Dr. John O'Keefe
This marks the last time my editorial will appear in the print version of the Journal of the Canadian Dental Association. The edition in your hands now is the final in a series of publications dating back to January 1935. In the almost 80 years since then, much has changed in our profession and at CDA. It’s time to tell the story of Canadian dentistry—and the role of CDA in shaping that story—in new and engaging ways. CDA’s new magazine, set to launch this April, promises to do just that.
The magazine will continue to be published in English and French, but its frequency will increase. Its content mix will focus on news of national importance, feature stories about issues and people, highlight clinically pertinent articles, and provide updates on initiatives that CDA and other dental organizations undertake on your behalf. We want to keep you informed about new political, economic, social, technological, clinical and business management developments that will have an impact on dentists.
Through the magazine, we will aim to bring a fresh perspective to these important stories. Just as history is more than only generals and battles, I believe the stories of our profession should reflect the concerns and accomplishments of a broad cross-section of people—the individuals who provide exemplary oral health care to Canadians (and others) day in and day out. We want you to see yourself reflected in the pages of this new publication and hope you will eagerly anticipate its arrival on your desk.
We’ll also continue to develop clinical information for your desktop and mobile devices. Through our online Oasis initiative, we will deliver content to support your clinical decisions, when and where you need it—at the point of patient care. Our Board has supported the development of CDA mobile apps to ensure that this information is at your fingertips. We will continue to contribute to the scientific literature through www.jcda.ca which will remain as CDA’s scholarly publication. For almost 10 years, the online English-language version of JCDA has been indexed in Medline and Journal Citation Reports and this will not change. However, I envisage that our future scholarly journal efforts will have a greater focus on clinical reviews and primary research from Canada’s dental schools.
In anticipation of the launch of the magazine, we reached out to over 100 dentists across Canada and asked what would make them want to open a new publication from CDA. The responses were clear, in terms of their thoughts on a compelling content mix and an appealing look and format for the magazine. Their opinions are consistent with the views expressed in our readership surveys and those of other professional association publications.
We feel confident with the road map for the new magazine, but we’ll need to continually consult with you—the Canadian dentist—to make sure we keep going in the right direction. Surveys and periodic consultations are valuable, but we will also need story ideas about what is significant to you—perhaps colleagues who are doing interesting things within dentistry and beyond, or questions on your mind about clinical or other matters.
I feel privileged to be asked to help tell the story of our proud, caring profession. However, I truly want this story to be told from your perspective. I welcome your ideas and suggestions on how to add value to your professional life through the pages of CDA’s new magazine. Please contact me any time for a conversation.