My entire professional life—more than 25 years—has been spent in scholarly publishing, the last 15 years specializing in the health sciences, initially as a senior manager in a large international medical publishing company, and latterly as a consultant to a range of independent health care publishers. Over the years I have observed how publishing—in traditional formats such as books and journals—has played a crucial role in the development of new specialty areas by providing a voice to those who have ideas and information to share, and resources to those who are in need of them.

Now, with the tremendous opportunities for ease and speed of communications offered by online networking, I am excited by the prospect of a new era of collaboration that will, without doubt, bring about changes to the ways in which health care matters are researched, taught, and practiced.

As a founding member of cChange in Health Care, I look forward to helping other members create something for themselves that has never existed before—a place for the free exchange of ideas and information on the art of medicine and the philosophy of health care that offers both real time immediacy and long term legacy, and which transcends regional and national boundaries.