Farewell Fintan
Authors: Inder M. Verma
Journal: Molecular Therapy (2002)

With this edition of Molecular Therapy, Fintan Steele, the founding editor of Molecular Therapy, will relinquish his position to move on to other ventures. It was the summer of 1999 when I first met Fintan Steele on a rainy day in the lobby of a hotel in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where I had gone to attend a meeting. Betsy Nabel, one of the associate editors of Molecular Therapy, had recommended Fintan from her past association with him during his tenure as an editor for the Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI). I took an instant liking to Fintan, with his relaxed manners, disarming smile, and inside knowledge of publishing medical journals. Fintan was not discouraged, just incredulous, when I told him that the American Society of Gene Therapy (ASGT) expected the first issue of the journal to be published by January 1, 2000. Following meetings with Savio Woo, then President of ASGT, Jim Wilson (past President of ASGT), other officials of the society, and the management of Academic Press, Fintan Steele became editor of Molecular Therapy in September of 1999. True to his promise, despite heavy odds, the first issue of Molecular Therapy was printed in January 2000, and since then, there have been regular monthly publications. As an editor, Fintan received papers for review, carried out the review process, and made editorial judgments of accepting or rejecting manuscripts. Fintan relied on many members of the editorial board for advice, but made the final decision himself. Because of Fintan's good grasp of the subject, innate good taste for good science, and fairness, as editor-in-chief I had not one complaint during this time. During Fintan's stewardship, the number of manuscripts submitted has steadily increased and Molecular Therapy has become the premier journal in gene therapy. Fintan has also introduced many innovative additions to the journal, like the history of gene therapy, reviews, commentaries, book reviews, and meeting reports. More recently, Fintan had begun to commission articles from science writers to spruce up the front end of the journal. Fintan frequently attended gene therapy-related meetings and built contacts with both young and established practitioners in the field. As the editor-in-chief of the journal, I had full and complete trust in Fintan's judgment. I never interfered with the journal's operation and Fintan zealously guarded his independence. Having an independent editor for a society journal was a new experience, one that has worked extremely well for ASGT. Inevitably, this led to some unique adjustments between the journal's publishers, initially Academic Press and more recently Elsevier Science, and the editor, who is formally the employee of the publishing company but also reports to the editor-in-chief and the editorial board. Fintan made this arrangement work because of his dedication to the success of the journal and his ability to influence the publishers with innovative ideas. Molecular Therapy is in the process of finding Fintan's replacement. The bar for appointing the next editor is high, because Fintan has established very high standards. He has also made it easy for his successor by leaving behind a well-run and well-respected journal. The ASGT, the publishers, the editorial board, and the editor-in-chief of Molecular Therapy will remain deeply indebted to Fintan Steele and wish him all the best for his future endeavors.