November 2022
Issue 2
Letter From the JCTS Editor: Busy Times
November is a busy month. I think we can all be relieved that the election season, apart from perhaps Georgia, is now over and that the process in general went well. We also had the opportunity to reflect on the service and sacrifice that our many veterans have done and the various health issues they are dealing with. Thanksgiving is coming up and with this a season of gatherings and family events. It is almost unreal to compare the situation this year approaching normality with the previous two years where many such events were haunted by COVID exposure and ensuing disease. However, the virus as well as other agents are still lurking around and remind us of the importance of taking precautions.
We have some exciting news regarding JCTS. As I have reported earlier, the submission rate for the journal has increased every year and we have now broken through the 200-submission barrier for the first time. We have four ongoing calls for thematic issues on: 1) Innovations for Enhancing the Informativeness and Quality of Clinical trials, 2) Decentralized research: Realizing the promise of virtual trials, 3) Well-Being in Clinical and Translational Science, and 4) Advancing Translational Science through Real-World Data and Real-World Evidence. Several of these issues address the changing landscape of clinical trials and the opportunity to use novel sources of data. We believe these areas represent exciting opportunities to present innovative approaches that hopefully will serve to both reform and inform ways to conduct trials. The thematic issue on well-being is an opportunity to highlight an issue that for long time was dormant under the surface but brought to light, in particular during the COVID pandemic. It is a very important issue for everyone and in particular for the future workforce. More details on each thematic issue are available on the JCTS website under “Call for Papers.”
An additional new and very exciting opportunity is a recently instituted Publication Award where we for the first time will be able to recognize a team authoring a JCTS publication. The deadline for nominations is December 5, 2022 and JCTS publications eligible for this inaugural award are papers published from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022. Topics of interest for the award include publications representing original research advances or investigations into how to best develop processes and/or a workforce to advance clinical and translational science. We warmly encourage nominations for the award and more information on requirements for a submission is available on the ACTS website. The winners will be recognized at the upcoming Translational Science 2023 meeting in Washington, DC in April 2023. The overall planning for the TS23 meeting is moving rapidly forward and it promises to be an exciting event where we all can get together and hear new and interesting findings – please keep an eye on the ACTS website for news and updates.
Finally I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving holiday – a holiday that I first experienced when coming to the United States and which has now become a cherished tradition in our home. It is a time to both look forward and look back and to spend time with loved ones. We will see you again as we move into December with a couple weeks full of activity before entering another holiday period. In the meantime, we wish you a very happy and enjoyable Thanksgiving.
Lars Berglund, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Clinical and Translational Science (JCTS)
Translational Science 2023: Award Nominations Are Open
Translational Science: Innovating Translational Science For Research is accepting award nominations. Acknowledge the outstanding contributions of the investigators and educators you work with by submitting a nomination for one of our Translational Science 2023 Awards today!
ACTS provides its members a platform for advancing the discipline of clinical and translational science with which it relates to improving human health. Submit your award nominations by Monday, December 5, 2022.
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Translational Science Today
Svati Shah Receives Genomic and Precision Medicine Mentoring Award
Svati Shah, MD, associate dean for genomics and professor of medicine, received the Genomic and Precision Medicine Mentoring Award from the American Heart Association (AHA) at the AHA's Scientific Sessions in Chicago, Illinois, on November 5. Shah is a physician-scientist focused on translational research to better understand metabolic and genetic pathways of cardiometabolic diseases.