AFP is pleased to make a special announcement: We are welcoming two new medical editors to our staff. Mark Ebell, M.D., previous editor of the Journal of Family Practice, will be joining AFP on March 1 as the journal's deputy editor for evidence-based medicine. Dr. Ebell will hold a continuing part-time appointment with the Department of Family Practice at Michigan State University, and he is also in private practice in Athens, Ga.

Dr. Ebell, known for his work in evidence-based medicine, will bring his many talents and vision to enhancing concepts of evidence-based medicine in AFP. In his new role, Dr. Ebell will oversee AFP's current evidence-based departments, including “Clinical Evidence: A Publication of BMJ Publishing Group” (see page 1041), “Cochrane for Clinicians: Putting Evidence into Practice,” “U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Recommendations and Rationale,” and “Putting Prevention into Practice: An Evidence-Based Approach.” Dr. Ebell will also help bring additional evidence-based departments to light over the next several months, contributing to AFP's mission of providing family physicians with practical, readily accessible information to help them take better care of patients.

In addition to helping launch new evidence-based departments—which will start with selected POEMs from the InfoRetriever Clinical Awareness System—Dr. Ebell will help bring readers more evidence-based reviews that meet the criteria for the American Academy of Family Physicians' evidence-based CME (EB CME). He will also help oversee and develop AFP's online content, including a section of the AFP Web site on evidence-based medicine. We hope you will join us in welcoming Dr. Ebell as we add him to the masthead next month.

On February 1, AFP welcomed a new medical editor for the “Clinical Pharmacology” series, Allen Shaughnessy, Pharm.D., who is also director of research and associate residency director at the Harrisburg Family Practice Residency in Harrisburg, Pa.; director of medical education, Pinnacle Health System, Harrisburg, Pa., and senior medical editor, InfoPOEM, Inc.

Dr. Shaughnessy will be overseeing “Clinical Pharmacology” updates with an evidence-based approach, and he'll also be introducing a series of short updates on new drugs, called “STEPS,” which stands for safety, tolerability, effectiveness, price and simplicity.

Departing from AFP are three editors whom we owe our gratitude and thanks:

• Grace Brooke Huffman, M.D., departed last fall after 10 years' affiliation with the journal. She first served as a medical editing fellow and later became associate editor.

• Robert B. Kelly, M.D., served as contributing editor for patient information over the past two years and departed at the end of last year.

• Richard W. Sloan, M.D., R.Ph., departed earlier this year after serving as contributing editor of the “Clinical Pharmacology” series for over 10 years.

These editors have made significant contributions to AFP, and we have enjoyed working with each of them over the years.