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Changing of the guard
ELWORIA L
Changing of the guard
As the newly elected Editor of the Oral Pathology section of this JOURNAL, I feel that I have a responsibility to communicate my philosophy of how the Editorial Board and I will attempt to direct our area in the next few years. First I recognize the tremendous diversity of interests that are represented within the relatively small group of oral pathologists. Many oral pathologists alre involved with clinical diagnosis and management of oral disease,and these persons’ interests overlap with a group who are concerned primarily with the histopathologic diagnosis of disease.The diagnostic arena has become the testing ground for many of the special techniques in immunohistochemistry and molecular biology that have been developed and perfected in the laboratories of those oral pathologists who are primarily engagedin research. In some instances the research findings generated by their laboratories may not have direct application to diagnostic methods or patient care, but the data enhance our understanding of diseasefrom a histogenetic and pathogenetic standpoint. I also recognize that the majority of our readers are not oral pathologists, but many of them have a very real interest in oral pathology as it impacts their clinical practices. These persons, for the most part, are probably not igoing to become engrossedin an article discussing the immunohistochemistry and molecular pathology of some rare condition. They are looking for information that they can apply to their daily management of patients. The Editorial Board and I will take this into account when selecting manuscripts that represent what we feel will be an appropriate balance among clinical, histopathologic, and basic research topics. Obviously the interests encompassedby the specialty of oral and maxillofacial pathology are diverse, and sometimes there is a risk involved in trying to be all things to all people. But we’re going to take that risk. In my opinion, it is not an impossible task for our readership to appreciate the scope of our
specialty. We understand that an explosion of information related to immunology and molecular pathology has occurred during the past several years, and this h[aslead to greater understanding of the histogenesis and pathogenesis of many disease processes.We hope to “de-mystify” someof the more technical areasby providing comprehensive,pertinent reviews of these subjects in future issues of the JOURNAL.
The composition of the Editorial Board reflects the talent and diversity that we enjoy within the oral pathology community. Some Board members have served the JOURNAL in the past, and I shall certainly appreciate their experience and continuity. Other facesare new to the Editorial Board, and I am certain that these colleagues will help maintain the high standards of the JOURNAL. In agreement with Dr. Roy Eversole’s philosophy, we have included several physicians whose interests overlap with oral pathology and whose insights have the potential to provide a unique perspective relative to oral disease. In addition, becausethe field of statistical analysis as it applies to research has becomeso critical, we are enlisting the support of a consultant in this area. ‘Rather than detracting from the mission of the JOURNAL, the diversity of topics that can be covered in the Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology section is a potential strength. We will strive to identify those manuscripts that present significant interesting information; however, to a great extent, the quality of the JOURNAL dependson the people who are actively engaged in clinical, histopathologic, and basic science research sharing their findings with the rest of their colleagues. We look forward to receiving your manuscripts and working with you, with our ultimate goal to make this section of the JOURNAL as interesting, comprehensive, and significant as possible, Carl M. Allen, DDS, MSD Editor, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Section 275
Changing of the guard
As the newly elected Editor of the Oral Pathology section of this JOURNAL, I feel that I have a responsibility to communicate my philosophy of how the Editorial Board and I will attempt to direct our area in the next few years. First I recognize the tremendous diversity of interests that are represented within the relatively small group of oral pathologists. Many oral pathologists alre involved with clinical diagnosis and management of oral disease,and these persons’ interests overlap with a group who are concerned primarily with the histopathologic diagnosis of disease.The diagnostic arena has become the testing ground for many of the special techniques in immunohistochemistry and molecular biology that have been developed and perfected in the laboratories of those oral pathologists who are primarily engagedin research. In some instances the research findings generated by their laboratories may not have direct application to diagnostic methods or patient care, but the data enhance our understanding of diseasefrom a histogenetic and pathogenetic standpoint. I also recognize that the majority of our readers are not oral pathologists, but many of them have a very real interest in oral pathology as it impacts their clinical practices. These persons, for the most part, are probably not igoing to become engrossedin an article discussing the immunohistochemistry and molecular pathology of some rare condition. They are looking for information that they can apply to their daily management of patients. The Editorial Board and I will take this into account when selecting manuscripts that represent what we feel will be an appropriate balance among clinical, histopathologic, and basic research topics. Obviously the interests encompassedby the specialty of oral and maxillofacial pathology are diverse, and sometimes there is a risk involved in trying to be all things to all people. But we’re going to take that risk. In my opinion, it is not an impossible task for our readership to appreciate the scope of our
specialty. We understand that an explosion of information related to immunology and molecular pathology has occurred during the past several years, and this h[aslead to greater understanding of the histogenesis and pathogenesis of many disease processes.We hope to “de-mystify” someof the more technical areasby providing comprehensive,pertinent reviews of these subjects in future issues of the JOURNAL.
The composition of the Editorial Board reflects the talent and diversity that we enjoy within the oral pathology community. Some Board members have served the JOURNAL in the past, and I shall certainly appreciate their experience and continuity. Other facesare new to the Editorial Board, and I am certain that these colleagues will help maintain the high standards of the JOURNAL. In agreement with Dr. Roy Eversole’s philosophy, we have included several physicians whose interests overlap with oral pathology and whose insights have the potential to provide a unique perspective relative to oral disease. In addition, becausethe field of statistical analysis as it applies to research has becomeso critical, we are enlisting the support of a consultant in this area. ‘Rather than detracting from the mission of the JOURNAL, the diversity of topics that can be covered in the Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology section is a potential strength. We will strive to identify those manuscripts that present significant interesting information; however, to a great extent, the quality of the JOURNAL dependson the people who are actively engaged in clinical, histopathologic, and basic science research sharing their findings with the rest of their colleagues. We look forward to receiving your manuscripts and working with you, with our ultimate goal to make this section of the JOURNAL as interesting, comprehensive, and significant as possible, Carl M. Allen, DDS, MSD Editor, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Section 275