Secretary's Update - June 2013
Dear Colleagues,
By now you have probably read the special e-mail message from ATA President Bryan Haugen concerning the exciting growth of our publications activities. Beginning in 2014 our excellent and widely circulated summary publication Clinical Thyroidology (CT) will be published by our long-time publisher for Thyroid, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (MAL). Jerry Hershman will continue to oversee CT as editor-in-chief as it becomes a fully indexed medical journal that will be marketed to medical libraries and individuals around the world as part of a package with Thyroid. MAL will be making a press release with the exciting news in the next few days.
Perhaps even more exciting is the decision by the ATA Board of Directors to sponsor a new journal as a third piece of this package with MAL, VideoEndocrinology (VE). The field of video journals is new and growing and VE will represent the first of its kind in Endocrinology. Our publisher, MAL, has already in place the electronic infrastructure for publishing video journals and we expect that VE will be up and running in early 2014.
Why are we doing this? In the Spring of 2012, the ATA board and other leaders participated in a strategic planning retreat. This plan, which was opened for commentary to the membership, is posted on our website. Item 2 of that plan was centered on our publication activities and it charged the leadership to develop strategies and tactics for expanding journals, to optimize use of publishing technology, and to generate increased revenues for the society from publications. We contracted with Morna Conway, a highly experienced and knowledgeable publications advisor, to assist the board and the publications committee, chaired by Tony Hollenberg, with this process. The decision to pursue this expanded relationship with MAL and to publish the new video journal came after almost two years of deliberation and both internal and external examination of opportunities across the scientific publications industry. Vicki Cohn, our Managing Editor with MAL, has been instrumental in putting the package together and supporting our efforts. We believe that this plan will fulfill each of the strategic challenges, including adding substantially to our publications revenue which will help support our educational, research, and administrative needs.
The few video journals that are currently published are largely surgical in nature and we expect that VE will fit that description as well. Topics will largely include thyroid and parathyroid surgery, but also all other components of endocrine surgery -- adrenal, endocrine pancreas and diffuse neuroendocrine system (carcinoid tumors, paraganglioma, etc.). Surgical representation within ATA has grown tremendously over the last few years, such that now more than 140 members of our society describe themselves as surgeons. This group, including the surgical affairs committee, has been very active, publishing numerous statements, opinions, white papers, and reports. Clearly we have the strong expertise and energy within our ranks required to support this journal, including several members who could take on the role of EIC and make VE a success.
However, we also anticipate that VE will be a broader offering than surgery alone, and that it will include opportunities for topics pertaining to Thyroid and Endocrine research and education. Because the field of video journal publishing is new and evolving, our journal's editorial board will have considerable ability to innovate and influence the direction of this medium. We anticipate inclusion video "manuscripts" that highlight procedural topics as well as focused educational pieces that lie outside the boundaries of surgical Thyroidology or Endocrinology.
Within the next few weeks we will issue a call for candidates for the new Editor-in-Chief for VE. Watch for the announcement. An EIC search committee will be charged with leading this effort and we hope to have that individual in place by the annual meeting in October. The EIC will complete the editorial board and along with the publisher complete the design, outline the scope, and begin the process of receiving and reviewing video submissions.
Of importance, both Clinical Thyroidology and VideoEndocrinology will be provided to ATA members without additional fees. CT is an electronic-only journal already and will remain so; VE will be a free electronic subscription for ATA members. Indeed the enhanced revenue that we anticipate from Thyroid/Clinical Thyroidology/VideoEndocrinology package will help to support all our activities and reduce the need for dues increases.
This is an exciting opportunity for our society. You will be seeing and hearing much more about it in the weeks to come.Please submit your recommendations for the Editor-in-Chief for VideoEndocrinology, and encourage those you hold in high esteem to apply for this position.
Announcements of further developments will be made at our annual business meeting in San Juan. We look forward to seeing you in person at the 83rd Annual Meeting of the ATA!
John Morris, MD
Secretary/Chief Operating Officer
