Greetings! Like so many of you, I have had a very busy and rewarding year, and so has Obesity Surgery. The Journal continues to increase its submissions and thrive with positive changes. Here are the particulars: The number of manuscripts submitted for consideration of publication has risen for the last 3 years. In 2013, 573 papers were submitted, and in 2014, it was 747. While the final tally for 2015 is not in yet, the number of manuscripts submitted will be around 900. To accommodate so many papers, we have increased the size of each journal issue by almost 50 pages. The large number of submissions also allows us to be a bit more selective. We currently accept about one third of the papers submitted; while good for the journal’s Impact Factor, it does imply that some decent (but not exceptional) papers that may have in the past been accepted for publication, might now be turned away.

And, speaking of the Impact Factor, I am proud say that Obesity Surgery’s Impact Factor increased again. In 2014, the last year it was calculated, the Impact Factor was 3.747 up from 3.739 in 2013. Our Impact Factor ranks us number 19 of 198 surgical journals. It would also surprise many to see the highly regarded surgical journals that have lower Impact Factors than Obesity Surgery. There are many reasons for the high Impact Factor. In addition to the luxury of being able to be more selective in paper publication, I must also give credit to the great work done by our editors and reviewers. They are the ones who carefully read and evaluate every manuscript submitted. In addition to recommending which papers should be accepted or rejected, they truly help turn water into wine. They carefully read and critique every submission and then provide the authors the tools for improving the quality of their manuscripts.

What is new for 2016?

Obesity Surgery is proud to report two exciting events for the New Year. Firstly, we are making some changes to our Editorial Board. Several editors have fulfilled their terms and will retire from the Board. We owe them a debt of gratitude for their years of service on the Board and all of the great reviews they turned in. To fill the open positions on the Board, I have invited several of our most valued reviewers to become Editorial Board members, and I am pleased to report that they have all accepted my invitation. I am confident that the infusion of new blood on our Editorial Board will further elevate the quality of our journal.

The second new feature of Obesity Surgery is also very exciting. I have long been in awe of the many great surgeons who pioneered bariatric surgery and built the foundation for the specialty as we know it today. However, many members of our society are unaware of who these individuals are and how they contributed to the growth and maturation of bariatric surgery. With so many young clinicians entering the field, the knowledge of how we got to where we are today may be lost. Additionally, some of our greatest contributors are not recognized for their important contributions. I have therefore invited many of our leaders to briefly write their history and submit the biographies to me. I will include one biography every month at the beginning of each issue of Obesity Surgery. Sharing the stories of our “superstars” will certainly add another degree of richness to the Journal. I hope that you find these brief biographies to be informative and illuminating.

So, friends and colleagues, welcome to 2016. I am confident that our journal will continue to grow and succeed in the coming year.

My family and I wish all of you and your loved ones a very Happy, Joyous, and Peaceful New Year.

Warmest regards,

Scott A. Shikora, MD, FACS, FASMBS

Editor-in-Chief

Obesity Surgery