“From Fish To Philosopher” is the title of a book published in 1953 by Homer Smith that relates the story of vertebrate kidney evolution viewed through the function of that organ at different phylogenetic levels. Dr. Thomas Elwood, the current Editor of the Journal of Allied Health, read the book in 1962. Borrowing the same title, he uses it to apply a similar embryological perspective as a conceptual framework to present 40 selected editorials published by him between the Winter 2008 and the Fall 2020 issues of the Journal. These items reveal how this publication continues to evolve from one quarterly issue to the next in various ways during that period. The intended audience is of a two-fold nature: Prospective Authors who want to learn about the inner workings of this Journal and Readers with a broad interest in the rapidly evolving world of professional periodicals.
Featured “From Fish to Philosopher” Episodes
#3 Intellectual Glow Worms: This editorial discusses how economic development after World War II in Italy leading to the disappearance of insects circling around children shepherds at night may be compared to the impact of technology on the decline of newspapers and the effect it might have on journals.
#5 Time And The River: This editorial compares the ebb and flow of a river to the cascade of words appearing in the Journal of Allied Health from issue to issue that reflect changes in terminology, topics serving as a basis for articles, and the gradual inclusion of manuscripts from other nations.
#12 Peer Review: Does It Matter?: This episode points out that because the Journal of Allied Health encompasses manuscripts about a wide range of health professions, it adds to the importance of using peer reviewers as a means of ensuring that the content of articles is both accurate and relevant.
#40 Worth Its Weight In Gold: This episode indicates that journal articles may vary from a high level of acknowledged quality to another class of manuscripts of lesser quality because they contain questionable data to a third class of papers lacking any standard whatsoever of acceptable quality.
Five years ago, ASAHP UPDATE Editor Thomas Elwood began hosting a podcast series for the Rusk Rehabilitation Institute at NYU Langone Health. Hundreds of interviews have been conducted with researchers, clinicians, and educators at NYU since then, along with interviews with health care leaders at other major institutions who participated in grand rounds and research symposia at Rusk. Recent examples available below are Parts I and II of interviews with a pair of physical therapists and an occupational therapist who have been treating COVID-19 patients.
Prone Positioning for COVID-19 Patients
Part I and II
Dr. Thomas Elwood interviews the following individuals about working the front lines in New York City during COVID-19.
Dr. John Corcoran
Site Director for Rehabilitation Therapy Services
Director of Inpatient Therapy Services
NYU Langone Health - Rusk RehabilitationWilliam Finley
Program Manager
Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Department
NYU Langone Health
Faculty, NYU Medical CenterVincent Cavallaro
Vice President for Hospital Operations
NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn
An earlier series of podcasts, The Health Crossroad, was developed in 2014 that also may be of interest. Some recordings possibly worth listening to are:
Randy Schekman: Nobel Prize Winner And International Leader in Human Cell Molecular Biology
First, with Randy Sheckman, a Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine from the University of California, Berkeley, whose views on higher education at public institutions remain pertinent today.
Daniel Callahan: International Leader in Bioethics, Technology, Aging, and End of Life Care
Next, with philosopher Daniel Callahan who died last July three days shy of his 89th birthday. His contrarian views on the extent to which health care resources should be provided to aged patients may be as controversial today as they were when he was age 83.
Dick Hoyt: Amazing Patient Advocate and Father
Lastly, Massachusetts dad Richard Hoyt had a son who at birth was described as a vegetable. He was able to prove physicians and educators wrong by partnering with his son Rick to achieve feats that have received worldwide acclaim for inspiring others to overcome health deficits.