A New Editor for Annals of Internal Medicine—2001

Since its founding 74 years ago, originally as the Journal of the American College of Physicians, Annals of Internal Medicine has risen to a lofty position. Worldwide, it is the top internal medicine journal and is ranked fourth in citation frequency among all general medical journals. Members of the American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine (ACP–ASIM) consistently cite Annals as the most important benefit of College membership. Annals is arguably, therefore, the flagship of the College.

The 3 July 2001 issue of Annals will witness a changing of the guard. Frank Davidoff will exit gracefully after 6.5 years as the highly capable, widely respected editor, passing the torch to a new editor, Harold Sox. The transition will be orderly, in contrast to the controversies surrounding the recent highly publicized and politicized departures of other medical journal editors. In spring 2000, Frank announced his intention to retire. The College had enough time to solicit applicants, conduct an exhaustive search, and negotiate carefully with finalists, ultimately naming Hal Sox to the editor's position. Not surprisingly, given the prestige of Annals, the editorship attracted a good number of highly qualified applicants. I believe that the characteristics of the editor's role within the College also contribute to …