A new look

It is with great pleasure that I introduce this issue of Vascular Medicine, the first in the 20th volume of our journal, and present our new cover and logo.

The new cover design modernizes our look while reflecting the diverse composition and shared passions of our readership along with the history of our journal. The cover redesign was undertaken in collaboration between the Cleveland editorial office and SAGE Publications, and our new cover was the clear favorite among three candidates of the membership of the Society for Vascular Medicine.

In addition to its refreshed visage, each element of the cover has significance. The red, blue, and white color scheme not only represents the arterial and venous systems but also pays homage to both our prior cover (for 19 years) and the logo of the Society for Vascular Medicine. The front cover will highlight the most important content to be found in the issue, allowing our subscribers to learn what they have to look forward to reading with a quick glance. We also hope this feature will allow our content to entice newcomers to pick up and read our journal.

In terms of the sidebar images, these too have meaning. The lower-extremity arteriogram represents the growing burden of atherosclerotic disease worldwide and the strong commitment of this journal to publish the very best translational and clinical science related to atherosclerosis and peripheral artery disease. The visceral artery color Doppler image, a favorite from my collection, represents the central role vascular medicine specialists play in the diagnosis of vascular disease, as well as our leadership role in the vascular laboratory community. This image also serves as a call for more high-quality research manuscripts related to vascular imaging and diagnostic testing. The computed tomographic angiogram of a saddle pulmonary embolism represents the serious health threat posed by venous thromboembolism (VTE) and the need to further optimize care for patients who have VTE. In addition, we recognize that the management of patients with VTE and other venous disorders is a ‘bread and butter’ component of most vascular medicine practices. Vascular Medicine will continue to publish state-of-the-art clinical science and the most up-to-date reviews across the full spectrum of venous disease. Finally, an image of multifocal renal fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), also from my collection, tops the sidebar. For those of you who know me, this is not a surprise. This image was chosen not only because of my personal passion for this mysterious disease, but because vascular medicine specialists are so often called upon to help care for patients with ‘the unusual’. But what is unusual for many providers is all in a day’s clinic for most vascular medicine specialists. We thrive on the unusual (as well as the commonplace) and use our toolkit of diagnostic skills, clinical acumen, and knowledge of the latest evidence to provide optimal patient care. Unfortunately, for rare vascular diseases, high-quality evidence is often hard to find. We need more basic, translational, and clinical research on uncommon and rare vascular diseases, and this journal welcomes such manuscripts for peer review.

We continue to strengthen the ties between Vascular Medicine and the Society for Vascular Medicine. In this issue, the past presidents of SVM give their collective insights on its first 25 years of existence. ¹ The leadership of the American Board of Vascular Medicine, an organization founded with the vision and support of SVM, provides an update on the first decade of certification in general and endovascular medicine. ² We continue to work with the Society and SAGE to maximize linkage of electronic content between the journal and the SVM website. One such success has been the dissemination of the Vascular Disease Patient Information Pages, the most recent of which focuses on varicose veins. ³ These Pages are downloadable at no cost from the Vascular Medicine website (www.vmj.sagepub.com) and also via a link on the SVM website (www.vascularmed.org). I congratulate Drs Evans and Ratchford on their first year at the helm of this outstanding section.

You will continue to see this journal evolve over its 20th volume. The focused issue on venous disease is currently in press and will arrive in April. I anticipate that a number of the manuscripts will become classic references in the field, and I look forward to your feedback. Stay tuned for a call for papers for our 2016 focused issue. The Core Curriculum in Vascular Medicine series will launch later this year, covering the central topics in the clinical practice of vascular medicine, and we plan to offer continuing medical education credits for these reviews. Finally, the journal has firmly stepped into the digital era with the appointment of our first Social Media Editor, Dr Anne Albers. We are working to disseminate the findings of our papers as broadly as possible. To help us do this, please follow our journal on Twitter (@VMJ_SVM) and re-tweet our posts.

There is much in the works as we continue to make Vascular Medicine a premier, high-impact journal in the peripheral vascular disease arena. As we continue to enhance and modernize our journal and work to disseminate our content, I call upon you – our readership, contributors, and supporters. Download the Vascular Disease Patient Information Pages and use them regularly in your practice. Cite our papers in your writing and mention our articles in your talks. Continue to submit your high-quality research and review articles to us and email the editorial office to discuss a concept you may have ([e-mail]). Make Vascular Medicine the first journal to which you submit your work for peer review. As we have given the journal a new look, I ask each of you to now give the journal a relook. I think you will be excited by what you see.