It is, frankly, irritating that Simon’s interests and range are so vast. I have spent the last few months familiarizing myself with the Helfgott canon, and every time I thought I had come up with a new idea for a column, I realized that Simon had already tackled it, with more eloquence than I could muster.
I am pleased to note that you are not completely losing his services. His wife, likely glad to have her husband back, has already guaranteed that he will always be just an email away, and I fully expect to take him up on her generous offer. He does not know it yet, but I am already envisioning an intermittent guest column for Rheuminations, or maybe a point-counterpoint, so you will most likely see his name in these pages again, but only after a well-earned rest.
On behalf of all of us, I am glad to have this opportunity to thank Simon, and his co-editors, Rick Brasington, MD, and Maura Iversen, , BSc, PT, DPT, SD, MPH for their years of service, and for having set the bar so high. When asked about my vision for The Rheumatologist, I have inevitably responded that I mainly hope not to ruin the outstanding publication that they have shepherded.
I hope to continue to expand the scope and reach of The Rheumatologist. Our field has become progressively more exciting, with new observations and discoveries occurring at a breakneck pace. At the same time, unfortunately, rheumatologists have not been the most adept at communicating that excitement, either to each other or to trainees looking for a specialty. I would love for The Rheumatologist to turn into a recruitment tool, and hope to encourage even more articles that highlight why we all chose this field.
Fortunately, I have help. Paul Monach, MD, PhD, is the chief of the rheumatology section of the VA Boston Healthcare System and an associate professor at Boston University School of Medicine. Victoria Ruffing, RN-BC, is the director of patient education and director of nursing at the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center. Both of them are talented writers, investigators and educators, and I expect that you will find their fingerprints all over this publication in the near future.
As for you, dear reader, I counsel patience. Simon left The Rheumatologist after having written 72 Rheuminations columns. I am now at 72-1. I fully expect that there will be some bumps and stumbles as I find my way. That said, I sincerely hope that you will hang on with me, because the one thing I know for certain is that this will be an exciting ride!
