As we head into a new year at JUCM, our tenth, it is a natural time to reflect on our journal’s history and our goals for the future. Just being able to celebrate a 10th anniversary is nothing short of a miracle. Medical publishing has been in transition for some time, and the number of traditional journals is decreasing. Information, even complex clinical information, is now available with the click of a button.
Considering the dearth of traditional pharmaceutical advertising dollars flowing into the urgent care space, it is a small wonder that we have managed to produce a high-quality journal month after month for this long. That we have done so is a strong testament to our publisher and editors, our monthly columnists and advertisers, and, of course, our readers and authors, who make JUCM a meaningful forum for the urgent care provider, manager, owner, and operator.
It all started in a conference room at O’Hare International Airport. With Dr. David Stern and me representing the Urgent Care Association of America, and Stu Williams and Pete Murphy of the Braveheart Group, the seeds were planted for JUCM. Medical publishing veterans Stu and Pete were looking to reach the fledging specialty of urgent care with a high-quality, peer reviewed journal, and David and I were looking to do the same. During that meeting, we all made an immediate connection. Together, we had enough chutzpah to try our crazy plan.
We were very much like a start-up company, working long hours, shamelessly promoting the journal and relentlessly soliciting contributions from our readers and advertisers. Today there are over 100 issues of JUCM in print. But like all start-ups, we have come to a point where the original formula must be rejuvenated, nipped here and tucked there for a prosperous future. Over the last year, Braveheart and its editorial leaders created a vision for the next 10 years: delivering more content, with more relevance and with greater value, to our readers and to the urgent care community.
With this vision in mind, we welcomed two new associate editors, one clinical and the other practice management. We feel truly privileged to have engaged with Dr. Michael Weinstock and Alan Ayers, respectively, in those capacities. Though neither is an unfamiliar face, their new level of commitment allows for a significant expansion of JUCM content. This team is responsible for building a sustainable pipeline of meaningful contributions, adding more content segments like original research, compliance, and finance; for providing editorial oversight to ensure an indispensable and bias-free journal; and for expanding the value of content through offerings like continuing medical education credit for every article we publish.
To support this growth, JUCM enlisted a new managing editor, Katharine O’Moore-Klopf, winner of the 2013 Robinson Prize from the American Copy Editors Society and a board- certified editor in the life sciences, who recently edited the Textbook of Urgent Care Medicine. I would be remiss not to mention our long-time art director, Tom DePrenda, who gives JUCM its best-in-class look and has won national awards for his covers and designs for our journal. Finally, to create more innovative and meaningful offerings online, we welcome Brandon Napolitano, our longtime web developer, to an expanded role in our digital initiatives.
We have been very fortunate to represent our passionate urgent care community, and to tell our story in a way that resonates. But this is a transformative time for urgent care, and the seas will be rough. You have our pledge to continue serving as a trusted leader for the discipline and industry as we navigate the next 10 years together.
Lee A. Resnick, MD, FAAFP
Editor-in-Chief, JUCM, The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine
