The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine recently appointed the first Bermudian doctor to its full time faculty.

Dr. Malcolm Brock, of Pembroke West, will be taking up a teaching position at the Baltimore university on a part-time basis, while continuing to conduct medical research in the area of lung and oesophageal cancer.

"The idea is that any concern we have about lung and oesophageal cancer will be taken to the lab and investigated,'' Dr. Brock said.

"I will be looking at ways to detect this type of cancer early.'' Dr. Brock, a qualified surgeon with a speciality in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, added that early detection was the key to curing many types of cancer.

"You have a better chance of saving your patient if the cancer is detected early,'' he said.

He added that lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer deaths in America and that there were few cost effective ways of detecting it early on.

Mentoring the new addition to the staff will be Head of Thoracic Surgery and world renowned clinical in the area of oesophagus surgery Dr. Richard Heitmiller, Head of Cardiovascular Surgery Dr. William Baumgartner and hospital Head of Surgery Dr. John Cameron.

Local appointed to prestigious post "This is an unbelievable opportunity for me,'' said Dr. Brock. "To work with these gentlemen, who are world leaders in medicine, and to work with them as a young physician just coming out of training....

Dr. Brock added that he felt blessed to have been given the opportunity to work at the best hospital in the world for such a long time.

"With the human genome project and the new technology being developed every day, the potential for academic medicine finding new treatments and cures is increasing exponentially,'' he said.

"There is no better place to be in medicine at this time than at the number one hospital in the world.

"And I have the job of tracking an elusive cure -- the cure for cancer.'' Dr. Brock received his early education at Warwick Academy and Bermuda College.

He later received his Bachelor's degree from Princeton, his Master's degree from Oxford and his medical training at Johns Hopkins, where he has been for the last 13 years.

His parents, Jim and Beverly Brock, said they were sad their son would not be returning home to continue his career, but added that they understood the importance of the position he has accepted.

"As a Bermudian I would have been delighted if Malcolm and his family had come back to Bermuda, but this is so much of a bigger opportunity than doing surgery in Bermuda,'' said Mr. Brock.

"He is in a position where he is doing something very good and he has done some exciting research already.

"It's his strength and I am very pleased.'' His father added that it was the hospital that first approached Dr. Brock with the prospect of a position on the faculty.

"It should be noted that it was the professors at Johns Hopkins that recruited him. He was looking for a job in the private sector and they decided to grab him up,'' Mr. Brock said. Dr. Brock will now add professor to his already substantial list of acknowledgements including the George Zuidema award for excellence in surgical research, being the first recipient of the Vincent L. Gott award for research in cardiovascular surgery and being elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, the most prestigious medical honours society in North America.

It is expected that Dr. Brock will take on his new role at Johns Hopkins at the beginning of this month.