Advances at Preventing Chronic Disease: Public Health

In 2003, Drs James Marks and Lynne Wilcox began developing a plan to realize their vision of creating a scholarly journal that would strengthen the links connecting public health research, practice, and policy with regard to chronic diseases. Their vision resulted in the publication the following year of Preventing Chronic Disease: Public Health Research, Practice, and Policy (PCD). As we start our 10th year of publication, we can reflect on what has been accomplished and what might be on the horizon. In the accompanying editorial, Dr Wilcox describes the importance of the journal’s focus on chronic disease in 2004 and highlights some of the early milestones in the journal’s development (1). One of the core drivers for starting PCD was the recognition that the field of public health would benefit from an open access forum for sharing successes and lessons learned in order to increase the quality, relevance, and effectiveness of our efforts and to improve their efficiency. The journal’s focus on chronic conditions and its commitment to providing a forum for sharing best practices and innovations is just as important today as it was a decade ago, and will increasingly be so in the future. PCD has grown and changed with advances in technology and public health science to meet the changing demands of the field. In 2004, the journal was among the first to be published only in electronic format. The landscape of e-publishing has dramatically changed since then. In a world of increasing demand and constricting resources, there is an increasing push to use these resources effectively and efficiently. Since its inception, the journal has evolved to meet these challenges. PCD will continue to build on its solid foundation and expand its efforts by increasing its quality, relevance, impact, and efficiency. The changes and developments at the journal in 2012 demonstrate our continued commitment to the field b