Abstract
‘As an academic physician with a busy obstetrics/gynecology and genetic practice, Women's Health is extremely valuable to me in presenting this wide array of information in a concise and well-written format that allows me to easily incorporate this information into my practice of medicine.’
Anniversaries are occasions that are recognized by those who have been impacted by them. Whether they be happy events such as weddings, birthdays or graduations, or unhappy events such as weddings, birthdays, graduations or funerals, anniversaries give us an opportunity to pause to consider what has transpired and hopefully to consider the future so as to improve and advance in light of the events of the past. To this end, we recognize, indeed celebrate, the 1-year anniversary of Women's Health, with a nod to the considerable achievements of the brief past and an eye to the future of this publication and to the healthcare of women.
The past decade has witnessed an enormous change in women's healthcare. From the incorporation of the outcomes of the Human Genome Project, to the development of novel surgical devices such as robotic systems, to the delineation of pathological and physiological processes that impact obstetrics and gynecology, our knowledge and understanding of obstetrics and gynecology continues to change at a rapid pace based on these advancements. Acting in parallel with these advancements has been the increasing reliance on evidence-based medicine for the improvement of healthcare worldwide. Although anecdote and consensus are important, clinical care is increasingly being defined by high-quality evidence found in the peer-reviewed literature. Accordingly, practitioners are in need of a concise and comprehensive source of current information to facilitate the incorporation of these new developments and technologies into clinical care so that patients can benefit from these advances. This is the pivotal role of Womens Health; the ability of a journal to facilitate educational communication of new and novel clinical approaches developed from scientific studies and clinical trials to clinicians worldwide is a valuable commodity for the busy practitioner and the translational investigator.
The inaugural issue of Womens Health presented an excellent review of the emerging role of inhibin in the early detection of ovarian cancer, as well as a comprehensive assessment of the role of estrogen in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. In addition, the inaugural issue featured reviews on the role of oral contraceptives in cardiac disease, hyperthyroidism in pregnancy and therapeutic options in women with anorexia nervosa. Subsequent issues have reviewed disparate, but important, topics such as human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines, treatment options for vulvovaginal candidiasis, new therapeutic approaches to urogynecological problems, androgens for the treatment of hypoactive sexual disorder, the potential of proteomics for the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer, treatment of fibromyalgia, maternal–fetal transmission of HIV, an overview of Chinese herbal therapies, and several articles on diagnostic and therapeutic considerations for breast cancer, contraception and the management of pregnancy-related complications. Indeed, the spectrum of articles encompasses cutting-edge science as well as clinical practice. As an academic physician with a busy obstetrics/gynecology and genetic practice, Womens Health is extremely valuable to me in presenting this wide array of information in a concise and well-written format that allows me to easily incorporate this information into my practice of medicine.
A unique feature of Womens Health that greatly helps to present new and novel information is the categorization of topics. From Drug Evaluations to Priority Paper Evaluations to Conference Scene reports and the brief but valuable Bulletin Board segments, readers are able to quickly and easily find those subjects that are of the greatest interest and usefulness to them. With the wide range of topics covered in Womens Health, all women's healthcare providers will find information that is thought-provoking and of importance to their practice of medicine.
There is a television commercial in the USA that has an individual state at the end of the message, “I am not just the President of the company, I am also a client.” This statement somewhat pertains to me as well – I am not just on the Editorial Board of Women's Health, I am also a reader. Indeed, an avid reader, for Women's Health allows me to review a wide range of topics penned by an impressive group of well-recognized scientists and physicians from around the world who are at the forefront of these scientific and clinical advancements.
Although each of us face unique economic, social and personal issues that affect the practice of medicine in our communities, we must all access an accurate and comprehensive review of the scientific and clinical advancements that impact the care of our patients and seemingly occur with increasing frequency. In this regard, Women's Health has not only recognized this critical need in the worldwide medical community but has, in a brief period of time, succeeded in presenting a wide spectrum of information to a multinational group of clinicians.
Advances in clinical science will continue to not only increase in frequency but also in complexity in the months and years ahead. A recent survey found that over 22,000 articles concerning menopausal hormone therapy have been published since the initial publication of the findings of the Women's Health Initiative in 2002. We are unable to read even a small percentage of these articles; yet, much information that could be of value to our patients is found within this enormous library of literature. We are thus fortunate that Women's Health will be there to bring this progress to us in a concise format.
To succeed in medicine, each of us must become an eternal student – continuously learning new techniques, new technologies and new explanations for clinical phenomena. Our classrooms are our offices, our operating theatres and our labor and delivery suites where we put those theories and concepts of medicine that we learned and have relearned into practice. This is the challenge, indeed, the beauty of medicine –taking our collective experience and using it to care for an individual patient presenting with a unique set of symptoms and problems. Women's Health has thus become a valuable textbook for this lifelong learning.
So wherever you are, please raise a glass to commemorate what will likely be the first of many anniversaries for Women's Health and then settle back and go over your most recent copy of the journal. I thank you for your ongoing support of Women's Health and your commitment to providing high-quality healthcare.