“There is a time for everything”

There are few people around the globe who would not recognize the Bible words “there is a time for everything” from Ecclesiastes 3:1–8, written by the ancient wise King Solomon towards the end of his reign. These melancholic words come to mind when I realize it has been 12.5 years since I took over the editorship of Endoscopy, and it is now time to pass the torch to a new Editor-in-Chief, “there is a time to come and a time to leave.”

When I reflect on those past 12.5 years, I feel pride, accomplishment, collegiality and friendship. I started in July 2013 together with Mario Dinis-Ribeiro and Michael Bretthauer as Co-Editors-in-Chief, and since 2018 with Heiko Pohl replacing Michael Bretthauer who had accepted another editorial position. We were asked to build on the legacy of Thomas Rösch, who had been Editor-in-Chief for over 20 years, and expected that it would not be an easy task. Our mission was and continued to be to guide Endoscopy into becoming an increasingly science-driven journal with publications on high quality comparative clinical trials, good-sized prospective studies, editorials and high-quality meta-analyses. The selection of papers for the journal was based on their inclusion of novel scientific information of use to endoscopists in daily clinical practice.

Accepted manuscripts had to meet four criteria: a paper must be on a relevant topic with a rigorous design and clear writing. A second criterion was that authors and readers would know that the journal followed the highest ethical standards, by always declaring conflicts of interest, no plagiarism allowed and invariable citation for anything duplicated from another publication and, for a clinical trial, registration in a public trial register. Third, we wanted the content of the journal to come not only from Europe but also from other continents, with Australasia and the Americas now being also major sources of articles. Fourth, we aimed to truly reflect Endoscopy’s role as the official organ of the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) with, on an almost monthly basis, publication of systematically developed guidelines, position statements, and technical and technology reviews on important topics for endoscopists.

Over the years, new initiatives were launched, such as the Innovations and Brief Communications (IBC) category, presenting new techniques at various stages of development. While shorter in length, IBCs have the same value as original articles, though it took some years to convince authors of this equivalent status. We also stopped publishing case reports but replaced them by video presentations of interesting cases and endoscopic techniques, the E-Videos. Finally, in 2022, we started to invite young gastrointestinal endoscopists to become Junior Editors for a period of 2 years to learn the Endoscopy editorial process.

Looking back, serving as Editor-in-Chief has been one of the most rewarding roles in my professional career. Being part of the future of gastrointestinal endoscopy has been a privilege and an honor. As Editor, I became acquainted with important steps in endoscopic and technological innovation, with developments in the field of third-space endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound-guided treatment, quality improvement initiatives, artificial intelligence and sustainability. The unexpected COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 also resulted in publication of out-of-the-box tips and tricks to deliver the best care to our patients during times of restrictions.

Producing Endoscopy is an enormous effort with significant roles for hundreds of people behind the scenes who are unknown to the readers. Despite the risk of forgetting important people, I would like to thank the Editorial Office, especially Hilary Hamilton, Liz Honner and Francoise Heidenreich in the first 11 years of my editorship, and recently Libby Beri and the Origin team. Together we have evaluated and managed more than 20 000 manuscripts, always with the aim of serving the authors as well as possible and with the greatest respect for their work. Of course, production of the journal would not have been possible without our publishers, Thieme. They have been always supportive, especially Katrin Maier, whom I have known from the beginning of my editorship, but also Regina Wenzel, Jana Weiffenbach, and recently, Shelley Allen. I also want to mention Sarah Schenkel, who always prompted me on the monthly deadlines for the Endoscopy issue and the E-Videos, Teresa Brady for the monthly newsletters and all the copyediting team.

It has been gratifying to work with a very talented and skilled group of Co-Editors, who form the backbone of an expanding and flourishing journal. The yearly meetings, either somewhere in Germany or in my hometown of Rotterdam, brought together sharpness, many ideas, but above all lots of friendship. Last but not least, my soulmates, Heiko and Mario, with whom I spoke directly or online several times a week about new papers, new ideas or, sometimes difficult, decisions. We started in 2013 with an impact factor of 5.12 and ended our term this year with an impact factor of 12.8, making Endoscopy the premier journal in its field.

Back in 2013, as new Editor-in-Chief, my welcome words were accompanied by a picture of the Editorial Board meeting one month earlier. Probably it was then already in the stars who would become my successor several years later, because standing next to me was Jacques Bergman… My final words are therefore to wish Jacques, his Co-Editors-in-Chief, Yuichi Mori and Ji Bang, and the Co-Editors, all the best for the years to come.

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Artikel online veröffentlicht:
27. November 2025