This issue is halfway out the door en route to your mailbox, and I still need to write this Editor’s Note. Just got an e-mail from Trisha O’Hehir, the former “Periodontics” columnist in RDH who is now the editorial director for Hygienetown.
Lynne Slim, who writes the “Periodontal Therapy” column for RDH magazine, wrote in the December 2007 issue about asking for Trisha’s help (which was given) in writing that column. The implication, though, was that, according to the RDH column, Trisha is no longer the editor of Perio Reports. Trisha reminded me that’s not true, thank you very much.
If you’re wondering why I’m talking like this, like I’m explaining how to start my lawn mower safely, it’s because of the corporate suits in Phoenix (Hygienetown) and Tulsa (RDH). Advertising is a very competitive endeavor. It’s a tough business, often affecting editorial types too.
The corporate suits have likely yawned and tuned out on this Editor’s Note. So we can talk like friends now.
I consider Trisha almost as I would a sister. If you know her, she doesn’t need another sibling, having grown up in a large family in Minnesota. I grew up in a small family with a much younger sister that I seldom see anymore due to lifestyle choices we both made. So tough. If I want to call Trisha a sister, she’ll just have to live with it. I really enjoyed working with her on RDH magazine in the 1980s, 1990s, and even the first few years of this decade.
Trisha wrote, “2008 begins the 20th year of publication for Perio Reports. It’s been a lot of work, and I’m quite proud of it. I now license Perio Reports to Hygienetown and it’s included in each issue of Hygienetown magazine. I’m just now proofreading the collection of 19 years of Perio Reports research summaries, which will soon be available for purchase on www.perioreports.com as a searchable database.”
Isn’t that great? Twenty years of Perio Reports! I feel somewhat involved. Years ago, she wouldn’t let me take the paternity test, stating emphatically, “You’re not the daddy!” But, you know, I think I am like the proud uncle who gives Perio Reports a buck when Mom isn’t looking to spend at the dime store.
Both Trisha and I underwent surgeries in 2007 and wished each other speedy recoveries. It was also a tough year for me because I think my faith in the science of dental hygiene was challenged a bit. It seemed like too many hygienists were advocating changes on premises that left me shaking my head skeptically.
And that’s another reason I’m just as proud as anyone of Perio Reports. Getting this good news from Trisha makes me feel good about the profession, that we’re steadfastly making progress.
(And, yes, this is a correction of sorts, even though such admissions typically appear in “Readers’ Forum.” But I don’t mind making this one at all: RDH regrets the error.)
No one has made the slicing-the-throat motion with their hands yet, telling me to wrap this up. So other notes of interest:
- RDH Event, the virtual dental hygiene conference, returns March 7-8. As with the last one in Fall 2007, the setting is the most comfortable spot around your house and/or office. The advertisement on page 80 provides more details. I was offered a sneak peek at the “facilities” devised by the computer programmers for this conference. They just get better and better. What I like about this one is being able to “step outside” and easily “enter” the building where I want to be – seminar, exhibit floor, networking lounge, etc.
- And, for those of you who have the time and resources to physically travel to a conference, preparations for the 10th RDH Under One Roof conference are well underway. See the ad on page 77 for more details.
by Mark Hartley
[email protected]
http://www.myspace.com/MarkhRDH
