A letter from the editorial office of the Southern Medical Journal.

In keeping with our dedication to meeting the educational and professional needs of our readers and to broaden their knowledge of the numerous excellent medical facilities available, we are adding a feature to the Southern Medical Journal titled "Centers of Excellence." By highlighting various medical centers in the Journal, we hope to increase the influence of these facilities as well as to inform our readers of the services available at these centers and of the centers' history and scientific contributions. We think that this feature will better enable clinicians in our reader base to learn about centers where state-of-the-art and cutting-edge knowledge can be found. We think that this feature is particularly important in light of the rapidly changing face of medicine and will equip physicians to provide better care to their patients.

Although the Southern Medical Journal is the flagship publication of the Southern Medical Association, our sincere desire is to highlight medical facilities from all regions of the United States, not only those located within the southeastern United States and the District of Columbia. Because we receive an ever-increasing number of manuscript submissions from all parts of the United States and the world, we think it important to include all centers that excel in medical research and discovery, regardless of whether they are technically part of the Southern Medical Association.

The "Centers of Excellence" feature will not appear in every issue. Instead, its frequency will be guided by reader interest and recommendations. Anyone who would like to contribute an original manuscript describing the contributions or achievements of a particular institution is encouraged to contact us by telephone or by email. The editorial office will make all manuscript selections, and all proposals must be discussed with the editor before manuscript is submitted. Published manuscripts will be approximately 1,500 words in length, or 1,000 words if the authors choose to include an illustration. We hope that articles included in the "Centers of Excellence" feature will increase not only the knowledge of our readers but also the national and international recognition of the institution itself.

The Southern Medical Journal strives to maintain its commitment to being an accessible source of information and to providing its readership with the tools needed to ensure that patients receive state-of-the-art medical care and the quality of life they deserve. We hope that this new feature will be a trusted resource for our readers.

The Editorial Staff

Contact the SMJ Editorial Staff at [e-mail] or by telephone at [phone].