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Demystifying Medical Science: We’re Here to Help
editorial
Demystifying Medical Science: We’re Here to Help
T
he Journal of Investigative Dermatology (JID) is proud to offer this collection of Research Techniques Made Simple (RTMS) articles as an educational resource for your dermatology training program. The collection consists of the RTMS articles published each month from October 2012 to September 2013 and is archived on the JID Connector homepage (http://www.nature.com/jid/jid-connector/index. html), searchable by topic, date, and authors. Each article is accompanied by self-assessment questions, and the CD-ROM included with this monograph has PowerPoint presentations summarizing each article, appropriate for use in didactic sessions or for self-study. The RTMS series was launched with the support of a pilot educational grant from the American Academy of Dermatology and is continuing with the generous support of an unrestricted educational grant from Lilly USA, LLC. Its short-term goal is twofold: (i) to help trainees and clinician–educators better understand the featured technique and hence studies that employ it and (ii) to increase the relevance and utility of JID for the broad dermatology community. Long term, we envision the RTMS articles as one means of maintaining, and a key element in enhancing, scientific literacy among dermatologists. Without a strong medical/dermatologic vocabulary, it is not possible to follow the vast clinical literature of our specialty. Equally,
without a sound understanding of widely used laboratory assays and statistical and epidemiologic methodologies, it is not possible to appreciate the advances in diagnosis and treatment that result from their use. The RTMS articles are created by small teams of trainees, content experts, and clinician educators. In this first year, 18 trainees and 11 faculty, representing 22 academic medical centers, have contributed. In the coming year, teams will include trainees and faculty from Europe as well as the United States. We look to you, our readers, to help shape this educational program. Your suggestions for research techniques to feature in future articles will be most welcome. If you volunteer to coauthor one or more articles, we will gladly arrange this for you. Please contact us at [email protected]. Laboratory-based and clinical research efforts are revolutionizing dermatology: elucidating the pathophysiology of previously mysterious diseases, facilitating diagnosis, and expanding therapeutic options. Don’t compromise your appreciation of these advances! As a first and most important step, we invite you to master the language of research, with the RTMS articles as your primer. Barbara A. Gilchrest, MD Editor
Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2013) 133, 1. doi:10.1038/jid.2013.299
© 2013 The Society for Investigative Dermatology
www.jidonline.org
1
Demystifying Medical Science: We’re Here to Help
T
he Journal of Investigative Dermatology (JID) is proud to offer this collection of Research Techniques Made Simple (RTMS) articles as an educational resource for your dermatology training program. The collection consists of the RTMS articles published each month from October 2012 to September 2013 and is archived on the JID Connector homepage (http://www.nature.com/jid/jid-connector/index. html), searchable by topic, date, and authors. Each article is accompanied by self-assessment questions, and the CD-ROM included with this monograph has PowerPoint presentations summarizing each article, appropriate for use in didactic sessions or for self-study. The RTMS series was launched with the support of a pilot educational grant from the American Academy of Dermatology and is continuing with the generous support of an unrestricted educational grant from Lilly USA, LLC. Its short-term goal is twofold: (i) to help trainees and clinician–educators better understand the featured technique and hence studies that employ it and (ii) to increase the relevance and utility of JID for the broad dermatology community. Long term, we envision the RTMS articles as one means of maintaining, and a key element in enhancing, scientific literacy among dermatologists. Without a strong medical/dermatologic vocabulary, it is not possible to follow the vast clinical literature of our specialty. Equally,
without a sound understanding of widely used laboratory assays and statistical and epidemiologic methodologies, it is not possible to appreciate the advances in diagnosis and treatment that result from their use. The RTMS articles are created by small teams of trainees, content experts, and clinician educators. In this first year, 18 trainees and 11 faculty, representing 22 academic medical centers, have contributed. In the coming year, teams will include trainees and faculty from Europe as well as the United States. We look to you, our readers, to help shape this educational program. Your suggestions for research techniques to feature in future articles will be most welcome. If you volunteer to coauthor one or more articles, we will gladly arrange this for you. Please contact us at [email protected]. Laboratory-based and clinical research efforts are revolutionizing dermatology: elucidating the pathophysiology of previously mysterious diseases, facilitating diagnosis, and expanding therapeutic options. Don’t compromise your appreciation of these advances! As a first and most important step, we invite you to master the language of research, with the RTMS articles as your primer. Barbara A. Gilchrest, MD Editor
Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2013) 133, 1. doi:10.1038/jid.2013.299
© 2013 The Society for Investigative Dermatology
www.jidonline.org
1