Dear Colleagues:
By now I assume that most of you have heard that the World Health Organization has just decided to endorse the idea that cell phone use may be a cause of cancer (for example, see http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/05/31/who.cell.phones/). Disturbing though this may be, this WHO action represents a major milestone in our as-yet-incomplete level of understanding of the biological effects of non-ionizing radiation. It also represents a major milestone in the career of one of our faculty members, Henry Lai. Henry, who is quoted in the CNN story and elsewhere, has for decades labored carefully and, occasionally, with stiff opposition, published experimental data that “questioned the dominant paradigm”. He has never been strident or dogmatic, but always thoughtfully pushing his peers and the public to think deeply about the data. This adoption by WHO represents the kind of career validation that we could all hope for. Bravo, Henry!
Paul Yager