A Farewell Message

Nearly 7 years ago to the day, I wrote to the readers of Today’s Wound Clinic (TWC) for the first time. As the newly minted managing editor of TWC, I shared a story about my first experience with a chronic wound patient, my great-grandmother, a woman who lived to be 100 years old thanks in part to the treatment she received for her nonhealing ulcers.¹ I also wrote about my admiration for health care providers and the real sense of fulfillment and pride I feel when collaborating with clinicians and other professionals through health care publishing, including my 10 years as a journalist in this industry.

Today I write to you to share that my career has taken me down a new path, but I want to express my continued admiration and gratitude for the many personal and professional relationships I have developed during my time with TWC. As of the February issue, I participated in my last deadline as managing editor of TWC and have accepted a new opportunity as the Director of Alumni Relations at Rosemont College, a small school located along suburban Philadelphia’s Main Line where I earned my Master’s degree in 2011. Although I will miss the creative rush that accompanies the oversight of a print publication, website, videos, and podcast, not to mention the daily interaction with our expert advisory board members and others who make TWC possible, this new opportunity provides me the chance to work in a setting of higher education, which I have long aspired to join. That said, I know without question that it is the experiences I have gained over the last 7 years that have prepared me for this next step in my career. I know that I will take the many great experiences and conversations with me as I embark on this next phase of my professional life.

When I introduced myself to you all in March 2012, I made it a point of saying that I saw this publication not as “mine” per se, but as yours, those who treat wound care patients every day. At the time, I assumed we would share this publication and bring influential content to readers. And we have done exactly that. Together, we have grown TWC into a monthly print distribution and developed a biweekly enewsletter. We have seen the podcast welcomed into iTunes, iHeartRadio, and Spotify – exposure that grants us another avenue to share important wound-related information to a larger audience. We have developed poignant columns, recruited new authors, and expanded on our fantastic advisory board.

Personally, I have also grown so much with so many of you over the years, even if it wasn’t readily apparent. Since the time I first walked through the doors of HMP, I married and had a beautiful, bouncing baby boy with my wife. I am a husband and  father who has grown just as much in my everyday life as I have professionally. And you have all been there with me. What started off as emails and conference calls led to invitations to your outpatient wound clinics, where I met so many of your peers and patients, some of whom wore their emotions on their sleeves as they recounted the pain and joy that can occur with chronic wound management. Together, our award-winning Facility in Focus series optimized everything TWC was intended to be: a publication for wound clinics about wound clinics. Ever since my first appearance at the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care Spring conference, where I would begin to meet the many brilliant, hard-working, and absolutely tireless professionals who have spent their lives dedicated to the care of patients who are living with chronic wounds, I knew this opportunity with all of you was not one to take for granted. So, thank you, even if it is unknowingly, for all that you have brought to me over the years. 

1. Darrah J. From the editor: an admiration for healthcare professionals. TWC. 2012;6(3):4.