Editorial

A Dream Come True

NYSDJ Editor Stuart Segelnick traces the path that brought him to the helm of his favorite member benefit.

There are many facets of a well-made journal. Producing an exceptional publication such as The NYSDJ takes a lot of time, effort and commitment by its staff: Editor Chester Gary, Managing Editor Mary Stoll, Advertising and Sponsorship Manager Jeanne DeGuire and Art Director Ed Stevens, as well as its contributors and Editorial Review Board members. Dr. Gary has done an amazing job these past eight years at the helm, writing award-winning editorials and working tirelessly to help bring ADA Commons, our indexing platform, to fruition. He has also been an inspiration and trusted advisor to me, as were past editors Dr. Kevin Hanley and the late Dr. Elliott Moskowitz. I am humbled, happy, in fact, ecstatic, to have been chosen by NYSDA to help lead our flagship publication as your new editor.

You may be wondering how I got here? Sometimes I do too. I have to go back to 1992, when I picked up the July issue of The NYSDJ and was delighted to read an editorial about the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine celebrating its centennial anniversary. Admittedly, my interest was heightened by the fact that I had graduated just a month earlier from UB, but it was then that I became hooked on what I still consider to be one of

the best benefits of my membership in organized dentistry. Move ahead to the autumn of 2009. A teary-eyed tribute I wrote about a wonderful patient was printed in the Bulletin of the Second District Dental Society called “Hard to Say Goodbye.” This same article received the 2010 Bernard P. Tillis Award, presented by NYSDA for excellence in dental writing, and was reprinted in The NYSDJ. Receiving this prestigious award helped increase my confidence in my writing skills and encouraged me to continue submitting articles to the SDDS Bulletin. In 2015, I was appointed editor of the Bulletin. During these past 10 years, I honed my editorial skills under the guidance and support of the SDDS, especially Executive Director Bernie Hackett, staff member Shayo Farinre and Publishing Committee Chair Dr. Howard Lieb. And I entertained a dream of becoming editor of The NYSDJ. I stayed involved in publishing as a member, then president (2021-2022), of the American Association of Dental Editors and Journalists, which put me in touch with great editors across the country.

Writing is a Learning Experience

At this point, some words about my professional credentials are in order. I found my first job in a private periodontal practice in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn in 1994 after receiving a specialty certificate in periodontology from Temple University Dental School. My mentor and boss Dr. J. Herman Beckelman wisely pushed me to join Brookdale University Hospital as an attending periodontist. Hospital dentistry is important in many ways, notably, by helping to treat the health needs of underserved people. New York State has one of the most numerous hospitalbased dental residency programs in the country. To all our members who are involved in hospital-based programs, please, consider sharing your knowledge with our readers by documenting interesting cases you come across and sending them to us for possible publication.

Some years later, while teaching at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, New York Hospital Queens, and working at my office, I decided to do a little research. With guidance from Dr. Sebastian Ciancio, my former teacher at the University at Buffalo, I surveyed both hospital patients and private-practice patients about their flossing habits and sent my article to the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA). Months later, I received a letter from theneditor Dr. Marjorie Jeffcoat saying that my article would not be accepted without major, recommended revisions.

My head was spinning. It seemed too huge of an endeavor to satisfy all the requested modifications and, frankly, some were, in my opinion, unwarranted. Looking back, I would advise my younger self and you, my hopeful potential authors, to provide all the revisions and explain the ones you truly feel need not be revised and resubmit the paper. However, in this instance, I corrected most of what was asked and pivoted, sending my article to The NYSDJ. I’ll never forget how happy I was to receive a letter of acceptance from the editor, Dr. Elliott Moskowitz. The article was published in the May/June 2004 issue as the cover story!

Since then, I have written or coauthored several clinical articles, including the cover story of the July 2024 JADA, which required major revisions and then minor revisions before being accepted for publication. And, yes, I learned my lesson and followed through on the recommended changes.

One more glance at the past, to 1999, when, thanks to Dr. Bob Schoor, who was my instructor at Temple, I started teaching at NYU College of Dentistry, in the postgraduate advanced education periodontal program. Here is where I came to understand the value of collaboration, that writing with a group of people is much more educational and enjoyable. I invite faculty and students from our dental schools to consider collaborating on the writing of interesting case reports and research manuscripts for submission to The Journal.

Likewise, I view the many dental meetings occurring within our state, such as the Greater New York Dental Meeting and Northeastern Society of Periodontists, to be fertile ground for Journal submissions. I urge all of these diverse organizations to consider submitting their best posters and case reports to The NYSDJ.

Thank You

Without my dental school and hospital affiliations, all the great mentors, colleagues, students and residents I met along the way; without the SDDS, NYSDA and the profound influence of The NYSDJ, I wouldn’t be here today. I thank you all for having a hand in transforming me into your editor. I pledge to continue the legacy of The NYSDJ, but doing so will not be possible without your sustained support.