Everything is new again: the JAMA Network.

Abstract

W E ARE LIVING THROUGH AN EXCITing era in facial plastic surgery. Innovations and scientific advancements abound in all directions of the globe. We can celebrate the advent of science without borders. Facial plastic surgery is simultaneously a very focused specialty, centered on reconstructive and aesthetic surgery of the face, and one of the more expansive and connected. Our specialty interfaces with dermatology, ophthalmology, oral maxillofacial surgery, surgery, and more; in addition, it is integral to both otolaryngology–head and neck surgery and plastic surgery. The primary basic science of facial plastic surgery is wound healing encompassing areas from flap physiology to peripheral nerve regeneration; our research, however, embraces technologies from disciplines as diverse as lasers, biomaterials, computer simulation, biomechanics, outcomes research, and many more. Facial plastic surgery will benefit in numerous ways from The JAMA Network. It will allow us to access and share information with the many medical and surgical specialties with which we interface. In addition to the website’s ease of navigation and enhanced content, it will allow us to search for important information with semantic tagging on The JAMA Network, whether the subject is the neurosciences or epidemiology. The website platform brings creative new possibilities to our visual and technical specialty. The Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery—soon to be JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery—was founded as a global journal. From the beginning years we have been the official journal of both the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the International Federation of Facial Plastic Surgery Societies (the Federation). The Federation’s recent scientific meeting in Rome, Italy, was the largest such international meeting ever held, thanks to the expertise and hard work of its leaders Pietro Palma, MD, Paolo Castelnuovo, MD, and Abel-Jan Tasman, MD. As president of the Federation, it was my pleasure to welcome 2 JAMA Network staff, Elizabeth Solaro and Sara Nagy, to Rome to help present the many opportunities our new family of journals will provide. Interest in both manuscript submission and subscriptions was intense, and there is little doubt we will see impressive growth outside North America in coming years. The smartphone/tablet app provides a unique opportunity to introduce our global colleagues to the best resource possible to stay abreast of the latest information and to improve care for their patients. Medical publishing is transforming rapidly and its future is unclear. We do know, however, that facial plastic surgery will be well positioned to communicate our scientific advances in both print and web on the new, forward-looking JAMA Network. As a specialty we are a global family and will benefit immensely by joining The JAMA Network family.