This month will mark the end of my 10-year tenure as Editor-in-Chief of The American Journal of Orthopedics (AJO). Every successful organization goes through periodic transitions, where past successes are reviewed and future challenges addressed. AJO is no different. I would like to reflect on these past 10 years, share some highlights, and acknowledge those who have contributed to the success of AJO.
The Editorial Staff of the Journal has consistently performed beyond the call of duty, producing outstanding issues month after month. Of this excellent team, several members deserve special mention: Group Editor Glenn Williams, Managing Editor Joseph Kinsley, and Assistant Editor Kellie DeSantis. I offer my gratitude to all for a job well done.
I am particularly proud that under my leadership, the Editorial Board nearly doubled and clinical submissions increased almost 4-fold. I want to thank all members of the Editorial Board. Your expertise and dedication has enabled AJO to accommodate the vast increase in submissions and greatly improved the quality of papers published in recent years. I have so appreciated your efforts and hard work.
The addition of the Residency Advisory Board several years ago provided an excellent forum for orthopedic surgeons in training to share their thoughts on subjects of particular interest and address issues not typically covered during the course of their clinical training; such as the importance of mentorship, how to organize a practice, and how to decipher an employment contract for one’s first “real” job. I have been immensely impressed with residents’ insights and their willingness to share them with their colleagues. I hope that this experience at AJO will encourage them to join other Editorial Boards during their professional careers.
Over these past 10 years, I have tried to satisfy the mission of The American Journal of Orthopedics: “… to provide timely, practical, and readable technical information of the highest caliber to the orthopedic surgeon involved in the everyday practice of orthopedics.” To this end, I expanded the “expert opinion” 5 Points series originally introduced by John Gould, MD, my predecessor as Editor-in-Chief. In addition, I added the Practice Management articles, prepared by Karen Zupko and her associates, which have been especially informative and popular.
I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing with you my nonclinical editorials touching on the “topics of the day.” Among my favorites were “Customer Satisfaction: Are Hospitals ‘Hospitable’?”1 which anticipated the growing influence of patient satisfaction scores in our professional lives; and “Are Surgeons Accepting Bribes?”,2 addressing a subject that predated the 2007 Deferred Prosecution Agreement3 which has transformed the relationships between orthopedic surgeons and the orthopedic device industry. I hope you have enjoyed reading my musings as much as I enjoyed writing them.
Our incoming Editor-in-Chief is Bryan T. Hanypsiak, MD, Director of Sports Medicine, Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead, New York, and Chairman of the September 2015 Innovative Techniques: The Knee Course, sponsored by AJO in Las Vegas. Bryan will remain committed to the original mission of AJO and its high editorial and peer reviewed standards. However, the format will change with the March 2016 issue and have the feel of a clinical magazine. I have every confidence that, with Dr. Hanypsiak’s leadership and the support of the publisher, the AJO brand will continue to thrive in an ever-changing and challenging marketplace.
Finally, I wish to thank all the readers of AJO who have supported the Journal, one of only a handful of orthopedic publications that still caters to the professional interests of the general orthopedic surgeon with a comprehensive scope of clinical and non-clinical topics. Leading the Board as Editor-in-Chief has been one of the most fulfilling and rewarding activities of my professional career, and it has truly been my honor to serve you. I wish all of you the best.