Dear Reader,

They say: “Don’t change a winning team.” And International Urology and Nephrology certainly is led by a winning team. The number of manuscript submissions is growing by ca. 20% annually, the Impact Factor is higher than ever, and in 2012 the total volume of published issues will rise to 1,800 pages.

But very recently, circumstances forced Dr. Oreopoulos to give up his position as the journal’s Editor-in-Chief: serious health problems have made it impossible for him to continue to perform his duties.

Dr. Oreopoulos and the publisher have jointly agreed that he will be succeeded by the Associate Editors Dr. Ananias Diokno and Dr. Adrian Covic, both of whom have worked closely on the journal for several years. Dr. Diokno will serve as Editor-in-Chief for the Urology section, Dr. Covic for the Nephrology section.

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Dr. Oreopoulos for his many years of dedicated work on and with the journal, from its founding as the “Geriatric Nephrology and Urology,” through the fusion with “International Urology and Nephrology,” to his successfully leading it as an international, highly respected journal. And we are very proud that he will remain on the Board as the journal’s Founding Editor.

In closing, I would also like to thank the new Editors-in-Chief for their readiness to take on their new positions and the duties they entail. I am confident they will lead the Journal to new heights in the years ahead.

Annette Hinze

Publishing Editor, Springer