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Editorial

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A Lighthouse in the Storm

The ’90s will be remembered as the decade of dramatic change in health care. During this turbulent era, the demands on health-care providers have been incredible. There have been shifts in reimbursement policies that affect our jobs, technological advances that have dramatically changed the way we work, and shrinking research dollars that affect our practice. On top of this, we are still expected to provide state-of-the-art care, while creating innovative ways to generate enough revenue to pay our salaries.

As a clinician and researcher, I am also trying to stay afloat in these turbulent waters, and appreciate first hand these challenges. As the new editor of Diabetes Spectrum, I have been listening to colleagues’ frustrations. Many Spectrum readers have expressed concern about keeping abreast of the latest diabetes information while trying to keep their heads above water at work. Concerns and questions I have heard include:

I want the latest research, but I don’t have the time to sort through all of the studies.

I no longer have the time to translate, clip, and paste pieces from research journals to give to my patients.

Since my institution no longer provides funds for me to attend meetings, how can I continue networking with diabetes colleagues?

How can I use technological advances to make it easier for me and my patients to get the latest diabetes information?

In swimming with the tide, our new crew of associate editors unanimously agreed to plunge forward and use Diabetes Spectrum as a mechanism to assist diabetes care professionals in this ’90s health-care storm. In agreement with the former editorial team, successfully lead by Dr. Elizabeth Walker, our mission will also be to continue exploring a diabetes topic and provide clinical application from the research findings.

Our first From Research to Practice section followed the traditional format of exploring a particular theme with an introduction, summaries and commentaries, and conclusions. However, our future From Research to Practice sections will have a more flexible format. Upcoming sections may review themes by way of case studies, a comprehensive overview, or a variety of short articles. Each section will also contain a patient education tear-out page, which translates the main research topic for handy distribution to patients.

Diabetes Spectrum also will now facilitate networking opportunities. The new "Networking . . . Across the Spectrum" department will provide a forum for readers to ask questions, share useful information, and offer opinions. Each issue will include a convenient mail-in page for readers to share their questions or thoughts with Spectrum editors and other readers.

The "ADA News" department is another new addition. This section will provide highlights of past and future Association programs and events, as well as advocacy initiatives that are relevant to the professional members’ practice. Existing departments that will continue are "Nutrition FYI," "Clinical Decision Making," and "Lifestyle And Behavior." We will also continue to provide timely reviews of books and other educational materials for diabetes professionals and patients.

Peer-reviewed manuscripts and feature articles will also continue to be important vehicles in bringing current diabetes information to Spectrum readers.

We have also redesigned Diabetes Spectrum to put the full table of contents on the cover for easy reference and to make the presentation of articles inside as clean and accessible as possible.

The associate editors and I are also looking at other services that will help our readers stay afloat. We are exploring ways to bring Diabetes Spectrum to cyberspace.

To help those who have limited access to meetings, we are studying the feasibility of providing continuing education credits through the journal.

I and the new crew of associate editors are eager and ready to meet the challenge of delivering current diabetes research and information to Spectrum readers in our fast-changing health-care environment. Introductions of the new associate editors are in order:

Beth Ann Coonrod is the diabetes clinical specialist at The Medical Center, in Beaver, Pa., where, in addition to her inpatient responsibilities, she coordinates the outpatient diabetes education program. Dr. Coonrod is also an epidemiologist, with experience in clinical research.

Ruth Farkas-Hirsch is a diabetes clinical specialist at the University of Washington Diabetes Care Center in Seattle. Along with her long career in diabetes education and research, Ms. Farkas-Hirsch is a nationally recognized leader in the American Diabetes Association (ADA). She has served as the chair of the Council on Education, a member of the Scientific Sessions Committee, and editor-in-chief of the Clinical Education Series book Intensive Diabetes Management.

Mary T. Korytkowski is the medical director of the Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, in Pittsburgh, Pa., where she is an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology. Dr. Korytkowski came into medicine by way of a nursing career, and also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing. Her research interests include studying the link between abnormal sex hormone metabolism and insulin resistance, and coronary artery disease in women with diabetes.

Davida F. Kruger is a nurse practitioner involved in clinical care, and oversees clinical research in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Mich. Ms. Kruger served as a trial coordinator and chair of the Trial Coor-dinator Committee in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial. She is currently a trial coordinator and investigator for the EDIC (DCCT follow-up) study. Ms. Kruger has been an active leader in the ADA and is presently serving as the Association’s senior vice president.

Karmeen Kulkarni is a dietitian, educator, clinician, and researcher at the Diabetes Health Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her experience includes participating in the team management of adults with diabetes in an outpatient setting, patient education, and clinical research. Ms. Kulkarni was also a member of the steering committee of the ADA and The American Dietetic Association that developed the clinical education program "Maximizing the Role of Nutrition in Diabetes Management."

Christopher M. Ryan is the director of the Medical Neuropsychology Program in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Ryan’s research broadly examines the neuropsychological correlates and consequences of chronic illness and its treatment. Of particular interest to him is the relationship between diabetes-related biomedical variables and cognitive functioning, and how this may change across the lifespan. Finally, I am the coordinator of the diabetes education program at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where I am involved in research and clinical practice. My background is in nursing, and I am completing my doctoral studies in health education. I have been involved with the ADA in numerous leadership positions, including as a member of the Executive Council, and in publications for more than 20 years.

The associate editors and I are very excited to translate research into clinical practice for our colleagues who daily touch the lives of those with diabetes.

As the lighthouse in the storm, our goal is to provide you with easy access to current information that helps you to deliver quality care. I would also like to offer our gratitude and best wishes to editor Elizabeth Walker and associate editors Martha Funnell, Debra Haire-Joshu, Annette La Greca, Timothy Ives, Robert Ratner, and Lesley Fels Tinker, who preceded us in this mission.

Linda M. Siminerio
Editor

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Last updated: 5/15/96
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