Marty and Ann Murphy, co-founders of AlphaMed Press, publisher of The Oncologist, will be retiring from this publication as of January 1, 2022, having completed 26 years of guiding their fledgling journal into maturity. I have had the pleasure of working closely with the Murphys as the Editor-in-Chief and, in the process, have come to regard them and their extended family as my closest friends and colleagues in arms.

Bruce A. Chabner, MD Editor-in-Chief

As Marty and Ann note in their parting comments, we have at times innovated, anticipated, and admonished in these pages, but at all times carried forward the message that informing the practice of oncology was our primary goal. Innovation: memorable papers on osteonecrosis as a side-effect of bisphosphonates and IDH mutations in cholangiocarcinoma. Anticipation: many papers on the early work on targeted therapies, our Molecular Tumor Board series, the Schwartz Center Rounds, the Bates-Fojo initiative to establish a format for publishing early trials (Clinical Trial Results), and our support for Rick Pazdur and accelerated approvals by the FDA. Admonishment: the need to address disparities in cancer care; misinformation regarding COVID and the mishandling of public health responses and the degrading of science by the Trump administration; the perils of ghost writing and self-plagiarism. These were among our notable opportunities to inform and move the field of oncology forward at the level of practice. The initial concept of the journal as a publisher of timely review and perspective pieces has evolved with the expansion of clinical research. Our predominant publications are now original research papers that cover an ever-broadening field, with an additional focus on molecular oncology and immunotherapy, health disparities, supportive care, financial toxicity, and quality of life after cancer.

In the course of these 26 years, the journal has been blessed with a cadre of exceptional senior and section editors, too numerous to mention, but many are acknowledged in the Murphy editorial. As the Editor-in-Chief over these decades, I can only thank Marty and Ann for their abiding faith in the future of the journal and its contributors, and their willingness to navigate the journal through turbulent waters at times. The transfer of publication rights to the venerable Oxford University Press assures the journal of proper support by an academically minded publisher for years to come. It is time for a transition in the editorial leadership as well, and for this reason, I will hand over the reins to a new Editor-in-Chief on July 1, 2022. I do this with great pride in what we have published and with gratitude for the camaraderie and friendship of Susan Bates, Tito Fojo, Oliver Sartor, and so many others who have steadfastly carried the banner of The Oncologist forward. And most of all, Marty and Ann.