“It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit”

-Credit ascribed to many

It is an honor and a privilege to serve as the inaugural Editor-in-Chief for Observations and Insights in Pulmonary and Critical Care (OPCC). OPCC is inspired by the Southwest Journal of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine (SWJPCC) and supported by the University of Arizona College of Medicine- Phoenix. First and foremost, I must give credit and recognize the efforts of Dr. Richard Robbins, past editor in chief of the SWJPCC for his dedication to the journal and the southwest region. Through his leadership, the SWJPCC became a journal where many trainees were able to publish and where regional collaborations coalesced. Dr. Robbins has been gracious helping launch OPCC and I am thrilled he will remain engaged as a deputy editor.

As a physician scientist, I have enjoyed reviewing manuscripts and case reports for multiple journals over the years. When the opportunity presented itself to launch OPCC, I wondered if the world needed another pulmonary journal. Given the proliferation of many reputable journals publishing all types of content, it seemed perhaps not. I engaged in discussion with colleagues and prospective editors to explore a mission, scope, and branding possibilities for the journal. All desired to proceed with OPCC and carry forward the mission and spirit of the SWJPCC. The editorial team also desired a reach beyond the southwest, a broadening of the scope and content, while fostering trainee success.

OPCC is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to advancing knowledge to a broad and interdisciplinary pulmonary, critical care, cardiovascular, thoracic, ENT, sleep, and inpatient medicine audience. Due to the support of the UA College of Medicine- Phoenix, there are no fees for publishing in the foreseeable future.

The journal naming took time but conveys what the editorial team deems most important. Armed with lessons from the pandemic, where information came fast, furious and unfettered, the word “observations” conveys the importance of clinical observations made by clinicians that merit rapid and thoughtful reporting. These case reports are valuable n-of-1 observations at the foundation of clinical medicine. Suitable cases include rare diseases, classic presentations with robust imaging/pathology, uncommon manifestations, important clinical conundrums, unexpected adverse events, or pitfalls in diagnosis. Discussions should focus on contemporary, guideline-based management and clinical teaching points. The addition of the word “insights” conveys that OPCC will seek and publish high quality original work that advances the field.

The driving force behind OPCC is to get interesting, well-conceived and rigorous work published. We welcome a wide range of submissions: original research and quality improvement studies, case reports and case series, concise and full-length review articles (including systematic reviews), protocols and “How we do it” state of the art descriptions of clinical procedures, and editorials https://opcc.scholasticahq.com/for-authors. As someone who understands what it’s like to have manuscripts with mentees not published after several rounds of edits, OPCC will be a journal that engages trainees and their mentors to get their important work out. While it might be nice to have more subjects in your cohort, OPCC reviewers aren’t going to ask for additional recruitment when the clinical significance is clear. Does your rigorously performed p = .10 negative study make a meaningful contribution to the field and warrant dissemination? We would like to consider it. If you presented a recent impactful journal club or fellows conference topic that deserves a write up, please do convert these into formal reviews and write them up! Only have an n = 2 immunohistochemical stain due to a paucity of precious lung samples available for a figure? OPCC editors understand these realities. If you are struggling getting your impactful QI project published because it isn’t hypothesis driven, consider submitting to OPCC. Along the way, we will survey our readership to determine what special emphasis issues are desired. We plan to publish an inaugural special edition covering advances in interstitial lung disease in the new year.

In this first issue, we set the stage with manuscripts that can serve as examples of the quality, scope and breadth of content that will be responsive to our readership. We thank the authors for trusting OPCC with the product of their hard work. Jonathan Snyder, managing editor of OPCC and I are appreciative of our inaugural editors and reviewers who have donated their precious time to the success of OPCC. As an editorial team, we are honored to serve our clinical and scientific community. Finally, we are in this for the long run and committed to meeting the standards required to be indexed in PubMed.

To succeed we need the village and invite you to join us. Submit your work https://app.scholasticahq.com/submissions/opcc/new and help shape the future of our field.

Ken Knox, MD
Editor in Chief, OPCC