As regular readers will know, I like to keep my editorials brief but informative. In this issue of the JBI we take the opportunity to present a number of exchanges between our authors and our readers. It is part of our remit to encourage reasoned debate and we welcome such dialogue either in brief letters or in the form of extended commentaries on articles we have published. In addition we bring to our readers a number of thoughtful and provocative original research papers. Inquiries about such contributions should be sent to Kate.Cregan@monash.edu.

In this issue we are also pleased to announce, on behalf of the Board and the Committee, a warm welcome to our most recent additions to the ranks of our Associate Editors. Sarah Winch of the University of Queensland joins Mal Parker as joint AE for Clinical Ethics. As we go to press we are also extremely pleased to be able to announce that Lynn Gillam, Academic Director of the Centre for Children’s Bioethics at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne and internationally recognised expert in ethics and children’s health, has become our Associate Editor (Children’s Bioethics).

We remind our readers that we also welcome unsolicited contributions of reviews of books, film and documentaries in coming issues. If you would like to review a particular publication, please contact Katrina Bramstedt, our Associate Editor, Reviews. Proposals for symposia from interested conveners and guidelines for submissions can be obtained either from the Editor-in-Chief or the Managing Editor.

Finally, we alert readers that we have the pleasure of presenting a symposium on dignity in 7(4) edited by Dr Claire Hooker of the University of Sydney.