A Goblet (Cell) Half Full: What Do We Really Know About Barrett’s Esophagus—A Tribute to Emmet Keeffe

Excerpt

It is our pleasure to introduce this fourth annual special supplement to Digestive Diseases and Sciences (DDS) dedicated to its former Editor-in-Chief, the late, great Emmet B. Keeffe. Through our many interactions with Emmet, either as Associate Editor (RSB) or as President of the Gastroenterology Research Group (RFS), which named Digestive Diseases and Sciences its official journal (a relationship enthusiastically encouraged and promoted by Emmet), we witnessed first-hand Emmet’s tireless efforts to create a journal relevant to both clinicians and scientists. In 2007 Emmet called me (RSB) to ask if I might serve as an Associate Editor for DDS as he had been recently tasked to “reinvent” the journal. His idea was that while other excellent gastroenterology-based journals existed, DDS could fill a niche as a truly translational journal with appeal to a broad audience. I had known Emmet for many years and knew him to be a true Renaissance man, clinician, scientist, and consummate educator and communicator. Needless to say I jumped at the chance to work with him on this exciting project. Under his leadership and that of the current Editor-in-Chief, Jonathan Kaunitz, articles received per year have doubled to over 2000, usage increased greater than 4.5-fold (617,734 in 2017), page count increased 1.5-fold, editorials published increased 15-fold, and impact factor doubled, while time to first decision was reduced from 67 to 23 days. We are honored to Guest Edit this Special Issue devoted to Barrett’s esophagus. We recruited authors who are not only experts in the field, but who also have active research endeavors in the areas of pathology, endoscopy, epidemiology, and molecular biology of Barrett’s esophagus. The emphasis is not only on the state of the art of what we know, but how ideas are evolving to answer the many gaps in our knowledge [hence a goblet (cell) half full]. We are confident that Emmet would be pleased with the quality, scope, and utility of this Special Issue, and we hope that our readers will be as well. …