Volume 19 Number 1 Winter 2002

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Dear readers,

You are too kind. Your responses to the readership survey distributed with the last issue of Stanford Medicine were overwhelmingly positive – with the notable exceptions of comments from a small but passionate group regarding readability.

You told us: Keep doing what you’ve been doing – but please make it a little easier to read. Many of you stated this with more eloquence and/or color, but that was the message.

I hope this issue will convince you that we "get it." We have left the tone and topics we cover unchanged. And because respondents were enthusiastic about the magazine’s general look, we have kept that unaltered as well. What we have changed is the appearance of the text. To ease your reading we have increased the font size and have opened up more space between each line of text.

More facts about the responses:

• 97 percent of the respondents rated the overall content and writing as excellent or good
• 93 percent rated the photos as excellent or good
• 93 percent rated the illustrations as excellent or good
• 78 percent have a high or somewhat high interest in clinical research
• 59 percent have a high or somewhat high interest in basic research
• Respondents were least interested in opinion pieces, poetry, fiction and administrative addresses
• 54 percent spend an hour or more reading the magazine
• Our effort to foster a sense of belonging to the Medical Center community is quite successful, with 72 percent responding that the magazine accomplishes this
• The degree of participation in the survey came to 1.5 percent, within the range we had expected.

Suggestions for innovations were also very helpful. They included:

• Perhaps a small section on current advocacy issues –might get some of us to join in
• Add a two- to five-page section that gives a short summary of each department’s progress since the previous issue
• At least one article on a common problem that affects millions.

Many thanks to all the many readers who responded. We have compiled your suggestions and promise to get rolling on as many as prove feasible as quickly as possible. As always, we hope you find this issue of Stanford Medicine informative and enjoyable.

Sincerely,

Rosanne Spector
Editor
Stanford Medicine