This issue of Neurology Now marks a major milestone for me. After serving as the Editor-in-Chief since its inception, I will pass the reins of our magazine to the capable hands of Dr. Orly Avitzur. Some of you may recognize her name, as she has written many stories for Neurology Now. She is a terrific writer and an outstanding editor. I know she will take the magazine to even greater heights.

Looking back, it seems like only yesterday that we began to develop the concept of a magazine for patients with neurological diseases and their family and friends. We have come a long way, bringing our readers important information on many aspects of neurological diseases every other month, and expanding our reach through the Neurology Now website, the iPad and digital editions, and social media.

I am sad to be leaving the team. I am so proud of how the magazine has grown over the years, in no small part because of your great feedback on how we can make it better. Before we published the first issue, our team spent considerable time thinking about what it would take to bring a world-class publication to our readers. We held focus groups with people we thought might be interested in a magazine about neurological disorders to see what was important to them.

My vision from day one has been to use the magazine as a way to create—and always be guided by—a conversation with our readers. I feel that it is important for you to tell us what you want to read about, rather than our team deciding what should interest you.

While Neurology Now has evolved greatly over the years, two departments have appeared in every single issue: Letters to the Editor and Speak Up. These are the ones I consider most important for stimulating conversation. Although we can only publish a small fraction of the letters we receive in the print version, we now publish many more on our website. Our tablet version of the magazine makes it easy to send us an email about what you think of a specific article, or the entire issue. The Speak Up essays we publish from our readers are among the most inspiring and moving aspects of each issue. I am grateful for those of you who have chosen to let us tell your story!

I need to thank many people for their contributions to making Neurology Now an award-winning magazine. First and foremost is you, our readers. Second, the great partnership between our publisher, Wolters Kluwer, the American Academy of Neurology, and the American Brain Foundation has made it possible for our fantastic editorial team to achieve the highest standards of excellence. Third, the members our Professional Advisory Board, who have donated countless hours to providing ideas, reviewing stories, and helping us make sure we are providing the most up-to-date and accurate information.

I'll be signing off with this issue, but please keep up the conversation! It has been a privilege to get to know you.

Take good care,

Robin L. Brey, MD, FAAN

Editor-in-Chief