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Reflections on the First 20 Years of Molecular Endocrinology

Nanaline H. Duke Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Durham, North Carolina 27710

I was fortunate to be an elected member of The Endocrine Society Council in 1985. This was the year, during Bert O’Malley’s Presidency and only after much discussion and careful consideration, that we voted for the Society to take the bold step of launching a new journal and then christened the journal Molecular Endocrinology. I was very excited about the potential for this new journal, so when its first Editor-in-Chief, Brad Thompson, invited me to become one of the first Editors, I enthusiastically accepted. With publication of the very first issue of Molecular Endocrinology in January of 1987, it seemed certain that the journal would become successful and, 20 years later, this prophecy has certainly been realized. Under Brad’s able leadership, I shared editorial duties with Joel Habener, Gordon Ringold, and Geoff Rosenfeld. We had a terrific time serving the journal, working with Brad and the always-effervescent Pam Diamond, and we took pleasure in seeing it develop, grow, and increase in stature.

When it became time to select the second Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Endocrinology, I had the honor of being named to succeed Brad and, from 1993–1997, did so with gusto. Ron Evans, Richard Maurer, Donald McDonnell, Stan McKnight, and Anita Roberts agreed to sign on as Editors and together we did our best to help the journal broaden its coverage of endocrine-related mechanistic science and continued to strive for excellence. Working with these spectacularly successful and well-known molecular endocrinologists was incredibly fulfilling, and I enjoyed the daily activities associated with the duties of an Editor-in-Chief. One of the most rewarding experiences was the opportunity to put together the 10th-anniversary issue of Molecular Endocrinology, which was published in January of 1997 and served the dual purpose of honoring Bert on his 60th birthday. This issue contained editorials by me and Brad, and I enjoyed reading and reflecting recently on both of these pieces as I prepared to write in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the journal.

What a pleasure it has been to have watched Molecular Endocrinology continue to advance in prestige and breadth between its 10th and 20th years! The third Editor-in-Chief was John Nilson, and John Cidlowski serves as the fourth and current Editor-in-Chief; each of these individuals has also made his mark on the journal. In fact, looking back on the 20-year period I can’t help but marvel on how the content of the journal has reflected the personality of the Editor-in-Chief during the five-year period in which each person held the office. I have kept every issue of Molecular Endocrinology beginning with Volume 1, Number 1, and proudly display them in the conference room that adjoins my office at Duke. Reading the Table of Contents of this remarkable 20-year history is interesting because of the diversity of authors and research topics that have graced the pages of Molecular Endocrinology as a function of time. It is a very special privilege to have been associated with The Endocrine Society and Molecular Endocrinology over the past 20 years.

Happy 20th birthday, Molecular Endocrinology! I look forward to reading in your pages about the most recent advances in our ever-changing discipline for many years to come.

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