We are pleased to welcome Dr. J. Allan Dodds as our new Plant Disease Moderator replacing Dr. Richard Hamilton, who is retiring after more than 5 years with ProMED.

Pathogens affecting agricultural crops represent major threats to the health and well-being of humanity; ProMED has long recognized these threats as an important aspect of our surveillance of emerging diseases. Dr. Dodds was chosen from a large number of candidates invited to apply for this position. He is a Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of California, Riverside. Dr. Dodds specializes in viral pathogens of plants, fungi, and eukaryotic algae, and has recently been interested in the spread of plant pathogens across international borders via the ornamental plant industry. The author of over 100 academic publications, he is a former Senior Editor of the journal Phytopathology.

Dick Hamilton has set a very high standard for our plant disease reports, and the ProMED staff, as well as our readers, have learned a tremendous amount from his scholarly commentary on reports of plant disease outbreaks.