Abstract
At a recent cocktail function following a meeting in Canberra, I heard a perfectly articulated Punjabi phrase beginning with the words “Sardar ji…” and naturally this prompted me to turn and look around to see who had addressed me so eloquently. Upon doing so, I was astonished as I came face to face with a beaming Scott Henderson, who then went on to authoritatively expound upon other phrases and words he had assimilated in his travels in Asia. It was a fitting oratory flourish, as the occasion celebrated the launch of a new journal, Translational Psychiatry. Edited by Julio Licinio, one of the advisers to the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry (ANZJP), the journal aims to bridge the so called ‘valley of death’ that is deemed to separate basic science and clinical care. However, some things are more difficult to reincarnate than others.
In Punjabi the word Joon means life, or more specifically birth, but can also be used to describe one's existence. As more earthquakes occur in Japan in the wake of the earthquakes in Christchurch it is hard not to be overwhelmed by existential issues and be consumed by questions concerning the meaning of life, and why things happen, the way that they do. The only ‘thing’ that appears to be unaffected by such climatic upheaval is time, which races on regardless. Already June is upon us and soon we will be in the latter half of 2011. Before long, we will be planning summer holidays and celebrating the dawn of a New Year. Indeed, from my perspective, only a microsecond has lapsed since I took the reigns of this Journal. In this moment of time the ANZJP has undergone a shake up of its own, albeit a gentle one so far. Hopefully, the changes are visible and seen to be beneficial even though their impact will only be fully realized in months and years to come.
One of the key ongoing changes in recent months has been the restructuring of the Journal with the creation of new positions and the progressive rotation of those that contribute to the Journal. In this regard it is my pleasure to introduce a new Associate Editor namely, Cherrie Galletly, who is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Adelaide. She replaces Alison Young in this role who having contributed to the journal as an Associate Editor for a number of years, has decided to step down from this role but will continue to serve the ANZJP on the International Advisory Board (IAB). I therefore take this opportunity to thank her for her commitment to the Journal, and welcome her to the IAB.
Beginning in July, the new Associate Editor along with the remaining posse will also be providing a monthly prelude to the Journal in the form of a short editorial that will be called “ANZJP This Month”. Within this, the themes of the issue, or of a particular article, or a topic of interest will be outlined and detailed by that month's Associate Editor. The purpose will be to highlight articles and draw the attention of readers to clinical and research matters. Alas, there is a growing need for such guidance because of the exponential growth in psychiatric publications and a seemingly ever-diminishing amount of time available for its interpretation.