This is already the fourth volume of the Journal of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (JIAMSE). I would like to take this opportunity to update you and focus your attention on the current volume of JIAMSE (Volume 14, Number 1), and call your attention to some of the successes that we have enjoyed over the past two years and provide you with an indication of where I see the journal heading in the future.
This edition of JIAMSE is a landmark in many ways: 1) It represents two full years of publication – consistent in timeliness, format and quality, 2) It has a truly International flavor, with nine different pieces by authors from four different countries, and 3) It has an enormous level of variability in topics, all of which fall under the umbrella of medical education. In this volume our regular Medical Educators Resource Guide is complemented by a host of commentary and research papers from around the globe, including: 1) papers dealing with student issues – classroom management issues for teaching assistants and a manuscript dealing with student’s anxieties associated with the start of clinical training, 2) papers dealing with integration – basic and clinical science integration and a paper discussing scientific and societal integration, and 3) papers dealing with a variety of other topics – virtual lectures, medical ethics, and PBL assessment. The current issue is ample evidence that authors are increasingly looking to JIAMSE to publish and distribute a wide range of medical education pieces that cover all aspects of medical education – and our readers are the beneficiaries!
This issue is the latest in a string of accomplishments for JIAMSE over the past two years. Not only have all of our publication deadlines been met, but we have also successfully overhauled the web component of the journal. Further, our Manuscript Reviewer Database now has 53 members – up from just six members two years ago, we now have our journal listed and cited on numerous professional websites and search portals, have our French and Spanish translation teams continuing their outstanding efforts, and we have an ever-increasing number of papers being solicited to the journal. The steady upturn in manuscripts solicited to the journal is due not only in large part to the efforts of our Editorial Board and outstanding crew of Associate Editors, but also because JIAMSE is gaining respectability and stability in the eyes of potential authors.
We are currently in the process of expanding the Editorial Board in order to add more educational and clinical expertise – as well as to assist with the increase in papers. In addition, we are in the process of going back through the previous volumes of JIAMSE that have already been published in order to verify consistency in format over the years. It is my goal to put JIAMSE up for indexing in Index Medicus as soon as these tasks are complete.
In closing, I hope that you share in my enthusiasm for JIAMSE. It is my desire and commitment to you to continue JIAMSE on the path towards greater success and prominence. I hope that you experience the same sense of pride that I, the Executive Committee, the Editorial Board, our Reviewers and Authors all feel when they consider our journal.