Page 7 - Journal of Structural Heart Disease - Volume 1 Issue 1

Preface
Journal of Structural Heart Disease, May 2015, Volume 1, Issue 1: 1-2
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12945/j.jshd.2015.00100-14
Letter from the Editor-in-Chief
Ziyad M. Hijazi, MD
Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Dear Colleagues,
In early 2012, Dr. Steve Korn and I discussed the possibility of establishing a journal dedicated for structural heart disease and when we started the dis- cussions, we became convinced it is the right thing to do. I wanted a partner with great knowledge and expertise in the field. I immediately thought of few people and eventually, we agreed that Dr. John Car- roll would be an ideal fit. Therefore, the three of us have agreed to launch the Journal of Structural heart Disease (JSHD). Before the agreement, we asked what and why is the need for another medical journal? There are several answers to the question of Why?
The Journal of Structural Heart Disease is focused on a specific area of cardiovascular medicine but it is much more. JSHD has been born and it will sub- sequently undergo a metamorphosis driven by evolving technologies as well as the development of a broad-based community of participants. Metamor- phosis of a journal is akin to the biological process of physical transformation and growth as an animal grows and differentiates.
The primary goal of JSHD is to build a community of individuals with an interest in SHD. The journal is an open access, peer reviewed journal. It will appeal to a multidisciplinary group of specialists, including adult interventional cardiologists, pediatric/congen- ital interventional cardiologists, cardiac surgeons (congenital and non-congenital), imaging specialists, cardiovascular anesthesiologists, engineers, nurses and technologists working in structural and congen- ital heart disease. We hope to include patients and patient advocates as essential members of the com-
munity. Individuals who suffer from structural heart diseases and undergo treatments can bring a per- spective that is impossible to replicate by well-mean- ing clinicians.
A community craves interaction among its mem- bers in order to move forward. Passive readership is good for some purposes but interactivity opens doors for learning on multiple levels. PICS-AICS, CSI in Frankfurt, and the Dallas-Leipzig meeting, to name a few, are examples of the value of interactions. The JSHD will try to promote this level of interactivity without the need to travel at a specific time and to a specific place.
Technology advances in terms of comput- er-based graphics, internet-based delivery, links to large databases, and applications that enhance com- munications will be part of the upcoming metamor- phosis of JSHD. This will occur in stages as we learn more in terms of the technology requirements, costs, and feasibility for the members of the community to utilize these technologies.
Despite the fact that JSHD is the official journal of the PICS Foundation, it is not linked to a professional society or a particular country. That model has been important to the growth of our profession but in 2015 our community is multidisciplinary, international, and not country-based. The JSHD will attempt to take this international perspective to the next level.
I would like to acknowledge contributions of many in the planning of the JSHD, to the authors of the first series of articles, and to the reviewers. We also want to thank Sidra Medical & Research Center for the un- limited support to launch this journal. We request
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© 2015 Journal of Structural Heart Disease Published by Science International Corp. ISSN 2326-4004
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