We wish to welcome all of our global readers to the
September edition of ReFlections.
With this edition, our
42nd, we are pleased to introduce Peter Barrett, Vice
President and Head of Global Underwriting, Claims and
Medical Support Team, to our editorial leadership team. He
has more than 30 years of experience in life re/insurance,
holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree, and is a Fellow
of the Assurance Medical Society (FAMS) and of the
Chartered Insurance Institute (FCII). We are delighted
and honored to have him on board and look forward to his
expertise and contributions.
Additionally, with this edition, we welcome two new
authors to ReFlections. Dr. Valerie Kaufman, Vice
President and Medical Director, RGA Reinsurance
Company, updates us on what’s new with hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy and Dr. Radi Counsell, Consulting
Medical officer, RGA UK Services Limited, gives insight
into the rapidly evolving world of lung cancer and the
impact of newer treatments on morbidity and mortality.
Sue Wehrman, Vice President, Electronic Health Record
Initiatives, RGA Reinsurance Company, continues her
technology-focused series of articles for ReFlections,
this time turning her attention to potential applications of
blockchain technology in insurance.
The Longer Life Foundation recently announced its 2017-
18 grant awardees and we proudly present them here
along with a short description of their proposed research.
On a separate note, LLF will be celebrating its 20th
anniversary in 2018 – so watch for special LLF features in
ReFlections next year!
ReCite presents recent and relevant medical literature
articles which we hope you will find useful. A new feature
in this issue is a review of the book Deadliest Enemy:
Our War Against Killer Germs by Dr. Michael Osterholm
and Mark Olshaker. This insightful book will help anyone
seeking to assess risks associated with infectious diseases.
Finally, we really want to hear from you, our readers! We
would like to know what information in ReFlections you
find useful and how best to present it. On page 23 of this
issue, you will find a link to a survey that we hope will
enable us to serve you better. Please take a few moments
to respond – your opinion will truly make a difference.
In this Issue