An Interview with J.J. “Buddy” Connors III, M.D.

What do you believe is the most powerful/influential factor in the advancement of your field?
Politics and money. The US is going bankrupt for all the wrong reasons. Money drives advancement in medicine. To say otherwise is naïve.

What advancement in your field do you most want to see in your lifetime?
Coordinated care; local regional and national. That is doable, and will end up saving money and providing better care to our patients.

What technological advancement do you most want to see in your lifetime?
Improved clot retrieval for stroke. That is the key to revascularization and having a functional person, afterwards.

Growing up, were you interested in the space program? What about now?
Yes. In fact, the strongest childhood memory I have was the first step on the moon and the time the camera was burned out when it was aimed at the sun and all video was lost for the moon landing. I don’t keep up with everything NASA is doing, but I look forward to the Mars trip as much as anybody.

Are there any societal/global trends that you believe to be particularly ominous for our future?
Global greed. But worse; the rapid rise of radical fundamentalist religion is a threat to the world. Nationalism was self limited (people were eager to fight for their country but not commit suicide). Fanatical Religion makes murder and suicide not only acceptable, but necessary. I spent a lot of my life as a long-haired hippy weirdo, and I still hope for world peace. I just get less optimistic each year.

What’s next on your agenda?
Tons. I’m working with a group on putting together the guidelines for Comprehensive Stroke Centers, and preparing for the second iteration of CLOTS (Catheter Lysis of Thromboembolic Stroke meeting), which will be the largest-ever interventional stroke treatment course. Last year’s inaugural session was a success, and we’re expecting another great symposium. I’m also working on developing new training guidelines for Neurointerventional surgeons, and several papers on everything from medical management to carotid stenting.

Thank you for doing this interview.
It was a pleasure.

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