Introduction to the inaugural issue of Annals of Palliative Medicine
Editorial

Introduction to the inaugural issue of Annals of Palliative Medicine

Howard S. Smith1, Zhi-Hua Zhu2,3

1Department of Anesthesiology, Albany Medical College, New York, USA; 2State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, China; 3Department of Thoracic Oncology, Cancer Center of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510060, China

Corresponding to: Howard S. Smith, MD. Professor & Academic Director of Pain Management, Department of Anesthesiology, Albany Medical College, 47 New Scotland Avenue, MC-131 Albany, New York 12208, USA. Tel: 518-262-4461; Fax: 518-262-4462. Email: smithh@mail.amc.edu; Zhi-Hua Zhu, MD, PhD. State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China; Department of Thoracic Oncology, Cancer Center of Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 651, East Dongfeng Rd, Guangzhou 510060, China. Tel/Fax: +86-20-87343571. Email: zhu-zh@hotmail.com.

Submitted Feb 28, 2012. Accepted for publication Mar 05, 2012.

doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2224-5820.2012.03.01

Although many "palliative medicine journals" currently exist, there remains "room" for a quality international journal; especially one with a translational focus. We are especially excited that this new journal is being published in China where palliative medicine is blossoming and world-wide leaders of "translational palliative medicine" exist. The editor-in-chiefs, editorial board members, and publisher take great pleasure in presenting the Annals of Palliative Medicine (APM). The journal features a distinguished editorial board covering multiple disciples contributing to the field of palliative medicine. The journal will be an international, peer-reviewed publication with a focus on: Cutting edge solutions to challenging palliative medicine problems, the basic science of palliative medicine and its translation to the patient's bedside surgical approaches to palliation of distressing advanced clinical issues, as well as potential future targets for novel agents geared to control/alleviate distressing symptoms. APM will also highlight current practical palliative medicine clinical care in efforts to lead to optimal patient outcomes. Specific areas of interest include, but not limited to, multimodality therapy, biomarkers, imaging, biology, pathology, and technical advances related to palliative medicine.

The entire submission and review process of APM is managed online with Open Journal System (OJS) developed by Public Knowledge Project. This would greatly expedite the process from submission to editorial decision for an individual manuscript, and hence a rapid turnaround of publication. The open-access policy of APM will allow all readers from the medical science community to utilize all material published in this journal freely without obstacle. But importantly, all these benefits would by no means compromise quality of published studies in APM which are constantly subject to formal peer-review and are expected to meet the most rigorous standards of academic excellence.

We are very thankful to all who supported the creation and maintenance of APM including clinicians, scientists, authors, editorial board members, staff, and publisher. It is our sincere hope that this journal will function as a forum for clinicians and basic scientists to share information, communicate, and collaborate in search of solutions to significant clinical issues as well as be an exciting addition to the existing palliative medicine literature.

We believe that this journal will facilitate translation of outstanding basic science and clinical research, serve as a valuable resource for health care providers, and help to shape future basic science and clinical directions in the field of palliative medicine.

Footnote

No potential conflict of interest.

Cite this article as: Smith HS, Zhu ZH. Introduction to the inaugural issue of Annals of Palliative Medicine. Ann Palliat Med 2012;1(1):1. doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2224-5820.2012.03.01

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