ACTS Connection

August 2022

Issue 2

Letter From the JCTS Editor: Dog Days of August

When transitioning from Stockholm to New York some 30 years ago I did encounter a number of new expressions, some more colorful than others, and the phrase “dog days of August” was one of them. Only when for the first time experiencing the heat and humidity typical of a New York August month did I fully appreciate its meaning, being more used to Scandinavian August months more typical of an early fall. But with climate change, even at those latitudes, the term “dog days” may now be more fitting. We may still have, at least with regard to the climate, some dog days ahead but I can assure you that JCTS will keep steaming full speed forward, come dog days or high water. Our thematic issues are getting a lot of attention, and three of them are now in the latter stages of the review process. Many papers have already been accepted and are available on the website and we encourage everyone to look at these. Last month we introduced two new thematic calls, both with due dates in January 2023 and submissions are welcome already from the announcement.

We are also happy to announce that the visibility of the journal is increasing. As many of you know already, JCTS was accepted into Scopus in 2021 and shortly thereafter into the Emerging Sources Citation Index, an important stepping stone for a young journal. We are very pleased that Clarivate now has notified us that JCTS will receive an Impact Factor in 2023. This Impact Factor will reflect the yearly mean number of citations of articles published in 2021 and 2022. As for any journal receiving a new Impact Factor, we anticipate that JCTS will start at a relatively modest level. However, given the many interesting and important manuscripts submitted to the journal by our colleagues and the hard work of our Editorial Board, we hope that the trajectory will be steadily upwards in numbers. Without doubt, the development is very positive and I think we can all be pleased. The journal keeps receiving submissions representing a broad translational spectrum and we aim to serve as a forum for all areas relevant to clinical and translational science. When we turn the calendar into September and the fall calendar gets into gear, we look forward to a new exciting period and we will do our utmost best to respond in a timely matter to our submitting colleagues.

In the meantime, I wish all of you a restful couple of weeks during the remainder of the August dog days before getting back to clinics, research, teaching and service duties. For sure, there is never a dull moment in this line of work. We are all privileged to be able to participate in developing new treatments and discoveries, engaging with patients and communities and helping to guide the next generation who undoubtedly will surpass us all in their ability and achievements.

Lars Berglund, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA

Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Clinical and Translational Science (JCTS)

Save the Date: Translational Science 2023

ACTS and its partners are looking forward to connecting in Washington, DC for Translational Science 2023, taking place April 19-21, 2023.

Additional details, including information on abstract and scientific programming submissions, as well as registration, will be available in the coming months.

Upcoming Virtual Roundtable

Join us on Wednesday, September 21 at 1:00PM CT for a virtual roundtable: "Building Your Team Science Toolbox."

In this highly interactive second installment of the ACTS Professional Development Roundtables, you will discuss team science competencies, map them to collaboration challenges we have experienced, and hear from team science experts Wayne McCormack, PhD and Jeni Cross, PhD, about new developments in the field.

This virtual roundtable is free for members, $10 for non-member early career investigators, and $15 for non-members. 

News From the Hill: July 26, 2022

Lawmakers continued working into the August recess to pass a package of environmental, tax, and healthcare budget provisions known as the Inflation Reduction Act. The legislation includes a number of items of interest to patient and professional healthcare advocates, including a three-year extension of enhanced ACA (exchange) premium subsidies and a $2,000 out of pocket cap with a smoothing mechanism for Medicare Part D that will take effect 2025. 

Read more on the ACTS Advocacy page.

Career Center

The ACTS Career Center is the premier resource for connecting those in the field of translational science with career opportunities. Visit today to find a wealth of resources to help achieve your career goals.

ACTS members receive a 50% discount on the site—use code ACTSMEMBER to save!

Member Highlights

Do you know someone who deserves to be recognized for outstanding or groundbreaking work? Is your institution embarking on an exciting project? Send ACTS your story to be highlighted in future versions of ACTS Connection.

Submit stories here.

Translational Science Today

Donation creates new Translational Research Impact Fund at MIND Institute

(SACRAMENTO) My biggest hope is to let the researchers know that we're behind them and that we support them and their work." The new fund is designed to help increase the speed at which research discoveries move from the lab into practice and patient care.

Read More