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Looking Forward at Annals
- Harold Sox, MD, Editor
A medical journal is perhaps the most tangible symbol of the values and aspirations of medical professionals. A change in the leadership of a journal is a good time to take stock of the environment and to think carefully about the future. Today's health care environment contains many challenges. Among these are the opportunities and threats presented by knowing an individual's genetic endowment, the aging of the population, and the conflict between the public's high hopes for medical care and the high cost of fulfilling those expectations. These challenges may be grist for future editorial ventures. Now, I write just to report my thoughts about Annals as I begin my tenure as its editor.
I have become an editor after spending 29 years as a general internist in academic life. My first editorial experience occurred when I organized some colleagues to write a series of articles about diagnostic tests. I found myself working closely with an inspiring Annals editor, Edward Huth. He set me on my present course by showing me how an adventurous editor can influence the practice of medicine while helping younger colleagues to flourish. Annals has been fortunate to have had insightful and effective editors, and its stature reflects a remarkable collective accomplishment. To add meaningfully to this sterling record, my colleagues and I will need to respond to the needs of several constituencies, principally clinicians, authors and reviewers, and the public.
The principal constituency of Annals is the internist, although the subject matter of internal medicine is important to a wider readership. Most of our more than 90 000 subscribers are members of …
