As I begin my tenure as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation & Prevention (JCRP), I would be remiss if I did not recognize the efforts of those who came before me: of Mike Pollock and Vic Froelicher, who created and oversaw the Journal in its developmental years; of Barry Franklin and Kathy Berra, in attaining Index Medicus status and expanding the attention of the Journal to the multidisciplined nature of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and the clinicians who provide services; and especially of the 2 most recent coeditors, Gary Balady, MD, and Phil Ades, MD. The contributions of Drs Balady and Ades have further elevated the Journal's status in the eyes of scientists and practitioners throughout the world and facilitated a more than 200% increase in manuscript submissions over the past 6 years. In addition, I would also like to thank the authors, contributors, reviewers, and members of the Editorial Review Board for their efforts in producing the more than 300 articles that have been published in this same period. It is their commitment to the cardiopulmonary rehabilitation profession and the Journal that has allowed JCRP to continue to grow and be recognized as a premier publication.

As you know, JCRP is an Index Medicus journal that is published bimonthly by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins and is the official journal of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation and the Canadian Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation. For the past 26 years, the Journal has been dedicated to research and the practice of cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation, including exercise testing and training and risk factor management. Beginning with the 2007 January-February issue, the name of the Journal has changed to include Prevention, indicating the broader focus of the Journal in emphasizing primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases.

To researchers and clinicians, I strongly encourage you and your colleagues to consider JCRP for submission of original work, especially in the expanded areas of primary prevention and epidemiology, remembering that there are also opportunities for submission of review articles, brief reports, and case studies. I am committed to providing timely reviews, decisions, and publication and to continuing the tremendous work of my predecessors.

I look forward to the opportunity to serve the Journal and the cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and prevention community and hope that you will feel free to contact me with comments and suggestions along the way.

Sincerely,

Mark A. Williams, PhD, FACSM, FAACVPR

Professor of Medicine

Creighton University School of Medicine