Greetings from the New Editor-in-Chief of Obesity Research

This issue of Obesity Research marks a change in the editorial stewardship of the journal. Obesity Research has grown and thrived under the direction, first, of George Bray and, most recently, of Xavier Pi-Sunyer. The new look of the cover highlights the journal’s move to Boston. The opportunities and challenges we face are most welcome. During my tenure as Editor-in-Chief, we will strive to maintain the high quality and impact of publications in the areas of social, behavioral, epidemiological, and clinical science. To be more inclusive of new research relevant to obesity, we aim to enhance the quantity and quality of basic research reports. The primary goal of the editorial staff is to make Obesity Research the premier journal for basic, as well as patientoriented, research in obesity and related fields. To that end, we have, for the first time, recruited a stellar group of Associate Editors, each of whom represents a different scientific focus. All of our Associate Editors are members of NAASO and have agreed to contribute work to Obesity Research. Associate Editors are from the greater Boston area and meet monthly to discuss manuscripts and progress toward our goal. We have also named a new Editorial Board, whose members reflect the global reach of obesity and obesity research and who were chosen to complement the expertise of the Associate Editors. In addition to the types of articles currently in our journal, we will be adding some exciting new features: “Viewpoints,” “Debates,” and “Brief Genetic Analyses.” “Viewpoints” are mini-reviews of interesting areas, including public policy issues, from the perspective of experts in those fields. “Debates” allow different authors to present two or more sides of a controversial issue of particular interest to our readers. We encourage the readers of Obesity Research to contribute suggestions of topics and authors for both of these new categories. “Brief Genetic Analyses” are short articles presenting gene association and expression profiling analyses. Because these reports are often based on analysis of large sets of primary data, they will generally include online supplements containing the detailed marker, expression, or other analyses. Availability of the primary data, even if negative, will facilitate comparison and aggregation of data collected in different studies by multiple investigators, with the hope that this will ultimately enhance the utility of each individual data set. We are embarking on this exciting new endeavor at a time when obesity has become a world-wide epidemic, and information on this subject is most needed. We shall strive, with your help, to answer the need for timely and informative research and discussion. We will promote our belief that obesity research should be the next major medical focus of attention in the scientific community under the leadership of NAASO and its journal, Obesity Research. Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts. Address correspondence to Barbara E. Corkey, Ph.D., Obesity Research Center, 650 Albany Street, Room 804, Boston, MA 02118. E-mail: bcorkey@medicine.bu.edu Copyright © 2003 NAASO