This issue of the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics features, by my count, the seventh symposium guest-edited by Susan M. Wolf of the University of Minnesota during my sixteen years as editor of the journal. Over the course of our long and productive partnership, Susan (whom I am now proud to call my friend) has produced issues and articles on subjects as diverse as genetic testing and disability insurance, incidental findings in human subject research, the sharing of genomic research results, a debate on the use of racial and ethnic categories in research, and the challenge of developing oversight approaches to nanobiotechnology. Amazingly, these big questions only hint at Susan's academic interests and areas of research. What, then, makes Susan such an outstanding editor of symposiums for JLME?
The answers can be found, I think, in the pages of this issue's symposium, “The Future of Informed Consent in Research & Translational Medicine: A Century of Law, Ethics & Innovation.” Along with her fellow guest editors Ellen Wright Clayton and Frances Lawrenz, Susan has gathered an impressive team of experts and set them upon their tasks from a variety of different viewpoints and perspectives. The authors themselves, from diverse scholarly backgrounds, bring an impressive range of ideas and expertise to bear on the pernicious and seemingly never-ending challenges of informed consent. The answer to what makes Susan's editorial work so impressive, then, is this: she has no preconceived expectations and does not seek to promote scholarship that matches predetermined conclusions. Instead, she simply finds the best and most important scholars in a particular area, asks them all a hard question, and then lets them get to work. It's a winning formula every time, including in this issue you hold in your hands.
As always, I further encourage you to read our outstanding independent articles and columns. Please also check out ASLME on social media for all of the latest JLME news, including our Facebook page, our Twitter feeds, and our all-new Instagram account, which features photos of your favorite editorial team in action. We hope you join us online, and we hope very much you enjoy this issue.
