Professor Barbara Ludwikowski

Frontiers in Pediatrics is thrilled to announce Professor Barbara Ludwikowski (Auf Der Bult Children’Hospital, Hannover) as the new Specialty Chief Editor of the Pediatric Surgery section. In her career as clinical scientist, she has made important scientific contributions to the understanding of urological diseases and genital anomalies in children and infants.

As Prof. Ludwikowski emphasizes: “One of the challenges in Pediatric Surgery is the inevitable development of ever more narrow subspecialty areas. While specialization is essential given the constant addition of new knowledge, new diagnostic, treatment modalities and surgical techniques, we should remember what Owen H Wangensteen wrote in his book about the state of general surgery after World War II.”

“With the extension of surgery into many new areas since World War II and consequent fragmentation, a more important query confronting surgery today is, can we survive as a unified body? The answer would appear to be free communication between its many disciplines. Tight compartmentalization breeds sterility, the only hope is transpollination, the catalyst of life.” – Wangensteen O, Wangensteen S (1978). The Rise of Surgery. From Empiric Craft to Scientific Discipline. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press

Describing her objective for the specialty section, Prof. Ludwikowski aims to encourage ‘transpollination’ by including articles from all fields related to Pediatric Surgery, from basic sciences to the more specialized surgical disciplines involving surgery in children. Including articles from all specialties will enhance cross-communication in the field for the benefit of all. In her Mission Statement, Prof. Ludwikowski outlines her vision for the section to cover all aspects of Pediatric Surgery, from experimental research to clinical papers.

When asked about the importance of Open Access in her section, Prof. Ludwikowski says: “It is my belief that open access is not only the way of the future but also that it is the only moral and ethical way to disseminate information that may benefit the entire society.”

We look forward to collaborating with Prof. Ludwikowski who shares our passion for open access publishing, and constructive and transparent peer reviewing. To participate in the Pediatric surgery section you may submit a manuscript, organize a Research Topic or follow us on twitter @Frontpediatrics

Jihyun Lee, PhD

Journal Development Assistant- Frontiers in Pediatrics

pediatrics.frontiersin@org