In the very first edition of this journal, the founding editor-in-chief, Lucio Parenzan, published an editorial entitled “Quo Vadis?”,Reference Parenzan1 which for those without a classical education can roughly be translated to “Where are we going?”. This edition is my first as editor-in-chief of the journal, and it is instructive for me to look back at the intentions of the founders. They were clearly stated, namely “to provide an international, multidisciplinary approach to cardiovascular concerns affecting the young or appearing in the young.” At the time, I was an associate editor of the only other journal in the discipline, and I remember what a breath of fresh air Cardiology in the Young was, and how old fashioned it made our journal look. Looking back at that first edition, much of what had made the journal so successful, and what is still apparent in the current journal, is clear. A well-produced journal, authoritative articles written by leaders in their field, excellently illustrated, with superb colour figures, providing a balanced mixture of opinion, review, and original scientific articles. Over the years, the journal has developed, but it has stayed true to the vision of its founders.
A key factor in the success of the journal has been the outstanding contribution of one of the founders, and my predecessor as editor-in-chief, Bob Anderson. His retirement from the editorship is a major milestone in the history of the journal. I have been involved with the journal now for many years, and I can bear witness to the enormous contribution made by Bob. The journal would not be what it is without his inspirational leadership. His editorial work for the journal is, of course, only one of his many outstanding contributions to our understanding of cardiac disease in children, and to its medical and surgical management. Readers of the journal and practitioners in the specialty will be grateful to hear that Bob will not be severing his links with the journal, nor I think with the practice of paediatric cardiology. He will be remaining a source of wisdom and support for this journal, and I suspect many others. This journal wishes him an enjoyable and fulfilled retirement.
Readers can be reassured that, as an incoming editor-in-chief, I will not be introducing radical change to what is a winning formula. The journal will remain true to the intentions of the founders, as stated by Lucio Parenzan, and to the leadership of Bob Anderson. The journal will move on, but by evolution, not revolution. We will build on success. We will seek to publish the best scientific articles, and the most informative reviews. We hope to represent all opinions, and to stimulate debate. We will continue to publish supplements from the leading international meetings.
We have a distinguished international and multidisciplinary editorial board, recently refreshed, and I hope that they will see it as their role to support the journal with advice, ideas and contributions. It is, however, more than anything else, the authors that will determine the success of the journal. For them, we will endeavour to provide an efficient and fair editorial process. I hope you will continue to send us your most important scientific articles. We especially want to publish scientific articles that provide critical evidence about best practice in the management of cardiac disease in children.Reference Baker2 I also encourage you to suggest subjects for review, or to contribute expressions of opinion, particularly if you feel a subject area has been neglected, or if you believe that the accepted opinion on a topic is wrong. I should emphasise that we intend the journal to be truly international in its outlook, and we welcome contributions from all parts of the world. We want the journal to be an informative and challenging read. We do not want solely to reflect received wisdom, the spectrum of children’s heart disease in developed countries, or anecdotal evidence for change in practice.
This being our final edition for 2007 provides an opportunity to thank those of you who have supported the journal by providing reviews of submitted articles over the last year. Peer review is essential for the scientific integrity of any journal, and we are very grateful for the unstinting support of all our referees, listed below.
The New Year that will soon begin is an Olympic year, so I have chosen for the title of my first editorial the motto of the modern Olympics. Unlike the first editor-in-chief and in deference to my predecessor,Reference Anderson3 I quoted it in English rather than the Latin original, which as “citius, altius, fortius”, for this is a forward-looking journal. But, to return to the question posed by Lucio Parenzan – where are we going? In truth, I do not know, either with the treatment of cardiac disease in children, or how it will be presented in this journal. Our direction of travel is set, our destination is unclear, but whatever the future brings, we will set our sights high.
