Mark Lebwohl MD graduated from Columbia College in 1974 and from Harvard Medical School in 1978. He completed residencies in internal medicine and dermatology, both at Mount Sinai. Dr. Lebwohl has been practicing dermatology since 1983 and is professor and chairman of the Department of Dermatology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Lebwohl has served as president of the New York Dermatological Society, the Manhattan Dermatologic Society, the New York State Society of Dermatology, and as chairman of the Dermatology Section of the New York Academy of Medicine. Dr. Lebwohl is on the board of directors of the AAD, chairman of the Medical Board of the National Psoriasis Foundation, and senior associate editor for the JDD.
JDD: What do you think of the concept of JDD to the realm of dermatological literature—does it fill a gap?
Dr. Lebwohl: Yes, the JDD definitely fills a niche. There are articles that simply would not appear if JDD weren't there. It manages to get a good mix of articles that need to get published but may not be priority for the other leading journals. The JDD publishes positive as well as negative data, which I think is very important and provides an incredibly valuable resource for dermatologists.
Dr. Lebwohl: Yes, the JDD definitely fills a niche. There are articles that simply would not appear if JDD weren't there. It manages to get a good mix of articles that need to get published but may not be priority for the other leading journals. The JDD publishes positive as well as negative data, which I think is very important and provides an incredibly valuable resource for dermatologists.
JDD: What has been your favorite aspect of the journal and what do you like best?
Dr. Lebwohl: I especially enjoy the special topic articles being combined into one issue. It is interesting to read a series of articles on related topics and there are always other subjects mixed in as well, so there is variety in every issue and there are articles in every issue that are of interest to me.
Dr. Lebwohl: I especially enjoy the special topic articles being combined into one issue. It is interesting to read a series of articles on related topics and there are always other subjects mixed in as well, so there is variety in every issue and there are articles in every issue that are of interest to me.
JDD: How have you seen JDD grow over the past decade? Do you feel that the articles in the Journal have improved? Have you seen an increase in the quality of articles over the years?
Dr. Lebwohl: Yes, the JDD has become one of the more important journals in dermatology. Certainly, when pharmaceutical companies have new data on their products, they look to publish in the JDD. The editors have worked hard to establish JDD as an important component of the dermatologic literature and whenever you meet Perry Robins and Jim Spencer, it is very clear that getting good articles to the journal is foremost on their minds.
Dr. Lebwohl: Yes, the JDD has become one of the more important journals in dermatology. Certainly, when pharmaceutical companies have new data on their products, they look to publish in the JDD. The editors have worked hard to establish JDD as an important component of the dermatologic literature and whenever you meet Perry Robins and Jim Spencer, it is very clear that getting good articles to the journal is foremost on their minds.
JDD: Do you feel that JDD has been beneficial in your practice / field, and how so?
Dr. Lebwohl: Yes, I often refer to the JDD in my practice and just to give an example, the update that was published on the 4-year safety data for Ustekinumab (March 2012) is one that I quote to many patients because of the questions raised about immunosuppression. The JDD does a service by making new information available to us, which helps us to give the best care to our patients.
Dr. Lebwohl: Yes, I often refer to the JDD in my practice and just to give an example, the update that was published on the 4-year safety data for Ustekinumab (March 2012) is one that I quote to many patients because of the questions raised about immunosuppression. The JDD does a service by making new information available to us, which helps us to give the best care to our patients.
JDD: Do you feel that the distribution of eJDD to 23,000 dermatologists around the world is a good initiative?
Dr. Lebwohl: The fact that it is free has made the journal much more important. The JDD is circulated to every dermatologist in the world, which is a huge advantage, and the JDD has begun to exceed other journals that are not free.
Dr. Lebwohl: The fact that it is free has made the journal much more important. The JDD is circulated to every dermatologist in the world, which is a huge advantage, and the JDD has begun to exceed other journals that are not free.
JDD: What do you feel is of least value in the journal?
Dr. Lebwohl: The JDD has had some articles on plant-derived medicine and nutritional supplements that are not usually of interest to me, but looking at them, it was good that they were published. It is good to have some publications in our top journals on non-traditional medicines.
Dr. Lebwohl: The JDD has had some articles on plant-derived medicine and nutritional supplements that are not usually of interest to me, but looking at them, it was good that they were published. It is good to have some publications in our top journals on non-traditional medicines.
JDD: What would you like to see more of?
Dr. Lebwohl: More of the same, I like the mix of articles in the JDD and would encourage the editors to keep publishing just as they are.
Dr. Lebwohl: More of the same, I like the mix of articles in the JDD and would encourage the editors to keep publishing just as they are.
