Golden Anniversary of JAGS: 50 Years of Excellence

Abstract

Exactly 1 year ago, the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) commemorated the publication of its 50th volume.1-3 In my editorial at that time, I noted the beginnings of this Journal back in January 1, 1953.4 W.O. Thompson was the first editor-in-chief of JAGS, and we reprinted his first editorial from the January 1953 issue of the Journal.4 With this month's publication of the 51st volume, JAGS now reaches another milestone—50 years of extraordinary success and excellence. (Editor's note: the volume number and anniversary year do not coincide because after completion of Volume 1 at the end of the year, the first anniversary is noted at the beginning of the second year and so on.) Over the last half century, the Journal has evolved, matured, and achieved excellence through the leadership of our early editors and, more recently, because of the able guidance of our past editors-in-chief, Drs. Paul Beeson, Gene Stollerman, David Solomon, and William Applegate. JAGS has now become the world's leading peer-reviewed journal in the field of aging; it is cited by other publications more often than any other journal in geriatrics and gerontology.5 To commemorate and to bring into focus the outstanding papers published in JAGS over the last 50 years, the Journal will publish the “best” paper written in JAGS in each of the past five decades (1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s). The “best” papers were selected by appointing five different editors for each of the five decades. The editors reviewed all papers published during their assigned decade. Then each editor selected five outstanding papers from that decade. Copies of the papers were sent to all of the current JAGS editors (total of 21 editors), who ranked the five papers from each decade. Based on the rankings of the 21 editors, the “best” paper for each decade was selected. Each of the “best” papers will be published throughout this year under the “Special Articles” section. The editor assigned to each decade will provide a brief editorial comment on that decade's paper. This feature in JAGS will permit the readers to have an opportunity to gain some insight into the state and knowledge of geriatrics and gerontology during the last five decades. Moreover, the readers can also note the great strides and advances in the care of older adults that have been made with each succeeding decade of research, education, training, and models/systems of care. As we move further into the new millennium, we are all aware of the rapid expansion of the older population and the implications of this enormous growth on the specialty of geriatrics. Geriatrics now must assume a greater responsibility in providing quality care to an aging population, establishing the best models and systems of healthcare delivery, training and educating our next generation of healthcare professionals who will care for older people, and researching how we can improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases, disorders, and disabilities associated with aging. With the recent explosion in information on aging, JAGS is well positioned to serve as a conduit or medium to communicate this wealth of new data and facts. The Journal continues to strive to publish the highest-quality papers and also to attempt to print articles that assist the clinician in improving the delivery of care to older adults, the educator in developing better ways to train and teach students and trainees, the researcher in gaining insights into problems that need exploration and investigation, and the administrator in understanding how to implement the best systems of health care for our aging adult. We hope that the next 50 years of JAGS will be as productive, rewarding, and stimulating as the last half century. The current editors, editorial board members, referees/reviewers, editorial staff, and JAGS readers greatly appreciate the contributions and accomplishments of the past editors and contributors to the Journal. We will attempt to meet the high standards that you have set forth these past five decades, as we look forward to another 50 years of excellence. Thomas T. Yoshikawa, MD Martin Luther King, Jr.—Charles R. Drew Medical Center Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science Los Angeles, CA Editor-in-Chief Journal of the American Geriatrics Society