Are We Up to the Challenge?

Abstract

The Annual Scientific Conference of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons will convene in February in Long Beach, California. You may be attending this meeting as a presenter, a moderator, or simply as an interested foot and ankle surgeon seeking to expand your knowledge in foot and ankle surgery. Whatever your reason for attending, you will be in select company. The Annual Scientific Conference is the largest scientific program dedicated to the specialty of foot and ankle surgery, bringing together surgeons from all over the world. In addition to the outstanding program and scientific presentations, the Conference boasts original poster and manuscript abstract presentations that highlight the varied and exciting research being performed in our profession. Advances in surgical technique and wound care along with clinical outcomes from prominent academic institutions will be presented. The best will be recognized for their quality at the Honors and Awards Ceremony. Many will stimulate conversation and spawn new ideas. Some may even stimulate controversy. All, however, will be worthy of your attention. Last year, over 150 posters and manuscript abstracts were presented. This year the number approaches 200. Yet how many of these original scientific presentations will be submitted and published in the Journal of Foot & Ankle Surgery for the entire foot and ankle community to see? How many of you have noticed, as I have, the number of quality papers published in this journal? How many of you have noticed that more of these papers are coming from within our own ranks and programs? This is a trend that needs to be fostered and promoted. As encouraging as this may be, we can do better. Consider this: On average, there are five original scientific research papers in each issue of the journal. This is in addition to the clinical reviews and case reports that also warrant publication. Assume for a moment that all 150 scientific presentations from last year’s meeting were submitted for publication. Even if only 50 had been accepted for publication, that would be enough to fill ten additional issues of JFAS—nearly 2 years’ worth. If half, or 100, of this year’s presentations are accepted for publication, that would be enough for over three years’ worth of journals. Repeat this pattern each year and the College can give serious consideration to expanding the journal from the current six issues to twelve issues per year. I issue a specific challenge to residency directors. Residency training is all about challenges—the challenge of perfecting a surgical technique, the challenge of caring for a complicated patient, the challenge of managing a sometimes unmanageable workload. Challenge your residents to think and act scientifically. Require your residents to formulate a research protocol, to formalize their findings in the form of a publishable paper, and to submit their findings to the Journal of Foot & Ankle Surgery for publication. What better way to challenge your residents than engaging them in a scholarly activity that will add to the scientific base of their specialty? Additionally, what better way to promote to the medical community the quality work and scholarly activity occurring in our programs? The Journal of Foot & Ankle Surgery is a window into our specialty. It is read not only by ACFAS members but by other foot and ankle surgeons in this country and around the world. Your contributions to the journal go a long way to demonstrate the strength of our programs and the equivalency of training with other medical and surgical specialties. I ask you: Are we up to the challenge?