VCU news

By Joe Kuttenkuler

RICHMOND, Va. – Richard P. Wenzel, M.D., M.Sc., chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University, has been appointed as the first editor-at-large at The New England Journal of Medicine. The appointment was announced in an editorial published in the Sept. 13 edition of the journal.

The appointment comes at a time when the editorial boards of many medical journals are attempting to minimize the potential for conflict of interest in their publications. Considered one of the most prestigious academic publications in the field of medicine in the world, NEJM had sought an independent editor to make decisions on manuscripts that are submitted to the journal by the editor, associate or deputy editors or members of the editorial board.

In his new capacity, Wenzel will choose referees to evaluate the submissions, will review the resulting critiques and make final decisions regarding acceptance or rejection of the manuscripts. Wenzel served for eight years on the NEJM editorial board, beginning in 1992. Since he stepped off the board late last year, he has frequently been called on to serve in the role of an editor-at-large on an ad hoc basis.

An internationally recognized expert on infectious disease, Wenzel is a frequently sought editorialist for leading medical journals because of his vision of the field, critical appraisal of data and clear writing style. He is the editor of five textbooks and 450 scientific articles and has received several awards for research and teaching. Wenzel was named chairman of VCU’s Department of Internal Medicine in 1995.