“440,” a colleague in marketing whistled, when told the final page count of this year’s Top Doctors issue. “That’s a cool number. An important-sounding number.”
Though it hadn’t yet occurred to me at the time – too busy double-checking surgery board certs and whatnot – I had to agree. “440” sounds like police scanner code, or a muscle-car engine. Sweet ride, man. What do you have under the hood? A 440?
Somewhat momentously, it also signifies the largest issue we’ve ever published in the 58-year-history of PHOENIX magazine – a fact that speaks to the enduring stature of Top Docs as a unique, dependable resource for our readers. As always, it was Valley physicians themselves who created the 64 specialty lists you’ll find starting on page 172, by casting votes in a secure online survey we conducted in December. We indemnified their choices by checking Arizona Medical Board records and national board certifications, and now offer the list of 685 doctors for your edification. Scout with confidence!
“Somewhat momentously, [440] also signifies the largest issue we’ve ever published in the 58-year-history of PHOENIX magazine – a fact that speaks to the enduring stature of Top Docs as a unique, dependable resource for our readers.”
We also swaddled Top Docs in a rich amnion of medical and health-care journalism – which, along with several new specialties and additional Q&A profiles, partly explains why the issue is so big. Make sure to check out managing editor Leah LeMoine’s soulful feature about Mexican folk-medicine curanderas on page 234; and associate editor Maddie Rutherford’s richly affecting dive into the world of organ donation in Operation: Second Chances.
If your interests as a Greater Phoenician happen to extend beyond medicine and health care, this March/April PHOENIX also has our usual events and things-to-do coverage, some lusciously-photographed Eat Beat food journalism you’ll want to check out, and a Phoenix NCAA Final Four fan guide that I tag-teamed with history writer Douglas C. Towne.
So, please don’t be off-put by the page count. You’ll find this muscular issue has plenty of torque. Vroom vroom.
Craig Outhier
Editor-In-Chief
