Holyoke Medical Center’s Dr. Laki Rousou Honored as a LUNG FORCE Hero

HOLYOKE — The American Lung Assoc. announced that Dr. Laki Rousou, program director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program at Holyoke Medical Center, was named a LUNG FORCE Hero for his commitment to making a difference in the community for individuals living with lung cancer.

“I am humbled to have been nominated by my peers for this prestigious recognition,” said Rousou. “I am passionate about reducing lung-cancer statistics and look forward to working with the American Lung Association as a LUNG FORCE Hero.”

Rousou is a thoracic surgeon at Holyoke Medical Center. He trained in general surgery at New York University Langone Medical Center and completed a research fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/West Roxbury VA Hospital – Harvard Medical School. He then completed his cardiothoracic surgery residency at Yale New Haven Hospital/Yale Medical School.

Rousou is board-certified in general surgery and thoracic surgery with broad expertise in diseases of the chest and abdomen. His particular interests are on lung cancer and minimally invasive/robotic surgery for the treatment of thoracic surgical diseases. As an official LUNG FORCE Hero, he will become a storyteller for the American Lung Assoc. and a voice for awareness, research, and education on lung cancer.

“Our LUNG FORCE Heroes are such a vital part of the Lung Association’s effort to build awareness and education about lung cancer,” said Jeff Seyler, chief division officer of the American Lung Assoc. “Dr. Rousou’s dedication to his patients and to the extended community has been instrumental to saving lives. Going forward, as our LUNG FORCE hero, his medical expertise and continued advocacy will undoubtedly help us to defeat this devastating disease.”

Today, lung cancer is the top cancer killer of women, killing one woman every seven minutes in the U.S. The LUNG FORCE movement focuses on encouraging women to speak to their doctors early because survival rates are five times higher when lung cancer is detected early. Fewer than half of all women diagnosed with lung cancer survive one year after diagnosis, and yet, according to new research from the American Lung Assoc. Women’s Lung Health Barometer, only 2{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of women identify lung cancer as a cancer that is top of mind for them. 

LUNG FORCE also works to educate the public on lung disease, early-detection methods, and general lung health. The movement aims to show that lung cancer does not discriminate and can affect anyone.

The Lung Cancer Screening Program at Holyoke Medical Center screens patients with specific smoking history criteria. Qualified patients are provided with yearly lung screening with low-dose CT, which has proven to be effective with early detection, leading to better outcomes for patients who are at high risk for developing lung cancer. To learn more, call (413) 535-4721.