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J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2007;134:1391-1392
© 2007 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery

Editorial

Andrew S. Wechsler, MD, Editor, The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, January 2000–December 2007

^a Department of Surgery, University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville, Va
^b Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif.

^_* Address for reprints: D. Craig Miller, MD, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Falk CV Research Center, Stanford University Medical School, Stanford, CA 94305. (Email: dcm{at}stanford.edu).

On January 1, 2008, Andy Wechsler will have completed eight years as editor of The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. The leadership of The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) feels compelled to commend and thank publicly Dr. Wechsler for the superlative stewardship and job he has accomplished.

Academically, the Journal earned the highest impact factor in its history in 2005 (3.727) and 2006 (3.56). Andy replaced commentaries located at the end of articles with solicited editorials with author bylines and encouraged the editorialists to discuss study results in the larger context of evidence-based issues and patient care. He appointed an Ethics Editor and an Ethics Panel to deal with conflict of interest and developed an industry-standard conflict of interest management system. It is most difficult to censure colleagues and fellow surgeons, but Andy established a rigorous high standard for academic integrity that we are proud of. He added the Evolving Technology section to spotlight new and novel technologically based treatments and procedures and "Statistics for the Rest of Us" to help cardiothoracic surgeons comprehend, use, and interpret modern biostatistics, which is so important for clinical research. He initiated in November 2001 on-line publication of videos to accompany articles and encouraged the use of on-line-only Brief Communications and article-specific on-line E-appendices where detailed methods, figures, and tables could be presented fully.

One cannot talk about these and other accomplishments of the Journal without also giving ample credit to Pamela Fried, Managing Editor of JTCVS since 1999, who brought true publishing professionalism to the production of a highly technical surgical scientific journal. Ms. Fried exercised excellent editorial and management skills that played an important part in the success of the Journal during Dr. Wechsler’s tenure as editor. Andy and Pam brought the Journal into the 21st century by introducing electronic submission of manuscripts and reviews using Editorial Manager, which easily handled the progressively increasing number of submissions (now processing over 1,500 annual submissions, a 70% increase) and led to faster turnaround times for authors and reviewers. The new system also saved a lot of trees and Federal Express charges! The editorial staff redesigned the cover and interior of the Journal to improve its image and readability. Ms. Fried recruited and trained a professional staff, who also provided editorial management support for two quarterly AATS publications (Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and Operative Techniques in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery: A Comparative Atlas). Pam collaborated with the managing editors of the other cardiothoracic journals and with HighWire Press (Stanford University Libraries) in the development of monthly on-line CME offerings based on JTCVS papers. She also enhanced our collaboration with CTSNet to assure the broadest possible access to AATS journal content. Associate Editors, members of the Advisory Editorial Board (AEB), and authors from around the world benefited enormously from her professional and positive approach. She earned their respect and admiration as well as that of the entire AATS leadership and staff. Pamela Fried has indeed left huge shoes for her successor to fill.

Andy Wechsler and Pamela Fried appreciating Editorial Manager, the online manuscript/review submission system that revolutionized editorial office procedures.

Dr. Wechsler fostered a feeling of inclusiveness; he recognized the important roles played by the Associate Editors, AEB members, reviewers, and authors in the Journal’s success. On-going public recognition took the form of listing the editors and AEB members on the Journal cover, the annual pictorial roster of the editors and AEB members published in the Journal, the hundreds of excellent reviewer letters delivered over the years, and the annual December list of the now 21 distinguished reviewers who provided 5 or more exceptional reviews since 1 July 2000. The seemingly never-ending travail of the volunteer reviewers was made more meaningful by Andy’s gracious, and often humorous, notes of appreciation.

Andy has enhanced the overall level of professionalism surrounding the Journal and set a level of customer service commensurate with the JTCVS’s stature in the field. The positive impact of this approach has resulted in smooth working relationships between the editorial office, editors, reviewers, and authors. In acknowledgment of his superlative contributions, the AATS Council recently appointed Andy to a new position, that of JTCVS Editor Emeritus.

Dr. Wechsler has been the ideal JTCVS editor. He is a superb clinician, a widely respected and thoughtful scholarly investigator, a renowned teacher, and an internationally recognized leader in cardiothoracic surgery. We have borrowed him long enough and recognize it is about time that Donna gets her husband back: She deserves to see more of Andy than just his back when he is hunched over the computer for endless hours every night. We also have been fearful of violating the personal work hour regulations in the Wechsler household, given Andy’s dedication to the Journal during his time as editor. Andy, we thank you for what you have done for the AATS and for the field of cardiothoracic surgery; the AATS could not have made a better choice in 1999 when you were nominated to become seventh editor of the JTCVS, following in the footsteps of Evarts Graham (1931–1957), Emile Holman (1957–1962), Brian Blades (1962–1977), Dwight McGoon (1977–1987), John Kirklin (1987–1994), and John Waldhausen (1994–1999). You have raised the bar for excellence, veracity, and integrity even higher than these illustrious giants in our field who preceded you could possibly have envisioned. The AATS will be forever grateful for your selfless dedication to The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): Irving L. Kron D. Craig Miller Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kron, I. L. Articles by Miller, D. C. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Kron, I. L. Articles by Miller, D. C.