John R. Cookson

Nov 6, 2024 | catholicherald.co.uk | John R. Cookson

The mysterious vetting process takes at least five years and is one of the Catholic Church’s best kept secrets. But, somewhere in the Vatican’s vast echoing halls and chambers, officials are believed to be close to ruling whether a Japanese warrior is a saint. If confirmed, samurai Justo Takayama Ukon would become the first of Japan’s feared fighters to achieve Christianity’s greatest glory. A romantic notion?

Oct 2, 2024 | catholicherald.co.uk | John R. Cookson

In the broad daylight of a turbulent history, Catholicism in Japan faces two new challenges, as I learned on a recent visit to the country: a dwindling population and an increasingly non-religious society. The situation leaves the Church’s leadership there mulling over Christianity’s survival.

Jul 28, 2024 | bmj.com | John R. Cookson

Rapid Response: Dear EditorFor the last 30 years, medical student practical experience has got worse but it’s not something medical schools can do much about. The ‘firms’ have gone, the junior doctors are all on rotas, the phlebotomists take the bloods. The safety agenda pushes all tasks higher up the food chain. Student clerkings are not admissible in a court of law.

Jul 2, 2024 | timeshighereducation.com | John R. Cookson

With little expectation that even a change of government will significantly relieve the UK’s beleaguered universities, we need to think seriously about how we can manage better with what we have. In medicine, we have talked for years about cost-effective treatments, but there has not been much discussion anywhere about cost-effective education. Would we get more if the resources we currently spend on education were redirected?

May 7, 2024 | atlanticcouncil.org | John R. Cookson |Daniel Hojnacki |Katherine Walla |Daniel Malloy

The Atlantic Council’s greatest hits of 2023 At the Atlantic Council, we connect the dots for policymakers on the most urgent global challenges of our age—and the list is long, from artificial intelligence to climate change to trade policy and beyond.