I will be completing my third (and final) 5-year term as your Editor in Chief (EIC) of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) at the end of this month (June 2016). It has been a memorable and professionally fulfilling experience. I thank the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) for allowing me to participate in the leadership of JAGS as we moved into the 21st century with great hopes of improving the health and quality of life of older persons, not only in the United States but throughout the world. How did I become your EIC for JAGS? Before my EIC appointment on July 1, 2000, I had devoted my career to infectious diseases at Harbor-University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center (Torrance, CA) with reasonable success in attaining the usual academic targeted goals for teaching, research, clinical care, and administration, as confirmed by my promotion to full professor of medicine in 8 years at UCLA. Nevertheless, I felt my career in “bugs and drugs” failed to provide me with the professional fulfillment we all seek. Around that time (late 1970s), I became aware of the challenges associated with a growing aging population and the beginnings of programs and services in geriatrics at the (then called) West Los Angeles Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) and UCLA School of Medicine. My former Chair of Medicine, Dr. David Solomon at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (who later became Executive Chair of Medicine at the UCLA School of Medicine), asked me whether I might be interested in a change in career direction and assume the position of Clinical Director of the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) and Chief of the Division of Geriatric Medicine in the Department of Medicine at the West Los Angeles VAMC. This was the opportunity that I was looking for to fulfill my aspirations in academic medicine. My research then focused on aging and infectious diseases. After 8 years in the GRECC, I accepted the position of directing the VA's national geriatric and extended (long-term) care programs and services in the VA Central Office in Washington, District of Columbia (1988–1995). I returned to Los Angeles in 1995 to assume the position of Chair of Internal Medicine at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Hospital and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. In 1999, I received a telephone call from Ms. Linda Hiddemen Barondess, the Executive Director (now called Chief Executive Officer) of the AGS, and she asked if I would be interested in applying for the position of EIC for JAGS because Dr. William Applegate, the JAGS EIC at that time, would be stepping down from this position. She indicated that a search committee was formed and would be reviewing (and interviewing) qualified candidates. The rest is history. Thank you, AGS! Beginning in January 2001, JAGS transitioned from paper submission, review, and decision to online publishing of the Journal. What a new and exciting opportunity not only to expedite manuscript submission, review, and publication, but also to reduce costs (we had an express mail bill of $1,200–1,500/month) and add convenience to the review process. JAGS was one of the few journals that transitioned fully to online submission, reviews, and publication at that time. This demonstrated the innovative and forward thinking of AGS. Thank you, AGS! When we established the JAGS editorial office, we had one staff person, Ms. Flory Ferns-James, as the managing editor. With the anticipated complexity of our initial venture into online publishing and the expected growth of our journal work (submissions), JAGS needed another person in the editorial office. Having no budget for a second staff member, I asked the AGS to allow me to hire my wife, Catherine, as a second full-time staff member. Catherine would work full time without a salary. Despite the obvious nepotism, AGS approved my request. (Catherine worked for 3 years without compensation before eventually receiving a salary.) This prevented interruption of JAGS work and its publication in the event our managing editor had to take sick leave, vacation, or a leave of absence for other reasons. Later, as the Journal's submission numbers began to expand, the workload exceeded the available staff and AGS (once again) gave me permission to hire my son Scott Yoshikawa, PhD, part time to assist with Journal work. Thank you, AGS! As it is often said, “success breeds success.” This now was the case for JAGS. The number of submission to JAGS substantially increased, as evidenced by the submissions of 750 for 2000, 1,065 for 2005, 1,487 for 2010, and 1,871 for 2015. A number of factors contributed to this growing number of submissions, including the expansion, maturation, and support of the field of geriatrics and long-term care; better quality of clinical research in aging; greater number of geriatric programs and services internationally (60–65% of JAGS papers are from countries outside of the United States); greater funding in the United States and globally in aging; and better reviews of papers by our JAGS editors and editorial board members. Moreover, increasing number of specialties, subspecialties, and health disciplines became aware of the importance of aging in their own area of expertise. Thus, we needed to expand our Journal capacity to allow these groups to contribute their knowledge and expertise toward the care of older adults. In 2000, JAGS had only eight categories (sections) of topics related to aging. Today, JAGS has 25 sections to address the diverse topics in geriatrics, gerontology, and long-term care. To accommodate this growth, I asked AGS for permission to recruit additional editors and editorial board members to JAGS. This would incur greater costs. AGS supported this request and obtained greater funding support for JAGS! Thank you, AGS! In contrast to my EIC predecessors, who basically served for one term as EIC, AGS has allowed me to serve for an unprecedented three terms. Without this extended period granted to me, many of the changes, additions, and innovations we have implemented would not have been possible. Because most of the editors and editorial board members have been with me during these several terms, they have provided me suggestions and recommendations on how to improve the Journal. Although it is said that changes often allow new “thinking” and ideas, it is also said that “if it ain't broke, don't fix it.” Thank you, editors and editorial board members! Thank you, AGS! In any group or organization, its successes (and failures) depend on the members of the group. In JAGS's case, they are our reviewers, editorial board members, editors, and editorial staff. The reviews from our referees and editors are second to none—they are as good (and many times better) than many of the leading medical journal reviews. Thank you, editorial board members! Our associate and section editors work tirelessly in screening, reviewing, critiquing, and making decisions on manuscripts assigned to them. Some editors have 10 to 15 manuscripts assigned each year; others review 30 to 40 new manuscripts annually. These numbers do not include the revisions they have to review. Most editors also serve as reviewers. They perform this task for a modest honorarium—they are truly dedicated and committed to the success of JAGS and AGS. Thank you, editors! Most importantly for me personally, I wish to thank Dr. Joseph Ouslander, our Executive Editor. Joe reviews all manuscripts sent out for external reviews by the editors. His experience, knowledge, insights, and analytical expertise have taught me much about geriatrics and long-term care. We infrequently (about 5% of the time) disagree on a final decision of a paper. We have learned to become great partners, joined at the “brain” (not hip!) to make final decisions. Thank you, Joe! Last but not least, I thank the editorial staff for their incredible work and performance in making the whole process of submission, review, resubmission, final decision, and publication happen on time and with quality. In the 16 years as your EIC, we have NEVER missed a deadline for publishing an issue of JAGS. Moreover, staff work 7 days a week (often late into the night) responding to authors and editors queries and concerns. For authors who have faced challenges uploading their manuscript, the staff has done that for them. Staff quickly respond to questions from reviewers and authors on specific manuscripts, processes, and policies or forward them to Dr. Ouslander or me for a response. The single compliment I receive most often from authors, reviewers, and editors is the professionalism and kindness that the JAGS editorial staff show them; the rapidity, with which they respond; and the attention that they pay. Thank you, Flory Ferns-James, Catherine Yoshikawa, and Scott Yoshikawa. It has truly been a great opportunity, privilege, and honor to serve as your EIC for these past 16 years. This position has allowed me to meet many outstanding individuals within the AGS, its members and leadership, and to interact with international experts in the field of aging and long-term care. My successor, Dr. William Applegate, will serve you equally if not better than me as the next EIC. Give him your support and best wishes. Thank you, AGS and AGS members! Conflict of Interest: Dr. Yoshikawa declares no competing interests. Author Contributions: The author is the sole contributor to this Editorial. Sponsor's Role: None.
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