This is my first issue as editor of the Newsletter. Many able people have preceded me, and I am honored to have been chosen. I am pleased that many staff members will be staying on to work with me, and gratified to have already discovered that when called upon, our members contribute their efforts readily and articulately. To those who are leaving the staff, thank you for your fine work in the past. A special thanks goes to the outgoing editor, Allan Rosenblatt. Allan was in charge during years in which strong, sometimes divisive issues were being worked on and worked out. Everyone did not always agree with him, but his integrity was unquestioned. He worked hard to avoid a danger he saw that the Newsletter might escape controversy at the price of becoming politically safe and therefore bland—harmless, but boring. I plan to continue Allan's and his predecessors' commitment to fully informing the membership and to providing every member a means of communicating information and contrasting opinions of all sorts—controversial or not. That is what our Newsletter is for. I also will continue our traditional commitment to editorial excellence.
There is no need for major changes. You will notice some new names on the masthead and some modifications of design. The format will be basically the same. In this issue, I have preempted a few stories and given more space than has been usual in the past to the review of a single issue — clinical training for nonmedical candidates. I may do this more often if the response is favorable. In addition to the question of nonphysician training, which will occupy much space in coming months, there are other issues which might lend themselves to such treatment; peer review, trends in psychoanalytic practice, and the question of our public image and whether we should be trying to shape it are ones that come to mind. The occasional use of such a format might require having to catch up on some of the news in subsequent issues, but might be worthwhile overall.
I am interested in your response and your participation. The Newsletter relies on contributions and ideas from members to make it interesting, lively, and relevant. Are you or people you know doing things or working with problems—such as sociopolitical, educational, and organizational ones—that would be interesting or useful for all of us to know about? Do you have opinions you think should be heard? If so, contact me directly. Your ideas are most welcome.
Gerald I. Fogel
Editor