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On June 1st, 2024, I became the third Editor-in-Chief of NEJM Journal Watch, succeeding Dr. Allan Brett, and Dr. Anthony Komaroff before him. What follows is a snapshot of my thoughts during these first 2 weeks.
My dad, a surgeon, believed that the scalpel was his most important tool. My mom, a pediatrician and avid NEJM Journal Watch reader, considered knowledge to be her most important tool. Dear reader, you probably agree with my dad that “mom is always right”: The most vital element in clinical problem-solving is knowing the best and most relevant medical evidence to support your decisions. More acutely, in an era where health misinformation is rampant, clinicians like us remain the most trusted source for health information for 95% of adults in the U.S. (JAMA 2024; 331:1612). Therefore, honing our clinical knowledge to be as sharp as my father's scalpel has never been more critical.
However, staying current with the latest medical information is a constant struggle. With approximately two articles appearing on PubMed each minute (Nature 2016; 535:457) and countless non–peer-reviewed sources like social media and online media archives, finding the most relevant information is both arduous and time-consuming. And time is one thing that most of us just do not have enough of.
So, what can clinicians do? We can do the same thing we do when we need to diagnose a misbehaving car or a difficult clinical case: We enlist the help of a team of experts. These decisions to trust the judgment of others — whether a team of car mechanics, a team of expert medical consultants, or a team of NEJM Journal Watch editors — require us to assess their abilities (Can they do it?), benevolence (Do they have my best interest at heart?), and integrity (Are they honest?; Acad Management Rev 1995; 20:709).
Thanks to the exceptional leadership of Dr. Allan Brett, Editor-in-Chief of NEJM Journal Watch from 1994 to 2024, the dedicated efforts of our physician and staff editors, and the support of NEJM Group, NEJM Journal Watch continues to meet your standards for ability, benevolence, and integrity. This trust is increasingly important as a wave of new AI tools like ChatGPT introduce more noise than signal and often fall short in integrity and benevolence (N Engl J Med 2023; 389:833). In short, NEJM Journal Watch is more necessary than ever.
I am thrilled to be at the right place at the right time. The mission is noble, my colleagues are better than me, the stakes are high, and the challenges abound. I know I have much to prove, and I am lucky to have Dr. Allan Brett (who will continue to participate in NEJM Journal Watch) and Dr. Eric Rubin and Dr. Jeff Drazen (current and former editors of the New England Journal of Medicine) as my mentors, and you, dedicated clinicians, as my critics.