WESTERN JOURNAL OF MEDICINE: Bought by UCSF Stanford

      Hoping to "showcase the trailblazing role that the West Coast plays" in health care, UCSF Stanford Health Care and the British Medical Journal Publishing Group have purchased the Western Journal of Medicine from Virginia-based Cardin Jennings Publishers. The partners plan to relaunch the publication next spring, develop a web version, and "revamp" the content to appeal to practicing primary care physicians. Dr. Richard Smith, British Medical Journal editor and CEO, said, "Our aim is to turn the Western Journal of Medicine into a leading international medical publication, embracing the innovative culture inherent in medical practice on the American West Coast. What is happening in California today will be happening in the rest of the world tomorrow." The journal will continue to be the official journal of the California Medical Association. Eugene Bauer, dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine, said, "The relaunch of the Western Journal of Medicine will provide a welcome peer-reviewed outlet for highlighting international advances in medical practice and research from the perspective of the western states" (UCSF Stanford release, 10/6).