Editorial introductions

Abstract

Current Opinion in Obstetrics and Gynecology was launched in 1989. It is one of a successful series of review journals whose unique format is designed to provide a systematic and critical assessment of the literature as presented in the many primary journals. The field of obstetrics and gynecology is divided into nine sections that are reviewed once a year. Each section is assigned a Section Editor, a leading authority in the area, who identifies the most important topics at that time. Here we are pleased to introduce the Journal's Editor and Section Editors for this issue. EDITOR Jonathan S. BerekJonathan S. BerekDr Berek is the Laurie Kraus Lacob Professor at Stanford, USA, where he is the Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, and the Director of the Stanford Women's Cancer Center at the Stanford Cancer Institute. Dr Berek is well known as a scholar, clinician, researcher and educator in the field. He is highly regarded for his research on the clinical management of gynecologic cancers and translational research related to these malignancies. He has published over 275 research papers, and many contributed articles, book chapters and monographs. He is especially noted for his popular books, Berek & Hacker's Gynecologic Oncology, in its 5th edition, and Berek & Novak's Gynecology, in it's 15th edition. Dr Berek earned his undergraduate degree from Brown, USA, his doctor of medicine degree at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA, completed his residency at Harvard Medical School, the Brigham and Women's Hospital, USA, and his fellowship in gynecologic oncology at the UCLA School of Medicine, USA. For many years, he was a Professor at UCLA, where he was also the Chair of the College of Applied Anatomy. Dr Berek is the Group Chair and Principal Investigator for the Cooperative Ovarian Cancer Group (COGI), which is a member of the Gynecologic Cancer Intergroup (GCIG). He was a Principal Investigator for the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) for two decades. His primary research interest is in the immunology and immunotherapy of ovarian cancer, and through the development of experimental models and clinical trials, his initial studies encouraged the development of innovative biologic therapy strategies. Through collaborative work, his group focuses on the development of vaccines, monoclonal antibodies and targeted therapies for ovarian cancer. Dr Berek has had grant support from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF). He is the recipient of the prestigious Sherman Mellinkoff Award and the Excellence in Education Award by the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and the 2010 John C. Fremont Pathfinder Award. He is regularly listed among America's Best Doctors for Gynecology & Gynecologic Oncology. He is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG), and the Division of Gynecologic Oncology. He is a Fellow in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FACOG), the American College of Surgeons (FACS), and the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (FASCO). Dr Berek has served as an examiner for the American Board Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) and for the Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology (CREOG). Dr Berek is the immediate Past-President of the Council of University Chairs of Obstetrics and Gynecology (CUCOG), and Past President of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS). His many honors include receiving the President's Award from the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO), serving as its Vice President in 1996–1997, and presenting numerous distinguished lectureships. Dr Berek has served on many national committees for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the American College of Surgeons (ACS), the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). He is a member of the Society of Gynecologic Investigation (SGI), and the Society of Pelvic Surgeons (SPS). He is the Editor in Chief of Current Problems in Obstetrics and Gynecology, ASCO Connections, and was a Senior Editor of the International Journal of Gynecologic Cancer. He has served as an Editor of Prolog and Précis for the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and on the editorial boards of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Gynecologic Oncology, and the Journal of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation. SECTION EDITORS Anne O. RodriguezAnne O. RodriguezDr Rodriguez received her medical and undergraduate degrees with honors at Northwestern University, USA, and completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. She then completed her fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital, USA. She served as Associate Professor and fellowship director of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, USA and is now in active clinical practice in gynecologic oncology in Ventura and Santa Barbara, CA, with a special interest in fertility preservation in cancer patients. She is part of the teaching program in General Surgery at the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and is active in multiple research endeavors. She serves on the Core Planning Committee for the California Ovarian Cancer Awareness Program. Gottfried E. KonecnyGottfried E. KonecnyGottfried E. Konecny is Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), USA. He is the lead clinician for gynecologic oncology in the Department of Medicine at UCLA. He obtained his medical degree and completed his residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Munich in Germany. Following his specialist training he focused on clinical breast cancer research and decided to move to the US to pursue postdoctoral studies in the laboratory of Dennis J. Slamon to participate in laboratory and clinical research that led to the approval of new breast cancer drugs such as trastuzumab and lapatinib, which target the specific genetic alteration of HER2 amplification found in about 25 percent of breast cancer patients. He subsequently undertook research and subspecialty training in gynecologic oncology by completing a gynecologic oncology fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota, USA. In 2007 he was recruited back to the University of California as a group leader to the Translational Oncology Research Laboratory of UCLA, to establish a laboratory for preclinical drug and clinical trial development in the area of gynecologic malignancies. His initiatives are primarily directed at using the latest and most effective technologies available to query breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer tissues, combined with appropriately characterized and molecularly defined preclinical models to identify new alterations and/or understand the role of known alterations in relevant genes and molecular pathways. His work primarily aims to identify physiologically distinct disease subgroups with their dominant signaling pathways and signaling alterations to develop subtype specific novel treatment approaches for patients diagnosed with breast, ovarian or endometrial cancer. As a physician-scientist his work focuses on translating the incredible revolution in our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of cancer into novel treatment approaches, in which each patient is treated according to the specific genetic alterations of the tumor. He currently serves as a member of the scientific program committee for the American Society of Clinical Oncology and has published his research findings in the likes of Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer Research, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Nature Genetics, Gynecologic Oncology and Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.