In 2025, many JSS 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 (2025)

Quinn T. Ehlen, University of Miami, USA

Takeshi Sasagawa, Toyama Prefectural Central Hospital, Japan

Outstanding Author

Quinn T. Ehlen

Quinn Ehlen was born and raised in Minnesota, where he then attended the University of Minnesota, graduated from Summa Cum Laude with High Distinction with majors in Chemistry and Finance. Upon graduation, he moved to Miami, FL, as an MD/MBA candidate at the Miller School of Medicine/Herbert Business School. He has got involved in both basic science and clinical orthopaedic research. His basic science work largely focuses on sports medicine and the effect of ACL tears on osteoarthritis pathophysiology. His clinical research spans across orthopaedic subspecialties with a variety of projects ranging from joint replacement to spine. In his free time, he loves skiing, floating on a lake, or playing hockey. He is applying to orthopaedic residency and looks forward to continuing his research while developing surgical skills. Connect with Quinn on LinkedIn.

JSS: From your point of view, what authors have to bear in mind during preparation of a paper?

Quinn: While preparing a paper, it is important that authors keep their audience in mind for whatever their target journal may be. When targeting an orthopaedic journal, try to understand what would be of most interest to orthopaedic surgeons and how it might draw their attention.

JSS: How to ensure one’s writing is critical?

Quinn: I think critical writing comes from a solid understanding of the respective scientific field. When one knows enough about a topic, they are able to synthesize meaningful conclusions, while also questioning claims that may be farfetched. Therefore, one can ensure critical writing through thorough literature review and then novel idea generation, which does not always follow the status quo.

JSS: From an author’s perspective, do you think it is important to follow reporting guidelines (e.g. STROBE, CONSORT, or PRISMA,) during preparation of manuscripts?

Quinn: Yes, it is important to follow reporting guidelines. These guidelines help standardize scientific literature, which can help researchers draw larger conclusions than individual studies can provide. Aggregating studies such as systematic reviews and meta-analyses offers the highest level of evidence. These studies are much more feasible and comprehensive when following reporting guidelines.

(by Masaki Lo, Brad Li)

Takeshi Sasagawa

Dr. Takeshi Sasagawa is the chief spinal surgeon at Toyama Prefectural Central Hospital in Japan. In 2002, he graduated from Kanazawa University and received certification from the Japanese National Board. After certification through 2007, he received training as an orthopaedic surgeon at five different institutes. Between 2007 and 2009, he participated in original research on metastatic tumors localized to the vertebra while under the mentorship of Prof. Tomita, who developed total en bloc spondylectomy for spinal tumors, and Associate Prof. Kawahara at Kanazawa University Hospital. Dr. Sasagawa received his PhD in 2011. From 2009-2012, he worked at the Spine Center, Japanese Red Cross Medical Center in Tokyo. At this institute, he received additional spinal surgical training for degenerative spine disease. Since 2012, he has been employed as a spinal surgeon at Toyama Prefectural Central Hospital and has been involved in clinical research, in particular on spinal trauma.

The quality and depth of a profession is enhanced by experience and academic inquiry. Of all academic inquiries, Dr. Sasagawa considers academic writing to be the most important. In academic writing, researchers read a number of articles to get background information, examine their own approach to an unsolved problem and discuss the results. The process has to be scientific and logical, and not self-indulgent. Through interaction with peer reviewers, universal conclusions can be drawn. It is, to him, a laborious process, yet enables him to develop scientific thinking skills. At the same time, it brings researchers closer to understanding the nature of the problem.

Science advances rapidly day by day. To ensure one’s writing is up-to-date, Dr. Sasagawa believes that it is important to keep questioning one’s own approach to disease. He constantly asks himself, “Does it make sense from diagnosis to treatment?” If there is any doubt, it is clinically important and needs to be investigated. Nowadays, literature from all over the world is easily accessible via the internet. If the issue is one that has not been explored and resolved, research into the issue may provide new insights.

(by Brad Li, Masaki Lo)