It is a tremendous honor that I begin my role as editor-in-chief of JHPN with this issue. I could not be more enthusiastic about this opportunity to serve HPNA and the journal as I strongly believe that the journal serves as the voice for our profession. Through the pages of the journal, we tell our story-we share our research, our expertise as educators, administrative wisdom in developing and sustaining systems of care, and most importantly our clinical experience in caring for patients and families. As nurses, we are the most critical voice for telling the story of caring for the seriously ill and dying because we are there, across every setting of care.

One of my long-standing career goals has been to support nurses in sharing their stories. I am excited to work with authors, from novice to expert, in publishing their work that can impact our field. I know that, for many nurses, writing is a painful experience, and often nurses are wonderful at caring for patients and families but understandably not so confident in putting their work onto paper. I am deeply committed to working with authors to publish their valuable clinical and research expertise.

Society desperately needs palliative care nurses. We, in the year 2010, are living a time of tremendous urgency for our nation to address the crisis of healthcare reform, our aging population, and the social as well as individual burdens of chronic and terminal illness. It is therefore fortunate that the HPNA has grown as a strong professional organization providing leadership in creating our specialty.

As editor-in-chief, I want to work with you, my colleagues, as we continue to strengthen the journal, tell our story, and build the evidence base of our profession.

Please contact me to share your thoughts about JHPN or your interest in contributing to the journal. Together, we can create a strong voice.

Betty Ferrell, PhD, MA, FAAN, FPCN

Editor-in-Chief

[email protected]