Kassirer was first named editor-in-chief of the
New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in 1991. As editor, he increased the number of foreign scientists on the journal's
editorial board, which drew more submissions from foreign scientists. In 1999, he was forced to resign his position as
NEJMs editor-in-chief when the journal's publisher, the
Massachusetts Medical Society, chose not to renew his contract. This decision was reportedly rooted in a dispute over marketing of the journal's name. ==References==