Acknowledgments

First and foremost, my deepest appreciation goes to the incredible authors who agreed to continue their contributions in the update of this edition. Of the original 21 authors of the first edition, 16 have remained actively involved in the third edition, and 9 new experts have added to the chapters. Their expertise in caring for patients with wounds and their dedication to education flows from their words, photographs, graphs, and tables in such a way that will continue to have a ripple effect in patient care. I am especially grateful to Brian Odom, Stephanie Woelfel, and Deborah M. Wendland who dug deep to start their chapters from scratch! And deep appreciation goes to Dr. Ennis who inspired me with his words of support and confidence and confirmed that the third edition was a must-do.

The editorial staff at McGraw Hill have been supportive and encouraging from the very beginning. Michael Weitz never stops dreaming with me and reminding me with the statistics that this textbook continues to have worldwide impact on patient care. Kim Davis has been meticulous in keeping up with the book's details and timeline, always with grace and understanding. Melinda Avelar managed the contributor agreements (no small task) and distributes books to the authors after publication, as well as educators who need trial copies. Kudos to Catherine Saggese who orders the paper for the book, manages and pays the compositor, and takes care of a myriad of other details. I have actually received compliments from other authors about the quality of paper, photographs, etc., in the text, and to Catherine and the printers goes the credit. Although Catherine is behind the scenes (meaning I never get an email from her!), she does a lot to keep the production on track. And to each and every sales rep who has taken the textbook to the educational marketplace, you have my sincere thanks.

The covers of all three editions have been designed to reflect an emphasis that I tried to make in the content. The first edition focused on the cellular components that affect tissue healing; the second edition emphasized the importance of an interdisciplinary team to care for patients; and this third edition aims to illustrate the emergence of technology in diagnosis and prognosis of wounds. Anthony Landi has been of tremendous help in making my subtle messages come alive. Thank you, Anthony!!!

Monika Chaudhari and the team at MPS Limited were awesome in catching every inconsistency, grammar and spelling mistake, and reference error. They have, pun intended, saved my skin in more places than I would like to admit!!! They were also sensitive to my suggestions for figure and table placement in order to make the book as reader-friendly as possible. The MPS team was also responsible for pursuing permissions when necessary, and my gratitude goes to Prabhat Singh, Ankita Mapwal, Sumit Pandey, Rahul Raj, and Julissa Ramos for keeping us out of trouble!

As I was writing all three editions, there were two past professors from graduate school who were constantly sitting on my shoulder and acting as my conscience as I put the words, sentences, paragraphs, and pages together, and I wish to reiterate my gratitude to them. Dr. Carolee Winstein was my first professor in graduate school, a most daunting experience I must say. She was the consummate professor who taught me, not just the material of the class, but HOW to be a good student, and specifically how to critically read journal articles for their credibility and applicability. Dr. Michael Schneir, a professor in the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry at USC, taught me scientific writing, first in a class and then in one-on-one sessions as I prepared my first teaching document for publication. I read and reread every revision through his eyes, with his enormous textbook at my side. To both of these magnificent educators, I say thank you for all that you taught me and for being everlasting mentors.

My gratitude is never-ending to my family and friends who were also quick to ask, “How is the book coming along?” Their support and encouragement boosted me when I thought my enthusiasm was waning and kept me going to the bittersweet end of the project.

Any successful venture takes a team working together, each member with its own special skills and talents, and the team that created this third edition of the Text and Atlas of Wound Diagnosis and Management has been stellar. May each and every reader feel the passion and expertise that is reflected in these pages, and use it to help their patients reach their full healing and functional potential. This has been a labor of love from all of the team members, and my love and gratitude to them is eternal.