I am pleased to announce the appointment of John D. Thomas to the newly created position of chief of editorial operations at Modern Healthcare. David Burda will continue in his role as editor, directing our print and online news operations, producing our weekly issue and daily products, and managing story placement, layout and headlines.
Over the past 16 years, the number of ways we deliver the news has grown vastly to include audio, video, the Internet, mobile devices, digital replicas, e-readers, tablets, social networking sites and RSS feeds. The pace of change in publishing is expected to accelerate as technology creates more new ways for our readers to get the news they need right now.
As the new head of our overall editorial portfolio, John's role will be to focus on the dual goals of growth and diversification. His primary focus will be to help Modern Healthcare keep pace with our readers—driving initiatives that will allow our high-quality, unique content to be available in new ways, wherever readers are looking for it. John will serve as the brand's chief content officer, directing the long-term strategic direction for print and online efforts, providing the healthcare community with essential knowledge and connections through our comprehensive, timely and credible news and analysis. He will be responsible for setting the highest standards for the existing print and digital products, as well as introducing new and innovative digital offerings, events and data/research tools.
Lopez
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John is new to Modern Healthcare but not new to Crain Communications. Since August 2011, he has served as assistant managing editor for our sister publication, Business Insurance. Prior to joining Crain, John was the long-time editor of Playboy.com, as well as Playboy's vice president of digital content and a contributing editor at Playboy magazine. In addition to his work in the digital space, he is a veteran print journalist, having contributed frequently to the New York Times, the Village Voice and the Chicago Tribune. John earned his Bachelor of Arts in English and French and a Master of Arts in film studies from Emory University. Since 2009, he has been an adjunct professor in the English department at Columbia College Chicago and is also a frequent contributing essayist at Loyola University's Center for Digital Ethics and Policy. John and his wife, Debra, a lawyer turned Chicago Public Schools teacher, live in Chicago with their son.
John's experience and talent will be a great asset to Modern Healthcare's future growth as he works closely with David Burda. I am confident he will help Modern Healthcare's already successful editorial team become an even stronger force in the future. More importantly, John will play a central role in advancing Modern Healthcare's mission of helping executives, our valued readers and marketers navigate the constantly evolving healthcare environment so they can make informed business decisions and improve the financial and clinical performance of their organizations.
Please join us in welcoming John to Modern Healthcare.
—Fawn Lopez, publisher
