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Giorgio Scagliotti, IASLC President

Dear IASLC Members,

The IASLC 19th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC 2018) in Toronto was an unbelievable success, both scientifically and financially speaking, with nearly 7,500 participants, outstanding plenary sessions and a scientific program that easily ranks among the best that has ever been delivered at one of our annual meetings. For that, we need to congratulate the fabulous four organizers at the helm of the local organizing committee: Drs. Natasha Leighl, Andrea Bezjak, Gail Darling and Frances Shepherd.

The conference's presidential symposium was “the session of the sessions” due to three practice-changing presentations published simultaneously in a top peer-reviewed journal. This was simply an amazing development and was not foreseen until a few years ago. Such milestones were reached because a group of members acted as IASLC ambassadors with international scientific groups and pharma partners, convincing them of how much value our annual meeting provides to the thoracic oncology community. They also provided evidence that IASLC meetings provide the best opportunities for outreach and data dissemination.

We are already engaged in how we can potentially improve upon these successes for the IASLC 20th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC 2019), which will take place in Barcelona, Spain, on September 7-10, 2019. The local organizing committee is already working hard to deliver another memorable meeting.

A few days after WCLC 2018 ended, we were informed of the resignation of Dr. Fred R. Hirsch from the IASLC CEO position. His resignation was effective on October 31, 2018, upon completion of his current five-year contract. This is a loss for the IASLC, but we respect his decision and wish Dr. Hirsch the best. Because of his unique dedication, passion and position in our organization, Dr. Hirsch’s resignation could be perceived as a big challenge. Fortunately, challenges often come with opportunities, and this challenge is an opportunity to verify the role of the team over the individuals to maintain the pace of our transformation guided by our strategic plan.

The IASLC Board of Directors (BOD) convened over a teleconference to determine our next steps. During this meeting, our Managing Director, Mr. Dave Mesko, was appointed as an interim officer of the IASLC in order to keep business operations flowing smoothly during the CEO transition. At the same time, the IASLC BOD unanimously acknowledged that Dave's business management and leadership skills have already proved to be very important to the organization, and thus the board unanimously agreed to offer him the permanent CEO position.

I would like you to know that the IASLC remains committed to conquering thoracic cancers worldwide. We are excited about the recent developments in lung cancer research and the role we play with you in creating an environment for these advances. It is through valuable contributions of our members, our fellows, our team in Denver and partnerships with pharma, scientific societies and advocacy groups that we are confident we will build on our legacy of success and continue the good work of the IASLC. Our meetings schedule in 2019 will be fully maintained, and we hope to meet you to build new bridges to connect people.  

Fred R. Hirsch, Former IASLC CEO

Dear Colleagues,

This will be my final CEO corner. A number of weeks have passed since we finished a successful World Conference on Lung Cancer. With record high attendance and several potentially practice-changing scientific presentations, the IASLC 19^th World Conference on Lung Cancer in Toronto will be remembered as a clear landmark event in the history of lung cancer and the history of the IASLC. Congratulations to everyone who contributed,  particularly the local organizers: Drs. Natasha Leighl, Andrea Bezjak, Gail Darling and Frances Shepherd.

Additionally, thanks to the staff of the IASLC, who all diligently worked with the organizers to make this WCLC so successful. Finally, without the presenters and participants who attended and shared their research, this could not be the successful conference it clearly was.

After five successful years as CEO of the IASLC, I have decided to step down from the CEO position due to personal and family reasons. Following the legacy of my mentors Drs. Heine Hansen and Paul A. Bunn, Jr. was a formidable task. However, it has been five amazing years where the organization has gone from one success to another. The staff was expanded from five people to 23, accompanied by a significant expansion of office space; the membership has more than doubled; the activities have increased; and our journal, the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, was successfully transferred to a new publisher and recently achieved a record-high impact factor of 10.336.

The introduction of nurses, advocates and the mesothelioma community into the fold of the IASLC has also been highly rewarding and reflects the increasingly multidisciplinary approach of the organization. However, the successful transition of the WCLC from biannual to annual meetings might be the most significant success during my tenure. Finally, I am leaving the IASLC in a stronger financial position to build upon in the future.  

From a personal perspective, it has been a very difficult decision to make after having served this organization actively for more than 41 years!

Personal priorities can be hard to make, and the decision to move from Denver to New York to be closer to our youngest children and their families and to take on new professional opportunities did not come easy. However, the IASLC is unique as it represents the “home” and the “family” for the international lung cancer community, and it is my hope to continue to serve the organization actively in a different capacity. Having grown up in this organization and through an IASLC fellowship which allowed me to move from Copenhagen, Denmark, to pursue professional opportunities in the U.S., the continuation as a life-long advocate and an active member of IASLC comes naturally, and I hope many will follow my example by taking on leadership roles in this wonderful organization! Being a part of the international community through the IASLC has been most rewarding, and I would like to thank all the members of the IASLC, the staff and the Board of Directors for giving me the opportunity to serve the IASLC as the CEO through five very successful years.

My best wishes to all of you for continued success and thanks to all you're doing by giving hope to the many lung cancer patients eagerly awaiting your achievements.