A Tribute to Dr. Laura Bolton and the Evidence Corner: Truly a Gift to All of Us

At this time of year, our minds are preoccupied with thoughts of presents we want to give to friends and family and ones we hope to receive. One of the great gifts we have received is Laura Bolton, PhD. As you may know, Dr. Bolton is internationally known in wound care circles for her lectures, publications, and research. However, what some may not know is that she has decided to retire. Personally, and to every wound care provider and patient, Dr. Bolton has truly been a gift.

In 1974, a past Editor of Wounds—David Rovee, PhD—hired Dr. Bolton as a scientist at Johnson & Johnson. Following that, Dr. Bolton expanded on Dr. Rovee’s research findings of moisture-retentive dressings and led the research and development team to develop DuoDerm CGF, a pioneering hydrocolloid, moisture-retentive wound dressing. She followed that by widely lecturing and writing on the importance of moist wound healing and also strongly advocating for evidence-based wound care practices and guideline development. In fact, Dr. Bolton has received an award for her publications and research on the topic of wound healing in space! In travelling the world to teach the principles of good wound care, she has been instrumental in bringing modern wound care to us all.

All readers of Wounds have undoubtedly seen the section in the journal entitled, Evidence Corner. In this section, Dr. Bolton has summarized state-of-the-art randomized controlled trial evidence on modalities or techniques in wound care. In August of 2002, the first installment of the Evidence Corner appeared in the journal; it was titled “Outcomes from Growth Factors, Gauze, and Hydrocolloid Dressings.” Since then, over 20 years, Dr. Bolton has produced 110 Evidence Corner articles for the readers of Wounds. The list of topics she has covered is staggering, but her work has helped many of us—including me—provide good, evidence-based care for our patients.

I am especially grateful for the gift she has given to me as Editor-in-Chief. Dr. Bolton has served on the Editorial Advisory Board for more than 20 years. During my term as Editor-in-Chief, she has graciously helped keep me on the right track with great advice and direction. My wife and I have had the opportunity to be in the company of Dr. Bolton and her husband as we traveled overseas to teach wound care. Those trips provided us with fond memories and education. Certainly, one does not “hang out” with Dr. Bolton long without learning something important either about life or medicine!

For decades, Dr. Bolton has gifted evidence-based scientific information to the study of wound healing and to every wound care provider and patient. With the December issue as the last installment of the section, I encourage every reader to give a big “thank you” to Dr. Bolton for the knowledge, wisdom, and teachings she has provided through the Evidence Corner. And as she and her husband enter the next segment of their lives, we can only say “thank you, best wishes, and you shall be missed.”