Meet Our New Editor-in-Chief

Dear Readers,

I’m delighted to introduce myself as the new Editor-in-Chief of NEJM Clinician.

First, a word of thanks to my predecessor, Dr. Raja-Elie Abdulnour, who took on the considerable challenge of launching this publication and guiding it through its early days. Raja-Elie and his colleagues have built something special here, and I’m grateful to inherit such a strong foundation.

So who am I, and what do I hope to bring to this role?

I’m an infectious diseases specialist in Boston, where I’ve spent my career caring for patients, teaching, and doing clinical research. I’ve also been writing for NEJM Group for decades, starting with AIDS Clinical Care and then a regular blog on infectious diseases (and other topics). My greatest claim to fame is that I shared the secret of how we ID doctors figure out the duration of antibiotic therapy.

More recently, I’ve been Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Infectious Diseases, a role that has reinforced my belief that even the most exciting research is only as valuable as our ability to understand it and communicate it to clinicians caring for patients.

I continue to practice medicine, both inpatient and outpatient. Infectious diseases is a wonderful specialty for someone interested in the full range of clinical medicine since we consult on every service — medicine, surgery, oncology, transplantation, obstetrics, you name it. That breadth of experience is something I hope to bring to NEJM Clinician.

A few personal details, since editors shouldn’t be entirely mysterious figures lurking behind their computer screens: I’m married to a primary care pediatrician who keeps me grounded and reminds me that most medicine happens far from academic medical centers. She was one of the top students in our medical school class, which I observed with great admiration and not a little jealousy.

We have two grown children, both of whom learned early that MRSA is bad, that cat bites transmit Pasteurella multocida, and that eating raw oysters is a high-risk behavior. (They both love oysters anyway, oh well.) And we have a dog, Archie — he has absolutely no interest in antimicrobial resistance but has very strong opinions about when it’s time for a walk.

What I love about medical writing is taking something important — a clinical study, a drug approval, a change in guidelines — and explaining why it should change or reinforce clinical practice. Ideally, in a way that’s enjoyable to read.

That’s why I’m excited to lead NEJM Clinician: to help make keeping up with medicine informative, practical, thought-provoking, and even fun.

I look forward to the conversation.

Paul E. Sax, M.D.

Editor-in-Chief, NEJM Clinician