As my tenure as Editor draws to a close, I am pleased to report that The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine continues to raise its profile among the journals that serve professionals in spinal cord medicine and research. The new editor, Donald R. Bodner, MD, has served the American Paraplegia Society (APS) in many capacities since 1988, including president (1993–1995) and long-term membership on the journal's Editorial Board. JSCM remains the premier professional journal that is primarily devoted to topics related to improving the lives of individuals with trauma or dysfunction of the spinal cord. All of the major medical and scientific indexes now include JSCM, which will earn its first impact factor in 2006. For JSCM to achieve optimal impact, we need you to continue to cite the journal's content in your published articles. There is much to choose from among our clinical and scientific reviews, original research articles, case reports, and clinical practice guidelines.
Access to journal content will markedly improve once it is hosted on PubMed Central, the National Library of Medicine's full-text database for peer-reviewed journals. JSCM's application has been approved, and work is proceeding on submitting the journal's archives, including material published under its previous title, Journal of the American Paraplegia Society. As specified by the APS Board, the 2 most recent issues of the journal will be reserved for society members and subscribers.
Editorial Manager, our new service for online submission, peer review, and manuscript tracking will soon be available. Data on our more than 150 peer reviewers have been entered, and the breadth of relevant topics has been classified in detail to facilitate the matching of papers with reviewers with the appropriate expertise.
To thrive, JSCM must grow and continue to serve the diverse community of spinal cord professionals. To increase our production schedule to 6 issues a year, we need to increase our submissions. I ask each of you to make JSCM your first choice for your manuscripts on spinal cord–related topics.
In conclusion, let me point out that the specialty of spinal cord medicine also needs your attention and help. While there are 22 accredited training programs in spinal cord injury (SCI) medicine, these are not being filled to full capacity. From 1998 through 2005, the programs have graduated 87 trainees (see table, next page). Major problems have been lack of consistent funding sources for these positions and the limited size of the candidate pool. These issues must be prioritized and vigorously addressed or the subspecialty's accreditation could be jeopardized.
Table 1.
Graduates of SCIM Training Programs
The subspecialty was founded based on the recognition of the unique base of knowledge required to treat individuals with spinal cord injury/dysfunction. Many of us worked hard to establish the subspecialty, including the late Jim Peters, executive director of United Spinal Association and a tireless advocate for veterans with SCI. The establishment of the subspecialty and its certification examination were essential steps toward improving the standard of care for SCI. In tribute to Jim, the Bronx Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Medical Center was recently rededicated as the James J. Peters DVA Medical Center. To build on this foundation, we need to attract bright, caring professionals capable of harnessing the advances of SCI research for the benefit of people with SCI.
I extend my sincere appreciation to the APS, which has sponsored JSCM since its inception, and to each of you, our readers, for your support during my term as editor.