A season of changes

Article Outline

• Copyright

With its move to the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health is poised to build and expand on its vital contributions to the science and policy of women’s health and health care. For many years, the Institute has served as one of the nation’s leaders in working to improve health care for women through research, dialogue, and information dissemination. Its mission is to identify and study issues in women’s health that lie at the intersection of medical care and social systems. It fosters this mission through informed dialogue aimed at promoting problem resolution, increasing awareness about critical developments in women’s health policy, and the dissemination of information at the regional, national, and international levels. We are proud that the Institute has chosen to make its home at GW, and we look forward to strengthening this mission with the introduction of a strong educational component and a new dedication to the advancement of women’s health policy as a field of study.

One of the Institute’s most far-reaching achievements is Women’s Health Issues, a highly regarded peer-reviewed publication that is known for its in-depth exploration of the broad range of issues in women’s health. For the past 4 years, Dr. Carol Weisman, Professor of Health Evaluation Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn State University, and one of the nation’s finest researchers in women’s health policy, has served as editor of WHI. She has been joined in this endeavor by associate editor Dr. Chloe Bird, a similarly gifted researcher from the RAND Corporation, and associate editor Warren H. Pearse, MD, a noted OB/GYN and one of the Institute’s founders. We are also grateful for the efforts of our marvelous Editorial Board members: Roger T. Anderson, PhD; Karen Freund, MD, MPH; James M. Roberts, MD; Carolyn M. Sampselle, PhD, RNC, FAAN; and Sarah Hudson Scholle, DrPH. In the coming months, we will add an increased emphasis on publishing policy-oriented research articles and commentaries related to women’s health in WHI. We believe this expansion will enhance WHI’s already excellent reputation in the field.

As with all good things in life, Carol’s tenure now comes to an end; however, she has (wonderfully!) agreed to remain as an associate editor. Dr. Anne Markus, Associate Professor of Policy in GW’s Department of Health Policy, takes the helm as editor, joined by D. Richard Mauery of the Department, who serves as managing editor. Anne brings years of experience and talent through her research and policy expertise, and Rick brings not only his seasoning as a researcher and policy analyst, but also his project management skills. The Editorial Board will continue its invaluable guidance, joined by Kevin D. Frick, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Alison Snow Jones, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Sciences & Health Policy, Division of Public Health Sciences, at Wake Forest School of Medicine; and Amal J. Khoury, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor of Health Services Research, Management and Policy at the University of Florida. We are grateful that Drs. Frick, Jones, and Khoury have agreed to serve on the Editorial Board to share their expertise with us.

We are also pleased to continue working with Elsevier, Inc., as publisher of WHI. Their efforts contribute enormously to the success of WHI, and help to ensure that we produce a timely, relevant, and high-quality issue every 2 months.

The faculty and staff of GW are enormously proud of our programs, but none brings us more satisfaction than the Jacobs Institute. We hope to continue and reinforce its tradition of high quality and policy relevance.