The more things stay the same, the more they change

Tensions that define the State of our Science in 2019

“…For one thing, the longer one has been in the field the more ‘solutions’ one will have seen come and go and the more frustrated one might become by the field continuing to grapple with the same issues. Problems that have been recognised for decades continue to exist, allowing negativity to seep in from many directions and making it easy to mistake long‐term and ongoing struggle for lack of progress . Further, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that not everyone shares the same perspective or priorities.…”

The editorial term of Sir John Ellis (Volumes 1-9)

“…It is equally clear though that Sir John became increasingly frustrated with the pace of change in medical education. His apparent disillusionment makes me uncertain that he would share my optimism about how the tone and details of familiar conversations have changed . In calling for more effective evolution, he left his editorial post with very sound words that should continue to serve as a beacon to us all in our quest to make the world a better place through health professional education and health professional education research:

‘the individuals who have had the greatest part to play, in government and in the profession, have recognised the importance and complexity of the problem and have approached it with humility and discrimination’

…”

The editorial term of Professor Henry Walton (Volumes 10-31)

“…As part of our continuing celebration of the 50‐volume history of Medical Education , this editorial is the second in a series that offers a retrospective look at the phases of the journal marked by each editor's tenure. It is the last that I will write on someone else's behalf.…”

“…In 1988 the WFME released the Edinburgh Declaration, which outlined 12 principles aimed at augmenting existing educational practices . Since their publication, these principles have remained core to the focus of our field and no fewer than four of them are represented by chance in this issue alone.…”