In 2024, many AOB 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 (2024)

Shaughn R. Nalezinski, Concord Hospital, USA

Guillermo José Ruiz-Argüelles, Centro de Hematología y Medicina Interna de Puebla, Mexico

Konstantine Halkidis, University of Kansas Medical Center, USA

Outstanding Author

Shaughn R. Nalezinski

Shaughn Nalezinski is a distinguished Clinical Laboratory Scientist and an emerging leader in the field of immunohematology and patient blood management. With a Master of Science in Health Science from George Washington University and ongoing doctoral studies at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Shaughn has demonstrated a profound commitment to advancing medical science and patient care. His expertise is backed by certifications from the American Society for Clinical Pathology and American Medical Technologists. Currently leading blood bank operations at Concord Hospital, Shaughn has significantly contributed to ensuring safety and efficiency in transfusion practices. His scholarly work, including pivotal publications in The Annals of Blood and Lab Medicine, highlights his focus on evidence-based transfusion thresholds and patient blood management strategies. His recognition as an "outstanding author" and his active role in shaping future medical laboratory professionals underscore his dedication to excellence and innovation in healthcare. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

A good academic paper, in Shaughn’s view, is one that significantly contributes to the field by providing original insights, advancing our understanding, or challenging existing paradigms. It should be well-structured, with a clear hypothesis, robust methodology, and concise conclusions that underscore its contribution to the discipline. Good papers also maintain high standards of integrity and ethical research, are well-cited to acknowledge existing works, and effectively communicate complex ideas in a manner accessible to experts and informed non-specialists.

To Shaughn, the most commonly encountered difficulties in academic writing include: Articulating a clear and novel research question, navigating the vast amount of existing literature to find a unique angle, and maintaining a coherent argument throughout the paper. Another challenge is ensuring the research methods and results are robust and reproducible, which is critical in fields that impact patient care. Furthermore, the peer-review process can be daunting, requiring resilience to feedback and the ability to revise and defend one’s work against critical scrutiny.

“What fascinates me most about academic writing is its power to foster innovation, inspire change, and contribute to humanity's collective knowledge. It's a process through which we can challenge conventional wisdom, propose new ideas, and provide evidence-based solutions to complex problems. My journey in academic writing, especially within the context of patient blood management and transfusion medicine, has allowed me to share my passion and knowledge with a broader audience, ultimately aiming to improve patient care. The prospect of influencing practices, policies, and future research is incredibly motivating. Moreover, academic writing offers a platform for collaboration and intellectual exchange, which enriches our understanding and opens up new avenues for exploration and discovery,” says Shaughn.

(by Brad Li, Alisa Lu)

Guillermo José Ruiz-Argüelles

Guillermo José Ruiz-Argüelles, MD, FRCP (Glasg), MACP, DSc (Hc), FRCP, is currently the Director General, Centro de Hematología y Medicina Interna de Puebla, Clinica RUIZ; Director of the Teaching and Research Division of Laboratorios Clínicos de Puebla, Clinica RUIZ (more info here); and Professor of Hematology in the Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine (2025) and Hematology (2025). He was elected “Mayo Clinic Distinguished Alumnus” in 2011 and “Master of the American College of Physicians” in 2013. He is a co-receptor of the “2017 Distinguished Service Award”, by the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplantation Research (CIBMTR) in 2017. He was elected Doctor in Sciences (Honoris Causa) by the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí in 2017, and appointed Interinstitutional Advisor of the Minister of Health of the State of Puebla, México, in 2019. He is author of 787 papers in international and domestic journals, with 5,980 citations in Research Gate (score 47.8) and Scopus H-index 38. He is author of 81 chapters in books, editor of seven books and co-editor of four. He is once the editor–in–chief of the Revista de Hematologia (México), member of the editorial board of peer-reviewed journals, both domestic (Revista de Investigación Clínica, Medicina Interna de México, Medicina Universitaria, Revista Médica del IMSS, Gaceta Médica de México and De Medicinis Expertis) and foreign (The Lancet Haematology, International Journal of Hematology, Acta Haematologica, Biología & Clínica Hematológica, Revista Brasileira de Hematologia e Hemoterapia, Revista de Oncología, Hematology/Oncology Stem Cell Therapy and Hematology). A list of his publications can be found here.

A good academic paper, according to Dr. Ruiz-Argüelles, is one that is widely read and quoted. Speaking of the most commonly encountered difficulty in academic writing, he believes it would be grammar and style difficulties for authors whose native language is not English.

“Being able to interact with scientists from all over the world is the most fascinating thing about academic writing,” says Dr. Ruiz-Argüelles.

(by Brad Li, Masaki Lo)

Konstantine Halkidis

Konstantine Halkidis is an Assistant Professor who works as a hematologist and researcher in the Division of Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapeutics of the Internal Medicine Department at the University of Kansas Medical Center in the USA. His clinical focus is on classical/non-malignant hematology with a particular interest in thrombotic microangiopathy, particularly immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP). His research focuses on the pathophysiology of iTTP, specifically regarding the mechanisms by which antibodies that bind to ADAMTS13 affect von Willebrand factor (VWF) cleavage. His recent work has shown that such antibodies can allosterically alter ADAMTS13 domains that are quite distal to their binding sites. This work has shed new light on how such inhibitory antibodies participate in the disease process of iTTP and may lead to better ways to diagnose and treat these patients in the future.

For an academic paper to be good, Dr. Halkidis indicates that it needs to be easy enough to read that someone outside the field of the author(s) can follow the story. Along those lines, figures and tables need to be well organized and legible. Authors should be careful to limit their conclusions to what is supported by the data, and proper control experiments need to be documented. Generally speaking, a good paper is a good story that convinces readers that what the authors are saying is likely true, or at least gets us closer to the truth.

“The best thing to do when asking any scientific question is to ask that question in such a way that no matter what your data say, you have a way forward,” says Dr. Halkidis. As such, he believes it always behooves an investigator to avoid simple yes-or-no questions when designing an experiment or preparing a paper. This kind of thinking not only allows for generating new hypotheses, but also makes for better papers. To him, science is a conversation, and the goal is to move the conversation forward with every paper.

Since science is a conversation, it is most helpful to be able to communicate with one another based on a common set of facts. Data sharing, in Dr. Halkidis’ opinion, is crucial in this regard. The motto that comes to his mind is trust and verify. He explains, “We should always listen to one another when we communicate, but we also need to be able to see each other’s data, to be able to confirm their reliability and reproducibility. As a community, we are much stronger collectively than we are alone. I am a big believer in being as open with one another as possible when it comes to our efforts to expand the depth and breadth of human knowledge.”

(by Brad Li, Masaki Lo)