Charles B. Whitlow, M.D. and David A. Margolin, M.D.

For this issue of Clinics, I am very pleased to have two coeditors, both of whom are currently members of my department at Ochsner, and in whose training I have had the distinct pleasure of previously participating.

Dr. Charles B. Whitlow is the Colon and Rectal Residency Program director and a staff colon and rectal surgeon at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans, Louisiana. Chuck was born in Okinawa, and received an M.D. degree from the University of Arkansas in Little Rock. His general surgery training was conducted at William Beaumont Army Medical Center, El Paso, Texas. To serve the army's needs, his internship and residency training were separated by a tour as chief of the Troop Medical Clinic in Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas, and as a squadron surgeon in the 2/3 Armored Cavalry Regiment in Saudia Arabia during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He then completed a research year followed by a clinical fellowship in colon and rectal surgery at the Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans. After his fellowship, he returned to the U.S. Army as a staff surgeon at William Beaumont Army Medical Center. Dr. Whitlow left the army in 2000 and practiced as a colorectal surgeon in Waco, Texas. He joined the Ochsner staff in August 2002.

In his short time at Ochsner, Chuck has developed a busy clinical practice in which laparoscopic surgery and a lot of difficult referral patients represent a significant portion. He teaches regularly and remains an active researcher. He has produced multiple contributions to our literature and is an active member of several surgical societies.

Chuck and his wife, Beth, and their three children, Ian, Courtney, and Erin, live in River Ridge, a suburb of New Orleans. When not working, Chuck enjoys hacking around the golf course and kitchen as well as torturing his son with algebra. He has a distinctive voice but is still allowed to sing in his church choir.

Dr. David A. Margolin is a staff colon and rectal surgeon and director of colorectal surgery research at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans, Louisiana. David was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and received an M.D. degree from the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo. His general surgery training, conducted at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, included 2 years of research. He then performed a fellowship in colon and rectal surgery at the Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans. After his fellowship, he joined the staff at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. In January 2003, David was recruited to the staff at the Ochsner Clinic.

Dr. Margolin serves as a reviewer for Diseases of the Colon and Rectum. He has published over 20 peer-reviewed articles and multiple book chapters on colorectal subjects. He is a member of multiple medical societies and serves as the chairman of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Socioeconomic Committee. Dr. Margolin maintains a very busy clinical practice in which laparoscopy plays an integral role. He is an active researcher, but still finds time to educate medical students, surgical residents, and colorectal fellows.

David and his wife, Jeanne Rademacher, M.D., who is a practicing pediatrician, live with their two children, Elizabeth and Eric, in Matairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans.

On behalf of the readers and staff of Clinics in Colon and Rectal Surgery, I thank Drs. Whitlow and Margolin for serving as guest editors and for providing us with an interesting collection of articles on new techniques and complications.