A Message from the New Editor-in-Chief

Beverley Greenwood-Van Meerveld

doi:10.1124/jpet.121.000984

I am honored and very excited to have been selected to serve as the next Editor of the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (JPET). In January 2022, I will start my tenure as editor. On behalf of the entire journal leadership team, I would like to thank my immediate predecessor, Dr. Ken Tew, who, for the past six years, has worked tirelessly for the growth and development of JPET.

JPET was founded in 1909 by Dr. John Jacob Abel as the first journal published by the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET). He served as editor for 23 years. Since its founding 113 years ago, there have been 22 editors/joint editors of JPET, and only one of those was female. Dr. Eva King Killam served as the first JPET female editor from 1978–1991. It is with great excitement and honor that I will serve as the second female editor in the long and prestigious history of JPET and continue the legacy of our founder, allowing scientists from all around the world to publish their work and report their novel findings. I hope that this is the start of a new era for the journal. In my capacity as Editor, I will work hard to embrace the value of diversity and inclusion at all levels of the journal.

I have been a member of ASPET for many years and am currently an ASPET Emeritus member. During my career, I have served in multiple leadership roles in ASPET, including service as Chair of the Division for Neuropharmacology (2015–2017) and serving as an Associate Editor for JPET from 2012–2018 under the excellent leadership of both Editors, Dr. Mike Jarvis and Dr. Ken Tew. I then continued my ASPET service as a member of the ASPET Board of Publications Trustees (now Publications Committee) from 2018–2020 under the leadership of Dr. Mary Vore, and more recently, Dr. Emily Scott. I have chaired and organized multiple ASPET symposia, including Novel Approaches to Treat Anxiety, Anaheim, CA (2010) and Future Therapies for Chronic Pain, San Diego, CA (2014). I was also very involved in the ASPET Division for Neuropharmacology Postdoctoral Fellow Competition and, in 2016, chaired the competition (San Diego, CA).

In my capacity as Editor of JPET, my vision for the journal is to:

Regain its position as the premier pharmacology journal;
Have a global impact and encourage the highest quality research from national and international researchers;
Embrace the values of diversity and inclusion;
Strive for the highest standards of experimental rigor and reproducibility.

To achieve this vision, I will first revitalize the editorial board and editorial advisory board. I will seek new blood and broader scope to include women, minorities, and pharmacologists of color, and consider the fact that the future of our field is dependent on growing, developing, and providing opportunities for our more junior colleagues. My new approach is to align the scientific expertise on the editorial board with the ASPET divisions. I will approach each ASPET division chair and request that they nominate members to serve as Associate Editors (AEs) and Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) members who are committed to the success of JPET and will not shy away from challenges and will provide feedback and ideas to develop a long-range strategic direction for the journal. Under my leadership, JPET will continue publishing the highest quality research, minireviews, and themed special editions identifying novel therapeutic targets and diagnostics, including all aspects of the interactions of chemicals with biologic systems, such as autonomic, behavioral, cardiovascular, cellular, clinical, developmental, gastrointestinal, immuno-, neuro-, pulmonary, and renal pharmacology, as well as analgesics, drug abuse, metabolism and disposition, chemotherapy, and toxicology.

Having worked in both academia and industry, my goal is to ensure that the JPET readership will continue to include but not be limited to basic and clinical pharmacologists, pharmacists, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industrial researchers focusing on target and drug discovery, medicinal chemists, physiologists, neuroscientists, and molecular pharmacologists. I would also like to encourage more special sections to highlight topical issues and increase readership by introducing a competitive process that allows any author to submit their high-quality proposals to be reviewed by our minireviews editor and other editorial board members. I will also seek to improve the global impact of JPET by promoting the journal via our ASPET membership and other networks to ensure the highest quality research from national and international researchers in both academia and industry. Additionally, there will be global representation on the JPET editorial board with experienced AEs from Canada, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. To further promote our global outreach, I will invite an AE to join the editorial board whose focus will be to share the latest papers published in JPET on social media and develop monthly podcasts to highlight 1–2 papers within the issue. Excellent and comprehensive reviews are very important to JPET. I will work with the editorial board to ensure high-quality reviews and look for ways to recognize excellence in peer review.

I know that challenges lie ahead for the journal. For example, we have a considerable amount of competition, and our constituents have access to many other journals in which they can publish their research. JPET has and continues to have a commitment to our authors and ASPET members to help disseminate their impactful research articles immediately upon publication. Our ASPET members receive discounts when publishing in JPET. By publishing in the journal, our authors are helping to support other ASPET initiatives in the field of pharmacology. I will continue to encourage and promote JPET to the ASPET membership, authors, and readers as one of the leading pharmacology journals. My goal to help make this happen is to focus on providing excellent and timely scientific reviews and publishing the highest quality research as well as commissioning papers from the AEs and EABs designed specifically to increase awareness of the journal. I will also encourage the conversion of ASPET meeting symposia into minireviews. I am fully aware that we must increase the number of submissions, provide the highest quality reviews, and most importantly shorten the time from submission to first decision so that submitted papers move swiftly through peer review. As part of our new program, we will highlight on the journal home page the Top 10 reasons authors, especially ASPET members, should submit to JPET, some of which are goals provided below:

A goal of 20 days from submission to first decision.
A goal of an average of 9 days from acceptance to online publication.
Spotlight emerging scientific talent in the field of pharmacology with a Highlighted Trainee Author Award each month.
Showcase new articles on the journal homepage that are particularly interesting or important by our editors each month, as Editor’s Choice Articles.
A goal of early view of correct proofs published 16–24 days after acceptance and listed in PubMed days later.
FREE color figures for all authors
FREE PDF access for all authors.
FREE manuscript submission and reduced page charges for ASPET members.
Transfer option to MOLPHARM, DMD, and PR&P of papers rejected by JPET.
A goal that accepted articles will be considered for a podcast.

In closing, it is my privilege and honor to serve as the new JPET Editor. I will work closely with the editorial staff, EAs, EAB members, and division chairs to promote the journal so that together we make JPET one of the leading pharmacology journals. Moreover, I am very happy to hear your thoughts, comments, and ideas about moving JPET forward. I can be reached at beverley-greenwood@ouhsc.edu.