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EDITORIAL

Breaking New Ground at EPIDEMIOLOGYAllen J. Wilcox

I am pleased to announce 3 new editorships at EPIDEMIOLOGY. Two are specialty editorsonein infectious diseases and the other in genetics. The third is an editor to launch our journalsnew blog site.

Specialty editors are new for us. We recognize that certain topics of epidemiologic

research have not had much prominence in our pages. The editors have identified

infectious diseases and genetics as 2 areas that deserve special attention. We aim to

expand our presence in these areas by bringing in specialty editors, who can attract more

papers in these areas and provide these papers with expert review.

Why these 2 areas? Infectious disease was the pillar of epidemiology before being

sapped of its urgency by vaccines and antibiotics. In recent years, the field has resurged

with the emergence of new infections (HIV, SARS), re-emergence of old ones (TB), and

the discovery of infections that cause other diseases (gastric ulcers, cervical cancer). Evenso, few infectious disease papers are submitted to general epidemiology journals. We aim

to give infectious diseases a stronger position in our journal, with the expectation that

epidemiologists of all specialties will benefit. We are happy to welcome William C. Miller

of the University of North Carolina as our Special Editor for Infectious Diseases. Bill is

a clinician and epidemiologist with a keen interest in methods. His statement of what he

hopes to accomplish follows this editorial.1

Genetics is another topic that has been under-represented in our pages. The advances of

molecular genetics have energized virtually every area of biologic research, including epide-

miology. Epidemiologists have been attracted by the availability of genetic tools and the

methodologic challenges that come with applying them in population studies. We are pleased

that Dani Fallin of Johns Hopkins University has agreed to serve as Special Editor for

Genetics. Dani has been at the vanguard of researchers who are incorporating genetic tools inepidemiologic studies. Her perspective on the future directions of genetic epidemiologyand

the kinds of papers she would like to see published at E PIDEMIOLOGYis provided in an

editorial following this one.2

Finally, our new blog. The fast-evolving tools of the Internet encourage a new style of

academic discussionone that is brisker and more informal. As a way to tap into the

dynamism fostered by such informality, we have invited Jan Vandenbroucke (of Leiden

University) to be our first blog editor. Jan combines a broad perspective with a dash of iconoclasm.

(Alert readers may have noticed that Jans blog started in May www.epidem.com.) In an editorial

that follows, Jan describes his plans for this blog.3

All of these initiatives are part of our ongoing effort to make EPIDEMIOLOGY not just

a repository but a pathway. A research journal is an avenue to new places, with the journey

being half the fun. We look forward to your company along the way.

REFERENCES

1. Miller WC. Infectious disease (in) EPIDEMIOLOGY.Epidemiology. 2010;21:593594.2. Fallin MD. Genetics in Epidemiology.Epidemiology. 2010;21:595596.3. Vandenbroucke JP. Epidemiology watching: An epidemiologic blog.Epidemiology. 2010;21:597.

Copyright 2010 by Lippincott Williams & WilkinsISSN: 1044-3983/10/2105-0592DOI: 10.1097/EDE.0b013e3181e851e6

Epidemiology Volume 21, Number 5, September 2010592 | www.epidem.com

http://www.epidem.com/http://www.epidem.com/