Since the beginning of my editorship in the summer of 2003, my Deputy Editor and right-hand man has been Dr. Eric J. Stern, at the University of Washington. Eric has been an essential member of the editorial team who has been with me through all of our enjoyable efforts and difficult transitions these past 4 years, including the institution of our electronic manuscript submission and peer review system (twice), the internationalization of our manuscript reviewer team, and the subsequent tsunami of manuscript submissions, which necessitated doubling his workload. Eric has performed his role as Deputy Editor in an exemplary manner, and I am deeply appreciative of all of his efforts and contributions on behalf of the AJR and the American Roentgen Ray Society during these past 4 years.

Although our virtual editorial team model of editors scattered around the country has worked very well, as of July 1, 2007, I decided that it would be better for the function of the editorial office to bring an associate editor into my Birmingham office, and as such, am reorganizing the editorial team of the AJR. Since Dr. Stern has declined my invitation to move to Birmingham, deciding to stay in beautiful Seattle, I have identified a local UAB faculty member to join the editorial team as a new associate editor, Dr. Mark Lockhart. So as not to lose his invaluable editorial experience, Dr. Stern will be transitioning to a new position as Senior Consulting Editor. I personally and publicly wish to thank Dr. Stern for his 4 years of meritorious and invaluable service to me, the Journal, the ARRS, and our specialty of radiology.

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Eric J. Stern