Perspective is a wonderful thing …
Over the past 15 years that I've been at the Texas Heart Institute, I've had the opportunity and the privilege of serving on the Editorial Board of the Texas Heart Institute Journal, reviewing manuscripts for its long-time Editor-in-Chief Bob Hall, and, occasionally, writing articles for the Journal. (Dr. Hall can be very persuasive at times.) During his tenure, Dr. Hall transformed the THI Journal into a whole new forum for highlighting clinical advances in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Accepted by Index Medicus in July of 1992 and first indexed there the following March, the Journal is now available in 3 electronic full-text versions. Its base of contributors has expanded considerably in the decade since indexing took place.
Now the shoe is on the other foot. I (of all people) have been appointed Editor-in-Chief. I am now faced with the daunting task of fitting my size 11½ feet into Dr. Hall's size 13½ shoes (at least they SEEM that big). I am now the one who is supposed to do all the things that Dr. Hall did so effectively over the past 20 years—and never until now did I really appreciate how many of those things there were!
It's both scary and exciting at the same time. Cardiovascular medicine is advancing at an ever-accelerating pace. The good news is that the THI Journal is in a wonderful position to help lead that advance. Dr. Hall has set very high standards for all of us to live up to.
No, there are not going to be any radical changes in the direction of the THI Journal; but we do want to hear from you, in the form of correspondence, feedback, and, most importantly, articles. What modern-day issues really matter to you? What do you feel passionately about that is worth sharing with our readers? What areas still remain problematic? Perspective is a wonderful thing, and the more perspective we all have, the better off we are.
There are going to be challenges that you, the physician readership, and I, the Editor-in-Chief (sorry, that still sticks a little coming out), will face in the years to come as we try to provide the best and most up-to-date care for our patients in an increasingly complex and relentlessly regulated medical world, and as we struggle to get access to reliable information on which to base that care.
Armed with my own new perspective, I'm really looking forward to that challenge at the THI Journal.
Figure. James J. Ferguson III, MD