Physiological Reviews is one of the leading journals in the World in terms of its relationship with the scientific community, both subjectively and objectively as assessed by an impact factor of 30. Thus, taking over as Editor-in-Chief, and maintaining and building on the enormous success of my immediate predecessor, Susan Hamilton, is a formidable task, but is one that I am looking forward to immensely. In spite of its high profile, however, Physiological Reviews faces some special challenges to its competitive edge as we move forward into the new era of physiology. While we undoubtedly need to retain the unique character and position of Physiological Reviews in the world of traditional physiology, we must not lose site of the fact that physiology is changing. In particular, the integration of information, including quantitative data gathered from a variety of experimental and computational sources into the general concept known as Systems Biology is certain to be a major driving force in the future. My intention as Editor-in Chief is to achieve a balance between continuing to support all aspects of the field of physiology as it is widely understood, and at the same time to ensure that the journal adequately reflects new approaches to physiology, at all levels from the molecular to the systemic. I look forward to working with the superb editorial board of PRV, the editorial staff of APS, the authors of invited reviews, and the readership to achieve this aim.