'Keep at it! Accept the challenges of your critics'. An interview with John M. Howard, MD, professor Emeritus, Division of General Surgery, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA. Interview by Martín E. Fernández-Zapico.

In this article, Professor John Howard shares with our readers his life experiences as a pancreatic surgeon-researcher and gives advice to junior pancreatologists starting a career in pancreatic research. Professor Howard made an outstanding contribution to the understanding of acute pacreatitis and he is a pioneer in the development of management approaches for pancreatic diseases.