He is still working on injury prevention as a member of scientific committee, IOC World Conference Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport, and a member of Academic Advisory Board, IOC Diploma in Sports Medicine.

He has also done clinical and biomechanical research regarding knee ligament surgeries, especially focusing on double-bundle ACL reconstruction. Another hot topic now is meniscus preservation. He has developed a new surgical procedure called arthroscopic centralization to reduce/prevent meniscus extrusion. He is also working as a member of scientific committee, ISAKOS and a member of program committee, ACL Study Group.

Why do we need academic writing? To Dr. Koga, we can validate our own clinical results by analyzing our data, being reviewed, published, and criticized by readers. We can also acquire knowledge in our area of interest. Furthermore, we can communicate with other clinicians and researchers by being known with our paper.

There are some skill sets that Dr. Koga believes are essential for being an academic writer. First, communication with colleagues and collaborators are very important to accomplish one’s research. As a non-English-speaking person, English skill is especially important. Besides, inspiration, thinking logically, and analyzing objectively are also keys for good research.

In Dr. Koga’ opinion, disclosure of Conflict of Interest (COI) is very important. Personally, he tries not to have COI with one specific company to avoid the research getting influenced. He believes it could be very dangerous to have a large COI with one company. In that case, the results of the research could be interfered.

“If you do not publish your paper, no one can recognize you as a logical clinician/researcher. Academic paper is a powerful tool as a ‘business card’. Needless to say, if you just perform surgeries without analyzing your data, your patients can never become happy,” says Dr. Koga.

(By Brad Li, Eunice X. Xu)

Joseph A. Ippolito

Dr. Joseph A. Ippolito currently serves at the Department of Orthopaedics, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS), USA. He was born and raised in New Jersey and attended Rutgers University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Cell Biology and Neuroscience. He went on to earn an M.D. at Rutgers NJMS. He stayed on at Rutgers NJMS for orthopaedic residency, followed by a fellowship in musculoskeletal oncology at the University of Chicago. His areas of interest include clinical research in bone and soft tissue tumors, clinical research in revision and infected total joint arthroplasty, biomechanical testing and development related to orthopaedic implants, and basic science investigation of novel materials to enhance bone healing in diabetic and immunosuppressed patients. You may follow Dr. Ippolito on Instagram @JosephIppolitoMD.

Academic writing typically builds upon decades of investigational research from respected experts across the world. As such, Dr. Ippolito believes that diligent review of the literature is crucial to ensure an understanding, amongst both the author and reader, of the rationale behind any treatment or disease being investigated. He explains, “When writing a manuscript, it is imperative to ensure proper citation is given to those before you who have developed the concepts you are building upon. Ensuring the accuracy of this, while also formatting a manuscript which is under the word limit of a journal, can be difficult, albeit worthwhile.”

With the number of scientific journals and number of published articles growing annually, it can seem daunting to stay atop the latest information in one’s field. In Dr. Ippolito’s opinion, apart from regularly reading orthopaedic journals with high impact factors, participating in journal clubs with residents, following respected colleagues on platforms designed to showcase recent publications, and attending collaborative meetings within orthopaedics have been helpful to allow himself to stay up-to-date.

On the other hand, Dr. Ippolito stresses that it is important for authors to disclose conflict of interest to ensure the integrity of the investigation being presented. There are many opportunities for bias in research, some of which may be unintentional from the authors. This, in addition to the peer-review process, is essential to helping authors share information for clinicians and scientists to develop the best treatments possible for patients.

(By Brad Li, Eunice X. Xu)

Marco Gastaldo

Dr. Marco Gastaldo is a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physician at Isokinetic Medical Group. His practice is based in Torino clinic, FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, Italy. He attended the University of Torino where he first obtained his medical degree, then the board certification as a specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He has specific expertise in orthopedic rehabilitation, sports medicine, sports traumatology, musculoskeletal ultrasound, ultrasound-guided interventional procedures, motion analysis, sports biomechanics, and ergonomics. In the last 2 years, he has been progressively more involved in clinical, teaching and research activities in the field of Esports medicine (diagnosis, therapy and prevention of pathologies related to the practice of Esports). You may connect with Dr. Gastaldo through LinkedIn.

As an almost full-time clinician, Dr. Gastaldo finds time management to be the most commonly encountered difficulty in the field of academic writing. He explains, “The intense daily activities with the patients are very demanding and it is necessary to find dedicated moments, sometimes in the evenings and weekends, to pursue one's research projects with the care and precision they deserve.”

Science advances rapidly day by day. In order to make sure his writing is up-to-date, Dr. Gastaldo stays in touch with the most influential journals and authors in his medical field through newsletters and social media. He also attends international medical congresses among experts in sports medicine, orthopedic surgery, and orthopedic rehabilitation, such as the annual congress held by the Isokinetic Medical Group. Furthermore, he always performs a thorough review of current and past literature when tackling a new research project.

Lastly, Dr. Gastaldo lays emphasis on the disclosure of Conflict of Interest (COI). He explains, “I believe in the value of transparency in research, so I think it is necessary for authors to declare any COI, and that the peer-review process should always be shared with the readers.”

(By Brad Li, Eunice X. Xu)

Cheol Hee Park

Dr. Cheol Hee Park is working as an orthopedic surgeon at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery in Kyung Hee University Hospital, and a professor teaching medical students at Kyung Hee University, Republic of Korea. His research area involves all treatments of the knee joint, including cartilage regeneration, ligament reconstruction, osteotomy, and arthroplasty. Among these, Dr. Park is particularly interested in the novel technique of autologous chondrocyte implantation and high tibial osteotomy, and computer-assisted surgery of total knee arthroplasty.

A good academic medical paper, according to Dr. Park, is a paper being helpful in the actual clinical treatment for patients.

Prior to writing a manuscript, Dr. Park usually goes through the following steps to prepare evidence synthesis. First of all, he reads recent review articles to understand overall trend on the issue. After that, he gets robust evidences by reading well-designed papers, such as prospective randomized controlled studies. When reading a paper, he tries to read thoroughly all of contents in the manuscript including material, analytic methods, results, and discussion. In particular, he thinks deeply about the limitations of the papers and how to improve them. Lastly, even if there is evidence contradicting his idea, he tries to accept it objectively.

Another important thing to do, in Dr. Park’s opinion, for academic writing is to disclose Conflict of Interest (COI). It is crucial as it is necessary for verifying the objectivity of the study.

“I feel pleasure when I derive novel valuable findings through rational evidences. It is also fascinating that my academic writing will help suffering patients and improve the world I live in,” says Dr. Park.

(By Brad Li, Eunice X. Xu)