It's that time of the year again! With almost as much excitement as I look forward to Christmas each year, I am also looking forward to seeing many of you, our valued readers, in the next few days. I anticipate many of you will receive this March/April 2015 issue only a few days before the start of the annual Dermatology Nurses' Association (DNA) convention (http://www.dnanurse.org/education/annual-convention). The theme of the convention this year is "Collaboration. Discovery. Education"-things that I'd like to think we do well here at the Journal. I am eagerly hoping to see each of you in Las Vegas, NV, so that we can catch up, discuss great dermatology research and clinical topics, and educationally delve into areas that are only outside our area of expertise. I know the individuals involved in planning this year's DNA convention have worked extremely diligently to bring us speakers who are experts about a variety of dermatology topics and are hoping, just as much as I am, to see all of you join us for this annual gathering. Furthermore, having the convention in Las Vegas doesn't hurt, right? Who knows, maybe in between sessions, you will drop a lucky quarter in the right slot machine?
Of course, I am sure one of the convention highlights for me will be the Journal of the Dermatology Nurses' Association (JDNA) sponsored Writing Workshop session to be held on 9-11 a.m. on Saturday morning, April 25, 2015. For the past several years, the members of the JDNA Editorial Board have tried to offer a session at each conference that will help those of you who are aspiring JDNA writers. Our past offerings have been designed to demystify the writing-for-publication process, and this year's session will be no different. As I mentioned in the January/February 2015 editorial, Chris Wilson, one of the JDNA's Editorial Board members, will be coordinating and chairing the session this year, and all the JDNA Editorial Board members will be on hand for the event. Please come and take advantage of this great opportunity, where you can explore an idea for publication, meet with experts associated with the JDNA, and leave with a plan for publication.
To help celebrate those who write and publish in JDNA, our publisher Lippincott Williams & Wilkins has again agreed to sponsor three Writing Awards. Like last year, there will be an award for both The Best Clinical Article and The Best Research Article, but this year will also feature an award for the article chosen to be the People's Choice. As the name implies, there will be voting next year that allows you, the valued JDNA reader, to be part of the decision-making process. As always, the three JDNA writing awards will be presented at the annual DNA Convention in 2016 in Indianapolis, IN.
For those of you who have followed the JDNA for the last several years, you will have realized that, in addition to mentoring new authors, another of my true passions is skin cancer. With this in mind, I draw your attention to the several articles in this issue that focus on this topic. Both the JDNA Editorial Board and I thought these articles timely because, each year, the month of May unofficially begins the summer season. In the past, the JDNA has featured articles, and I have written several times about the ongoing efforts of dermatology nurses both to help stop the development of skin cancer and to aid with the early detection and treatment of skin cancers. Because skin cancer continues to be a significant and common problem for many of our patients, we thought we should keep talking about it. I would like to thank our JDNA Editorial Board member, Katrina Masterson, for helping to coordinate these articles and would encourage you to read her Guest Editorial in this issue.
Speaking of JDNA Editorial Board members, I would like to introduce the newest member of the Editorial Board: Patrick M. Zito, PharmD, RPh, FASCP, studied at Rutgers University, NJ, earning a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, as well as at UMDNJ/Rowan University for a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. He completed a clinical pharmacy residency at Albert Einstein Medical Center, PA. He has extensive experience in clinical research, pharmacology, infectious diseases, surgery, and dermatology. In addition, he teaches graduate nursing students at Walden University. His interdisciplinary knowledge will both complement and enhance the current features of the JDNA. I know I am certainly excited to be working with Patrick and hope you join me in welcoming his contributions to the Journal.
Looking forward to seeing many of you soon,
Angela L. Borger
,
Editor in Chief
E-mail: [email protected]