Clinics in Colon and Rectal Surgery: The Past 10 Years and Look Ahead

Scott R. Steele, MD, MBA, FACS, FASCRS, FPSCRS (Hon.)

I was given the wonderful opportunity to become Editor-in-Chief of Clinics in Colon and Rectal Surgery in 2016, following Dr. David Beck. Prior to this, I had served as a guest editor for Clinics on several volumes. For me, Clinics served a unique niche—staying up to date on the latest in treating patients with colorectal surgical disease in a concise, yet comprehensive, format. Also, by installing the guest editor approach, the journal brought a wide range of opinions, experiences, and expertise to the reader that was not possible with other formats.

With a new editor came a new look, and the traditional silver and blue cover was replaced by the hues one sees today. In addition, we chose to expand our “review-based” format and include a “Hot Topics” volume—looking at the more controversial and novel approaches encountered in colorectal surgery. In 2017, we expanded from four to five volumes per year, and in 2018, this increased to six annual volumes—the number at which we have remained since then. Along the way, we overhauled our editorial board, bringing a new set of national and international leaders into the fold. We also made a concerted effort to include more leaders from all over the world to share their unique aspects to caring for patients with colorectal disease. With it came articles from Japan, Brazil, Korea, the UK, Netherlands, Spain, and others. It was inspiring for our team to see the similarities and differences, and it provided a lot of “tips” and approaches that I personally have used clinically to this day.

In addition to disease-based themes, we have expanded our topics to include volumes on leadership, women in colorectal surgery, education and training, quality, and burnout. Further, translational research on the mesentery and microbiome has provided other areas that have not been covered in the past. By looking beyond the clinic and OR, our aim is to touch more on matters that affect all aspects of our readers' professional (and sometimes personal) lives.

As with the times, we also began our social media journey, led by Drs. Kyle Cologne, Jon Abelson, and now, Claire Sokas. Further, translational research on the mesentery and microbiome have provided information on other areas that had not been covered in the past. Expanding our online and mobile presence, providing opportunities to interact with our readers, initiating early-bird online publishing, and including a brief overview through a multi-media approach were all an attempt to remain at the forefront of surgical education.

Looking ahead, we are updating our submission system, we will have tools in place to detect plagiarism, and we will expand our multi-media platforms and continue to provide cutting-edge information from all around the world. Looking back, I would like to thank the numerous guest editors and authors who have endured countless hours of work to provide incredible content for the journal. Additionally, I would like to call out current and past members of the editorial board, who provide wisdom, ideas, and oversight of our journal. To the behind-the-scenes editorial and managing team, you have been amazing partners through continuing to streamline and modernize the journal. But most of all, I would like to thank our readers for your steadfast support over so many years. Without you, it is all just words on a page.

Publication History

Article published online:
19 December 2025