Gojanovic Boris1,2
1 Hôpital de La Tour, Swiss Olympic Medical Center, 1217 Meyrin, Switzerland
2 Sport & Exercise Medicine Switzerland (SEMS) president
Time… that human invention that measures and moves inexorably forward. Time passes, time flies, the stopwatch keeps running; it never turns back. For athletes, it is both the goal and the tormentor. We are often its slaves. For physicians, it is sometimes lacking. We do not take enough of it.
Today, for me, it is time to slow down, to hand over, to pass the baton. To allow the next generation to set off with renewed momentum. It is this image of the relay race in ¬athletics that comes to mind as I sit before the blank page of this final editorial as Editor-in-Chief of your SEMS Journal, and as I take the time, one last time, to share with you a few reflections on our wonderful profession and on our role in sports and exercise medicine.
I would like to speak to you about the values that have guided me over the 13 years I have spent at the helm of the journal, and that will continue to energize my days for the time I still have left to contribute to SEMS and to the medical profession. There are five of them: legacy, knowledge, sharing, curiosity, and passion. I shall allow myself to borrow the words of the great scientists and thinkers of our civilization.
LEGACY
“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” – Isaac Newton (1643–1727), physicist and mathematician.
The runner receiving the baton generally does not look back for very long. He or she focuses on what lies ahead. But without the other runner bringing the baton forward, there is no race, no participation, no meaning, and certainly no result. Like that runner who has received the baton, I have never considered my role to be that of staying with the previous runner. An awareness of all that has been accomplished before us is necessary if we are to generate fresh momentum and seek out new ideas. Without the foundations laid by the past and by those who built them, we would have far greater difficulty moving forward.
It is here that I wish to acknowledge the work of those “editor-runners” who have carried our society’s journal over time, and whose team I had the honour of joining: Gottfried Schönholzer, the first editor, Hans Howald, Bernard Marti, Urs Boutellier, and Gérald Gremion. Others accompanied them and undeniably contributed to this endeavour; we do not forget them.
Over these past 13 years, the journal — and I — have had the good fortune to benefit from the support and experience of the following editors: Susi Kriemler, Victor Valderrabano, André Leumann, Matthias Wilhelm, and Patrick Vavken. We have also had the pleasure of welcoming many guest editors, broadening our field of vision. Nothing could have been achieved without the inspiration, support, and expertise of all these people, to whom I am deeply grateful. It is thanks to them that I was able to carry the torch a little further around the track.
There would be no track to run on if it were not for the relentless support of the publishing team at rubmedia. Peter Rub has been the ever-present lighthouse, and I am deeply thankful for his help (and quickest email responses). Pascal Rub has been instrumental in shaping the modern vision that the website required, alongside their team (a special thank you to Paul Burri).
KNOWLEDGE
«La science n’a pas de patrie, parce que le savoir estle patrimoine de l’humanité, le flambeau qui éclaire le monde.» – Louis Pasteur (1822–1895), chemist and ¬physicist.
When I embarked on my medical studies, I heard the warnings of my elders: “You will have to learn a great many things — and remember them!” They were right. The path through medical school is indeed one of acquiring knowledge, up to the point where examinations and diplomas validate the end of one’s training. But what comes after? Now that I “knew,” all that remained was to practise medicine, wasn’t it?
The awakening was brutal. Exposure to the reality of science and medicine, while working alongside extraordinary physicians and professionals, quickly confronted me with what, much later, I would come to understand as the Dunning–Kruger effect: that major cognitive bias consisting in the illusion of knowledge, whereby we tend to overestimate what we know. The truth is far more complex, and “knowledge” requires far more time and attention. I then understood that our profession, too, was a kind of relay race. A race with no finish line, only a long, infinite track.
From then on, there was only one path: to continue learning, reading, listening, and observing. New knowledge will always emerge, and it is our responsibility to remain attentive, and also to show a form of courage: the courage to unlearn in order to update our knowledge — temporarily. A scientific journal must accompany us in this process. That is the fundamental mission of the SEMS Journal.
SHARING
«Docendo discimus» – Seneca (an 4 av. J.-C. à 65), philosopher of ancient Rome.
All those who have written a scientific text remember their first article — or perhaps their first lecture. This is certainly true in my case. And inevitably linked to that memory is the feeling of not being legitimate enough, what we call impostor syndrome. Yet it is often our elders, far wiser and more erudite, who encouraged us to take the plunge. They knew what they were doing. All knowledge is imperfect, but the exercise of formulating it, synthesizing it, and transmitting it is a fundamental step in knowledge itself. Sharing knowledge is a powerful means of collective progress, both for those who communicate and for those who receive. Here too, a scientific journal must serve as a vehicle for this transmission. It is an adaptable vehicle. Imagine a large bus able to carry knowledge of various kinds, levels, and origins. This openness to variety and difference echoes Louis Pasteur’s vision of knowledge as part of humanity’s heritage. Over the years, you have been able to read content covering broad fields and diverse origins, with a regular place ¬reserved for young authors, so that they too may follow ¬Seneca’s precepts.
CURIOSITY
«Ich habe keine besondere Begabung, sondern bin nur leidenschaftlich neugierig.» – Albert Einstein (1879–1955), theoretical physicist.
Curiosity is the impulse without which few new things happen. It contains a blend of creativity and persistence, an odd combination that allows us to remain attentive to the world and to question it. Ultimately, this is also reflected in the physician’s work: the information gathered in practice is confronted with acquired knowledge, but without openness of mind and questioning, no new knowledge can emerge.
This is how research works: by generating hypotheses, testing them, and then presenting the results to the public or to peers. This is perhaps where the role of a journal is most classically recognized. It serves not only as a means of sharing, but also as a forum for critique through peer review. This often-thankless task of reviewing is extremely important for a journal and for all authors. We introduced this principle for the SEMS Journal, and I would like to thank here all those who have given their time and expertise to read and constructively and benevolently critique the articles submitted to our journal. Their names remain in the shadows, but their work illuminates the pages of the journal.
Curiosity is also that of the reader. As editor, I count on you to continue to remain curious and open toward the content of the SEMS Journal. Every line printed or posted on the website was written with the idea that, in one way or another, it would respond to the curiosity of its readers.
PASSION
«La passione dell’animo caccia via la lussuria.» – Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), polymath, artist, engineer, anatomist, architect, philosopher …
Here, then, is the final ingredient that has driven me, and that will continue to do so for the time I have left. The race is long — infinite, we said. The flame must remain lit so that the fire can continue to illuminate the path. We all live by passions that evolve and carry us toward new shores and new experiences. The profession of sports and exercise medicine is filled with people who practise it with passion and who devote themselves body and soul to their patients, to athletes, to sport, and to movement for health. Let us be proud of this profession and may we all help to ignite and sustain the fire of the generations running ahead of us. They will know how to accelerate and take new paths, to develop innovative ideas. They will do so with confidence in the edifice built by their predecessors. It is said that times change, and that is as it should be.
As for me, the time has come. The time to pass the baton, to pass the torch with confidence, curiosity, passion, and joy. Dr Roman Gähwiler can now accelerate; it is up to you to encourage and accompany him.
Correspondence
Boris Gojanovic
SEMS President
boris.gojanovic@latour.ch
