As most of my professional life has been associated with ASPET, it is a tremendous honor to be named as Editor-in-Chief for Drug Metabolism and Disposition (DMD). During my graduate training, the journal served as the primary source for our journal club discussions, and the department bulletin board was always populated with faculty publications from ASPET journals. Along with many other future trainees, I was provided opportunities to become involved in ASPET journals by Dr. James Halpert, who served as Editor from 2000 to 2006 and as ASPET President in 2010. As the editorship transitioned to Dr. Eric Johnson (2006–2012) and subsequently to Dr. Edward Morgan (2012–2018), it was always clear that the leadership held the constant goal of publishing the best science across topics of drug metabolism, pharmacology, and toxicology. Their vision guided the evolution of the journal into emerging scientific areas such as drug transport, large-molecule pharmacokinetics and disposition, and drug-metabolizing enzyme structure and function. Dr. Morgan, in particular, generated several special issues that featured highly cited original research papers and review articles covering many of these topics. In addition, these editors were also excellent stewards for the future of the journal, in providing more junior scientists with the opportunity to become involved in the journal as reviewers, Editorial Board members, and Associate Editors. On a personal note, the Editorial Board owes a large debt to Dr. Morgan for his mentorship and willingness to always entertain new ideas. Perhaps the most compelling acknowledgment of the leadership of the journal is that despite the advent and proliferation of scientific journals during the 21st century, both the ASPET membership and broader scientific community continue to view the journal as the preferred forum for publishing peer-reviewed research in the drug metabolism discipline. This statement is supported by the metrics that the journal will publish in 2017 over 200 articles and reviews, with an average time from submission to first decision of under 30 days, all while attaining the highest impact factor (4.2) in more than a decade.
The core of the journal is the dedicated group of Editorial Board members and Associate Editors who generously give their time and expertise toward not only the review process but also in advocating for ASPET journals. More specifically, this truly international group of subject matter experts includes senior academic administrators at top research universities, Gillette Award–winning scientists, and pharmaceutical industry thought leaders who often serve additional roles within the committees and divisions of ASPET. I am humbled by and grateful for their professional dedication, and on behalf of the journal I want to extend my thanks for their work and contributions to ASPET. I want to specifically acknowledge three Associate Editors. First, Dr. Nina Isoherranen from the University of Washington for her continued tremendous work in managing the journal review articles. Also, our two retiring Associate Editors, Dr. Bill Smith of Gilead Sciences and Dr. Chantal Guillemette from Laval University, who have provided invaluable expertise in the fields of biotransformation and pharmacogenomics, respectively. In the coming months, I will be looking to add editorial board members who will broaden our scientific expertise with an eye toward international diversity. Finally, the staff of ASPET journals has applied their industry-leading experience in scientific publications to expand the social media platform of the journal while always building a strong business case for the subscribers and authors of ASPET journals.
In executing my goals for the coming years as Editor, the primary focus will be fully aligned with the principles of the 2017 ASPET Strategic Plan. The plan goal of “enhancing ASPET journals” will strive to provide the readership of DMD with leading scientific content in the drug metabolism field, while providing authors with an objective peer review experience that is paired with a timely and user-friendly publication process. I will also hold myself and my editorial team accountable for “attracting and developing the next generation” of scientists who volunteer their time and expertise to the journal. In addition, on behalf of all who are associated with ASPET journals, I will continue to advocate for the many benefits of ASPET membership, including access to four elite journals that span the broad spectrum of pharmacology. We welcome not only your best science, but also your feedback on areas for improvement for DMD. Please feel free to contact me or the peer review manager of the journal at dmd@aspet.org with any suggestions.
- Copyright © 2018 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics