April

Harry was born in Edmonton, attended the University of Michigan for 1 year, and then UBC for 3 years. He received his medical training at McGill University, graduating in 1948. He interned in Montreal and Vancouver and then established a general practice in New Westminster. He served on the advisory board of St. Mary’s Hospital, was chief of staff at Royal Columbian Hospital, and then president of the Westminster Medical Association.

A new integrated, evidence-based approach to the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) is expected to keep approximately 2400 women annually in BC safer and closer to home.

Dr Peter von Dadelszen, Sherry Hamilton, and an international team of expert clinicians and decision-makers have integrated three lines of enquiry into a new guideline for management of the HDP. This guideline reflects both the variable presentation and the systemic nature of gestational hypertension. The three lines of enquiry are:

• A model of standardized assessment and surveillance of HDP.

Bravo to Dr James Miles for his article, “Snake oil revisited: For doctors’ eyes only” (BCMJ 2006;48:[1]:20-21). Being a UBC Med graduate of 1995, I would like your readers to know that his skeptical approach to alternative medical therapies is not limited to the cohort of retired physicians.

There is a very public debate taking place in the media at present relating to the editorial autonomy of the Canadian Medical Association Journal. At issue is the recent firing of the Journal’s editor in chief, Dr John Hoey, and senior deputy editor, Anne Marie Todkill, on 20 February. Acting editor, Dr Stephen Choi, resigned from the CMAJ after 1 week in that position following the CMA’s refusal to accept a 10-point governance plan that he had devised.

I have refrained from adding my voice to the recent tsunami of editorials clamoring over the firing of the editor and deputy editor of the CMAJ because I felt that without knowing the whole story, my comments would only end up parroting the already impressive list of medical journalists’ published statements of what seems to be philosophically obvious. However, recent comments by C.S. on DocLounge (essentially stating that because the BCMJ has not commented, we feel that editorial independence is unimportant) require a comment.