Editors' Note: Sharing their knowledge

This month, we all benefit from Dr. Karen Tobias' dedication to teaching and bettering the standard of care in veterinary medicine. About this time last year, Dr. Tobias, a professor of small animal surgery at The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, contacted us with a topic idea. "What about a series of papers on common gastrointestinal surgeries?" she asked. As Dr. Tobias noted, new graduates, in particular, may not be skilled at performing even the most basic surgical procedures. We agreed, and soon thereafter Dr. Tobias, working with several of her students, submitted the papers for peer-review. A little more than a year later, younger practitioners—as well as more experienced ones who may lack confidence in their surgical skills—will find in this month's issue clear step-by-step instructions on how to perform five key GI surgeries.

Article ideas come from enthusiastic veterinarians such as Dr. Tobias, you, and our Editorial and Practitioner Advisory Board members. For example, Dr. David Panciera at Virginia Tech suggested a topic you'll find in next month's issue on a perplexing problem—the diagnostic approach in asymptomatic dogs with elevated liver enzymes. Dr. Panciera retired from our Editorial Advisory Board in 2005, after many years of service. Also recently retiring from the Board are Drs. Kevin Hahn and Karen Overall. It's been our privilege to work with these three fine veterinarians, and we thank them for their time and expertise in steering Veterinary Medicine's editorial direction. After forming long-lasting ties with these specialists, we'll no doubt continue to tap their knowledge in the future.

New to our Editorial Advisory Board are Drs. Timothy Fan, University of Illinois; Jacqueline Neilson, Animal Behavior Clinic, Portland, Ore.; and Barrak Pressler, Purdue University. We're honored to welcome Drs. Fan, Neilson, and Pressler, who have all contributed to this journal before as authors or reviewers.

Because practitioner involvement is key to bringing you information that's relevant to your practice, we've expanded our Practitioner Advisory Board. Our three new members are Drs. Jennifer McDermott, Overland Park, Kan.; Melissa Mckendry, Chesapeake, Va.; and Laura Wade, Lancaster, N.Y.

We welcome all our new board members, whose input is so important to us. And, of course, we welcome your feedback as well. Please e-mail me with your comments or suggestions.