Dear Journal Readers and Members of the DOHaD Society,
It is hard to believe that 10 years has passed since the first publication of the Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. Many congratulations to Professor Michael Ross and his Editorial team and a big thank you to Cambridge University Press for all its efficiencies; together their efforts have brought the Journal to where it is now – a mainstream publication in the field. JDOHaD has without doubt made a major contribution to the consolidation and broad acceptance of the DOHaD concept, publishing highly cited reviews and key scientific advances. We were somewhat timorous a decade ago; was there adequate interest, and was the Society adequately established to have a journal of its own? There was no need for worry. The academic world, funders and policy makers have embraced the field; and as a Society, we can claim some of this success; my predecessor as President, Professor Mark Hanson, the Executive and several of the Societies’ Trustees took it upon themselves to make one representation after another to policy makers, globally, and it worked. We now hear about the Life Course of health and disease wherever we go; DOHaD is no longer a hypothesis. Why have so many subscribed to DOHaD? Because it is common sense; we have always known that an emphasis on health in the early years is a ‘good thing’; now with more supporting evidence, DOHaD is increasingly embedded in the global public health agenda. Much is now known, for example, about the relative influence of genetic make-up versus early environmental exposures on disease risk; indeed, more fact and less dogma prevail. Better planned and very detailed observational studies of the early life origins of health and disease and new analytical methodologies, including imaging modalities, have taken us forward. The impact would be even greater if more appropriately designed intervention studies were undertaken! Importantly, DOHaD is uniquely placed to address new challenges in Society, notably those facing countries and cultures in transition, and the increasing burden of climate change.
As the field has progressed, so has the Society. Now with more than 1100 members, 4 Chapters (Africa, Canada, Latin America and Japan) and 5 Affiliate societies (Australia/New Zealand, China, French Speaking, Pakistan and USA), we have achieved a truly global reach. This is an unparalleled strength which we must capitalise upon. Each of our Congresses attracts around 1000 delegates, but not everyone can afford to attend a congress and the Society is acutely aware that we need to provide support to our membership in other ways. To this end, the Council membership has been divided into sub-groups each chaired by a Council member; these comprise Advocacy, Education, Workshops, Sponsorship and Fundraising, Scientific Programme and the DOHaD journal. Each group has a brief to work towards engagement and support of the Membership, particularly with a view to extending the breadth of the educational and outreach activities funded by the Society. Inevitably as the Society has expanded, so has the administrative burden, with an increasing call on the precious time of our dedicated Executive and Council. To that end, the Society is also actively seeking an efficient solution for our management and congresses going forward.
The Journal and the Society recognise the responsibility that we have in providing the evidence base to the origins of the early life origins of disease, and the solutions we must find. This is no small challenge, but it is not unrealistic. Good luck in your important work, and let us, the Society, know what we can do to help you achieve your goals.
