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A Tribute To: Jack L. Cronenwett, MD, Editor-in-Chief James M. Seeger, MD, Senior Editor the Journal of Vascular Surgery January 1, 2003-December 31, 2008

2009; Elsevier BV; Volume: 49; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.jvs.2008.11.022

1097-6809

Anton N. Sidawy, Bruce A. Perler,

Renal and Vascular Pathologies

As the Journal of Vascular Surgery enters its second quarter century, on behalf of the vascular surgical community and all who are committed to advancing the state of knowledge in the diagnosis, research, and treatment of vascular disease, we take this moment to express our profound gratitude, appreciation, and respect to our predecessors, Drs Jack Cronenwett and Jim Seeger, for their inspired, tireless, and wise leadership of the Journal over the past six-years. We both have known Jack and Jim for many years as professional colleagues and on a personal level, and have each worked with them during their tenure at the Journal as Associate Editors; we feel particularly privileged to offer our congratulations and heartfelt thanks to them for a job very well done.James M. Seeger, MDView Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT) The inaugural issue of the Journal of Vascular Surgery was published in January, 1984. In its initial editorial, our founding Editors, Drs Michael DeBakey, Emerick Szilagyi, and Jesse Thompson stated that the explicit objective of the Journal of Vascular Surgery was “to provide a comprehensive forum for communicating and advancing knowledge about the vascular system, with particular emphasis on vascular surgery” (J Vasc Surg 1984;1:1-2). As we celebrate the silver anniversary of the Journal, it is clear that the vision and leadership of our founding Editors set the foundation for the great success that the Journal has experienced over the years. That foundation has been nurtured and sustained by its subsequent Editorial leadership teams, including Calvin Ernst and James Stanley, and K. Wayne Johnston and Robert Rutherford. The “unprecedented advances” alluded to by DeBakey, et al, in 1984 pale in comparison to the dramatic changes ongoing in the diagnosis, treatment, and research in vascular disease in the contemporary health care environment. We are seeing the emergence of novel therapeutic technologies and refinements of current therapies, new clinical paradigms, and the generation of new information, at a rate not seen before in our history. It is clear to us that Jack Cronenwett and Jim Seeger have been the perfect team to lead the Journal during this era. The results of their remarkable stewardship speak for themselves. Today, the Journal of Vascular Surgery is recognized as the pre-eminent and most widely respected vascular and endovascular surgical journal in the world. The Journal far surpasses, in subscriptions, manuscript submissions, and Impact Factor all other vascular and endovascular surgical journals. The number of submitted manuscripts has increased dramatically in recent years. In 2008, the Editorial team reviewed roughly 1,400 submissions, about half from outside of North America, making the Journal a truly international scientific publication. Total print subscriptions are more than double the number of the nearest comparable journal. In addition, the Journal has experienced a steady increase in online subscriptions. Along with the increase in submitted original manuscripts, the quality of the Journal has steadily improved. The current Impact Factor of the Journal of Vascular Surgery, a measure of how frequently published articles in the Journal are cited in other publications in the subsequent two-years, is 3.173, which reflects a significant increase from 1.81 in 1990 and 2.35 in 1995, and surpasses the Impact Factor of all other vascular surgical and endovascular surgical peer-reviewed journals. However, this level of success does not happen without clear vision, constant attention to detail, and vigilance. As others have pointed out, “entities that enjoy enduring success have core values and a core purpose that remain fixed while their business strategies and tactics endlessly adapt to a changing world” (Collins and Porras, Harvard Business Review, 1996). Jack Cronenwett and Jim Seeger have never been satisfied with the status quo, but rather have worked tirelessly over the last six-years to continue to refine and make the incremental changes to improve the overall product and enhance its value for the readership, while remaining true to its core values. They guided the transition to Editorial Manager, the web-based system of manuscript submission and manuscript review, which has increased the convenience of manuscript submission for our authors and dramatically reduced article turnaround time. Early Web-publication of clinical, basic science, and case report manuscripts was instituted. Online CME exams are provided for readers, and can provide up to 24 Category 1 credits per year. They instituted online specialty article collections. Each month key articles are identified based upon Reviewer input and are listed on the cover. A monthly Vascular Image was placed on the cover as a brief case report. Commentaries, written by members of the Editorial Board or other experts in the field have been placed at the end of articles to enhance their value, and a brief summary of the clinical relevance of each basic science paper has accompanied each of these manuscripts. It was Jack and Jim who instituted publication of selected abstracts from the literature and publication of abstracts from the European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. They introduced a new section, Clinical Updates. Their Editorship has been characterized by a spirit of inclusiveness. They have gone to great lengths to identify and include new reviewers, typically younger vascular specialists in the early years of their careers, and have expanded the Editorial Board, and they have especially worked to include younger individuals, and also broaden international representation. What is perhaps even more important, in our view, is the unparalleled level of professionalism by which they have carried out their responsibilities. They have been open-minded, seeking out the opinions of their Associate Editors, and others, and carried out their responsibilities with an uncompromising level of ethics and integrity in dealing with authors as well as with their editorial team, reviewers, and staff. Jack and Jim, it is with a profound sense of humility and enthusiasm that we accept the reigns of this incredible Journal from you. You have been our colleagues, mentors, and remain our valued friends. You have set the bar high, indeed. We wish you Godspeed in your future endeavors, and thank you for all you have done for the Journal and our specialty.