Molecular Endocrinology has been an integral part of my career, as it has been for the careers of so many endocrine scientists of my generation, and will be sorely missed. My first encounter with the journal occurred in 1989, when I submitted my first manuscript as an independent scientist. I was only 4 years into my position as an Assistant Professor, and this was only the second paper that I had submitted that was solely from my own group. I knew that I was only a few years away from applying for tenure, so each publication was important to establishing my independence and recognition in the field. Molecular Endocrinology seemed like an appropriate place for a paper describing the mechanism of oncogene regulation of glucocorticoid receptor function.
Don DeFranco, PhD
I am forever grateful to the editors of Molecular Endocrinology who realized the importance of such recognition to a rising young investigator.
The assays used in that study now seem old and imprecise, but the results reported therein set the stage for years of work in our lab examining the regulation of nucleocytoplasmic shuttling and phosphorylation of the glucocorticoid receptor. However, the most important contribution of Molecular Endocrinology was not the publication of that early article but the decision by its inaugural Editor-in-Chief, Dr Brad Thompson, to include our work on its cover. I still remember the phone call (yes, back in those days, we still communicated by speaking into a device called a telephone, which today's generation will know as a landline) from Brad's editorial assistant, Pam Diamond, telling me that one of our figures had been chosen for the cover! I have no doubt that the recognition that I received from that cover, and 3 others while I was an Assistant Professor, enhanced my tenure and promotions portfolio. I am forever grateful to the editors of Molecular Endocrinology who realized the importance of such recognition to a rising young investigator.
Molecular Endocrinology Editors-in-Chief who followed Brad Thompson also gave me the first opportunity to serve on the Editorial Board of a prestigious journal, which not only increased my visibility in the field but also allowed me to develop personal and professional relationships with so many wonderful scientists (ie, other board members, Associate Editors, and Editors-in-Chief) whom I still consider my friends and colleagues. When I moved up the Molecular Endocrinology ladder as Associate Editor and finally Editor-in-Chief, I remembered the contributions the journal had made to my career and did my best to promote young investigators, through appointments to the Editorial Board and through my selection of articles for cover art. I am confident that the young scientists that I tried to help in this way will always share my affection for the journal.
Finally, I cannot ignore the outlet that the journal provided for some of my unusual creative energies. Over the years as Editor-in-Chief, I had some fun using the talents of a great graphic artist (Dr Ron Smith) to feature cover color schemes based on monthly holidays (check out the October 2010 issue for my favorite, the “Halloween” cover), or color palettes based upon well-recognized works by artists whose birthdays fell in the month of an issue's publication (check out the August 2011 issue that celebrated the birth month of that famous Pittsburgh artist Andy Warhol). I even had the opportunity to design my own cover art and showed off my “talents” as a graphic artist with the famous (or infamous) “White Album” cover in January 2011.
In closing, I thank my many colleagues who were unselfish and rigorous as reviewers, Editorial Board members, and Associate Editors during my time as Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Endocrinology. A very special shout-out also goes to an Endocrine Society staff member, Maggie Haworth, who supported my various activities (some wacky!) with the journal for so many years. In particular, she helped to keep me in check as Editor-in-Chief and made sure that I did not slam into any icebergs. My association with Molecular Endocrinology, from author to Editor-in-Chief, had a huge impact on my scientific career and I will never forget it.
Acknowledgments
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Endocrine Society, 2055 L Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036. E-mail: molendo@endocrine.org.
