By Shawn Kennedy, AJN editorial director/interim editor-in-chief

I know some people think it’s crass and self-serving to announce awards.  Sometimes I agree, especially if it’s the “I” award – I did this, I did that, I’ve been named to this or that commission.

But I have to announce these awards because not to do it is unfair to the many  people who work very hard behind the scenes to get each issue of AJN out the door and in your hands. Every reference and every fact is checked; articles are edited, second-edited, copyedited, and then proofread multiple times. There’s a pre-edit meeting with the author; there’s an art meeting; there are weekly editorial meetings. It takes editors, freelancers, clinical editors, knowledgeable authors with great stories, copyeditors, a librarian, our talented design and production teams, and our editorial and department coordinators to work together to develop each article, each issue. Some of the people who took part in working on these pieces are no longer here and I will be sure they learn about these awards, as it is truly a team effort.

So it’s with pride and thanks to those who made it happen that I share our news about the six (count ‘em – six!) awards to AJN announced by the American Society of Healthcare Publication Editors (ASHPE):

GOLD award – Feature Article

The Vietnam Women’s Memorial: Better Late Than Never

Kay E. Schwebke; May 2009;

SILVER award – Signed Editorial 

Who’s Watching?

Diana J. Mason; March 2009 

SILVER […]

By Shawn Kennedy, MA, RN, editorial director

At the opening briefing at the conference of the Association of Health Care Journalists, Tom Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), unveiled a new report on state-specific tobacco control measures. As health commissioner in New York City until he took his current post last June, Frieden gained a reputation for tackling chronic health issues. (We reported in 2007 on his controversial diabetes initiative.)

Frieden says that while there is a clear change in societal attitudes towards tobacco use (for example, he says, we’ve moved from “Would you like a cigarette?” to “Do you mind if I smoke?”), progress in reducing tobacco use has been stalled since 2004. He noted the significant success of graphic “counter-marketing” efforts (ads depicting individuals who have physical disabilities, amputations, and laryngectomies as a result of tobacco use) in reducing smoking rates (though at least one study reported by the BBC has suggested that such in-your-face ads may be more likely to keep people smoking than to make them quit). However, said Frieden, “Tobacco taxation is the single most effective tool, accounting for half or more of the reduction in tobacco use.” Among the findings Frieden highlighted: […]