Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine (KPSOM) student Elaine Liang is first author of a study published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery Short Reports examining whether mammography check-in could help identify women eligible for lung cancer screening. Jeffrey B. Velotta, MD, FACS, the study’s senior and corresponding author and KPSOM Clinical Professor of Clinical Science, teamed with Liang and fellow researchers to shed light on the importance of collecting a standardized smoking history, a potentially overlooked point of care.
“What struck me most is that eligibility under USPSTF (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force) guidelines depends almost entirely on smoking history, yet we don’t capture it reliably,” said Liang. “Smoking history is dynamic: people start, stop, and change how much they smoke throughout their lives. If we can’t accurately calculate pack-years, many patients who already qualify for screening are being missed. I hope this study is a step toward closing that gap.”
Liang added, “This was truly a team effort, from our high school volunteers who collected data on the ground to our Kaiser Permanente statisticians and surgery residents who shaped the analysis and ideas. I’m especially grateful to Dr. Velotta, whose mentorship and trust in me made this project possible.”
