The Hematologist Welcomes Its Sixth Editor-in-Chief

Do you remember the feeling of excitement as a kid when you thrust your hand through to the sugar-dusted bottom of your favorite cereal to claim an unknown prize that might capture your attention for a few days? As a trainee and junior faculty, I experienced a quiet anticipation when I tore open the white envelope emblazoned with the ASH logo containing the latest issue of The Hematologist. Its 16-pages reflect an eclectic mix of hematology knowledge, profiles of giants in our field, initiatives of the Society, and distilled explanations of the latest groundbreaking discoveries in the lab and clinic. Having had the privilege of serving as Editor-in-Chief the past three years, my guiding principle for The Hematologist has been to continue to educate and inspire, while taking readers on some form of a portable feast in the midst of an increasingly distracting 24-hour news cycle. So, if we were to catch you smiling, or whispering “cool” under your breath after reading one of our features, we would take this adult-constrained zeal as one measure of success. Political machinations regarding the healthcare debate or attempts to gut NIH funding should not make us inured of the childlike joy when reading about a wondrous discovery that may transform the lives of our patients.

For the last three years, The Hematologist has morphed into a multifaceted content provider. While continuing to deliver features vis-à-vis the bimonthly print publication, we are now producing monthly podcasts (now more than 20 available), and a Conversations with Innovators video series. A re-designed, dedicated website for The Hematologist within the ASH portal allows easier navigation of content. We have also produced a downloadable digital compendium of Ask the Hematologist articles which, like the popular How I Treat articles, offer the shared clinical wisdom of physicians regarding a broad spectrum of malignant and non-malignant hematology cases. We are also excited about the development of a dedicated app for The Hematologist, which will soon provide a mobile platform for viewing and sharing the publication’s diverse content.

In addition to core features such as Diffusion, Ask the Hematologist, Mini-Reviews, Clinical Trials Corner, and Headlines from Washington, we have been dedicated to refreshing the publication’s content. The January/February issue has been transformed into a review of the Year’s Best in Hematology, which also includes a readers’ survey of the prior year’s most compelling breakthroughs. Hematopathology has gained a footprint on these pages — from the Ask the Hematopathologist contributions to the Image Challenge. In addition to profiling legends in hematology, we have initiated a Program Genealogies feature to provide a look back at the historical roots of a program that is revered for its contributions to a specific disease niche within hematology. Our intent has been to uncover the specific characteristics of a program, faculty, or institution that define its unique culture or mode of thinking, and that beget its progress. We have also prioritized the development of articles by current or recent trainees of fellowship programs, with an eye on providing practical advice on professional development. The latest example in this issue is a Q&A with Drs. Benjamin Kim and Mark Chao who discuss their transition from academia to industry.

The operative tag in all that The Hematologist produces is we. Each year, I have had the fortune of working with a stellar group of twelve Contributing Editors whose passion for hematology infuses their writing as well as the podcasts they have led. They have taken much care in identifying poignant primary articles and deconstructing the primary take-home points for readers. Numerous national and international authors have contributed features for the publication, allowing us to broaden ASH’s appeal to both U.S. members and colleagues on the global stage.

I also wish to express my gratitude for the support provided by the ASH staff, Dr. Joe Mikhael, Chair of the Committee on Communications, and Dr. Mikkael Sekeres, Editor-in-Chief of our sister publication, ASH Clinical News. During the last three years, Drs. David Williams, Charles Abrams, and Kenneth Anderson have advocated for The Hematologist while using the President’s Column to relay key initiatives and positions on behalf of the Society.

It is with this village of support that I welcome Dr. Laura Michaelis as the sixth (and first female) Editor-in-Chief of The Hematologist starting in January 2018. Laura is Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Vice Chair in the Department of Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She has clinical expertise in myeloid malignancies, with a particular interest in myeloproliferative neoplasms, and acute myeloid leukemia in older individuals. She has served in several capacities on behalf of ASH, including the Committee on Government Affairs, the Committee on Communications, and more recently, as Editor of ASH News Daily for the 2015 ASH Annual Meeting, Laura brings a unique background to her new position. Her professional career started as a newspaper and magazine reporter for media outlets including the Chicago City News Bureau, the Los Angeles Times, and Congressional Quarterly. I suspect she’ll be able to immediately flex her muscle memory to bring the honed skills of writer and reporter, and the vision of both a physician-scientist and editor to the pages of The Hematologist. As I pass the baton to Laura, I look forward to returning as a reader-fan and running my fingers along the bottom of a new cereal box.