Dr. Marjorie K. Jeffcoat, a renowned dental researcher, educator and practitioner, will succeed Dr. Lawrence H. Meskin as editor of the nation’s premier dental journal, The Journal of the American Dental Association.
A 1976 graduate of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and immediate past president of the International Association for Dental Research, Dr. Jeffcoat will be the first woman to hold the JADA editorship since the publication was founded as a quarterly bulletin in 1913.
The newly selected editor said she was "honored" by the appointment, ratified Aug. 5 by the ADA Board of Trustees.
"I look forward to working with the officers and staff, and assessing what members want in their journal," said Dr. Jeffcoat, professor and chair, Department of Periodontics, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry.
JADA, she said, should continue to be dentistry’s "journal of record, the first place dentists look when seeking the latest clinical research and other information they can use in their daily practices.
"It’s imperative," she added, "that JADA meet the needs of the chairside dentist, its primary audience."
Starting in October, Dr. Jeffcoat will work with Dr. Meskin and staff members until Dec. 31, when Dr. Meskin officially steps down. The overlap is meant to ensure a smooth transition from one editor to the next.
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Dr. Marjorie K. Jeffcoat
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Dr. Jeffcoat’s appointment culminates an 11-month search that started in September 2000, just days after Dr. Meskin announced that he would vacate the post at the end of this year.
A nine-member committee of past and present ADA trustees, dental editors and publishing professionals oversaw the search process, acting on behalf of the Board of Directors of ADA Business Enterprises Inc., the Association’s for-profit subsidiary that includes the publishing division.
At its July meeting, the ADABEI board selected Dr. Jeffcoat from a field of nearly two dozen candidates and forwarded its choice to the ADA Board for ratification.
"Dr. Jeffcoat was selected from a field of highly qualified candidates," said Dr. Robert M. Anderton, ADA president and Board chair. "As the editorship of the world’s most widely read and respected dental journal passes from the very capable hands of Dr. Meskin, the board is confident that Dr. Jeffcoat’s outstanding background and talent will ensure continuing excellence."
In addition to chairing UAB’s Department of Periodontics, Dr. Jeffcoat also is a professor in UAB’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and holds the James Rosen Endowed Chair of Dental Research.
A widely published author (a simple listing of her published works runs more than 17 pages), Dr. Jeffcoat most recently has been prominent among researchers exploring the link between oral infection and systemic disease.
She is a long-time member of the JADA Editorial Board and a frequent contributor to The Journal. In July 2001, for example, Dr. Jeffcoat was the lead author of a JADA cover story on "Periodontal Infection and Preterm Birth: Results of a Prospective Study."
And in June 1999, she was among a team of researchers who authored a JADA report on "The Cost-Effectiveness of a New Chlorhexidine Delivery System in the Treatment of Adult Periodontitis."
Dr. Meskin, who has known Dr. Jeffcoat for nearly 20 years, says he holds her in the highest regard.
"She’s an outstanding choice," he said of his successor. "She has the knowledge and skills to take The Journal to the next level. Her appointment will ensure that the latest clinical research developments will be found in JADA."
