Clinical Advances in Hematology & Oncology
December 2016, Volume 14, Issue 12
To everything, turn, turn, turn / There is a season, turn, turn, turn —Pete Seeger
A tad over 14 years ago, I was approached at a meeting in New York City by Steve Kurlander (CEO and copublisher) and Paul McDaniel (president and copublisher), who solicited my interest in editing a new journal, Clinical Advances in Hematology & Oncology. I didn’t need to think twice, because editing is a favorite pursuit of mine. I had loads of prior experience, having been inaugural editor of a number of successful publications, including ASCO News (now published under the title ASCO Connection); the ASCO Daily News; the Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program (MKSAP); ASCO-SEP; and Clinical Lymphoma, Myeloma & Leukemia. Over these many years (and 168 Letters From the Editor later), I have had the privilege of working with several talented editorial directors: Jessica Wapner, Jacquelyn Matos, and Devon Schuyler. All of them have kept me grammatically correct and within word limits, while showing variable tolerance to the irreverent ramblings of an eccentric hematologist-oncologist.
However, as all such endeavors must, my tenure now comes to an end. I recently voted for term limits for my local representatives; how could I expect any less from myself? I will greatly miss this segment of my life, which has given me the opportunity to put a smile on at least a few faces and to stimulate a curious thought in a few heads. I am confident that I am relinquishing my role to the right person, however—my longtime friend Brad Kahl. I want to express my gratitude to Steve and Paul for this opportunity, and more importantly, my heartfelt thanks to our readers. Without them, what is the point of the journal? And so, in the words of many of my inspirations over the years from music, film, television, and literature:
Happy trails to you, until we meet again
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
Meep, meep
Bye bye love
Just put me in a wheelchair, get me on a plane / Hurry hurry hurry, before I go insane
“Oh, Pancho,” “Oh, Cisco,” “Let’s went”
We gotta get out of this place / If it’s the last thing we ever do
If I ever get out of here, I’m going to Katmandu
Hello, I must be going
Remember me and smile, for it’s better to forget than to remember me and cry
Hi-yo, Silver! Away!
See you later, alligator
My work is now finished. Here at last, on the shores of the sea, comes the end of our Fellowship
I’ll . . . be . . . right . . . here
Hello goodbye hello goodbye
Hasta la vista, baby
If you gotta go, go now / Or else you gotta stay all night
Time has come today
Good night, whatever you are
’Cause I’m already gone
You go your way and I’ll go mine
You just slip out the back, Jack / Make a new plan, Stan
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
You gotta know when to hold ’em / Know when to fold ’em
This could be the last time / Maybe the last time / I don’t know. Oh no. Oh no.
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore”
And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.
Th-th-th-that’s all folks!
–Bruce D. Cheson, MD