I am honored to have been the editor-in-chief of Heart Views since 1998. It has enriched me professionally and personally.
To go back to the history of the journal; in 1997 I felt that our Hamad hospital in Hamad Medical Corporation should have a cardiology journal produced by our cardiology department staff. I quietly worked on producing a few copies of a sample issue and named it Heart Views (HV). I distributed that issue as a proposal to the cardiology department in our weekly department conference. It was unanimously approved by our staff. Therefore, HV was born in 1997 and published quarterly.
When the cardiologists of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) state, had their first scientific meeting in Doha in January 2002, they created the Gulf Heart Association (GHA) and decided to make HV the official journal of GHA. Therefore, HV carried the two logos of GHA and HMC.
I recently started to work on a new writing project. It is enjoyable but demands a lot of time and effort. Therefore, I decided it is time for me to retire from work in January 2024, and step down as editor of the journal. I am hoping that the new editorial staff will reconsider our current old policies, such as quarterly timing, paper issues, and free accessibility to all. The new editorial staff may make it more frequent, electronic issues only and impose some fees. This may advance the journal to a higher level.
I want to thank the editorial group especially the cardiology staff of our department and everyone who shared their thoughts and views with us over the years.