Letter from the JCTS Editor
Colleagues,
One of the great privileges of serving as Editor-in-Chief is seeing the many ways our community advances science. Every week, I encounter investigators asking: "Is this a JCTS paper?" The question often arises because the work does not fit neatly into a traditional mold. Perhaps it is an innovative use of artificial intelligence to improve research operations. Perhaps it is a stakeholder engagement study that informs the design of a future trial. Perhaps it is a novel training program, a translational success story, or simply an alternative interpretation of a recently published finding. The answer is usually the same: if the work helps us understand how to do clinical and translational science better, there is likely a place for it in JCTS.
That philosophy is reflected in our current thematic issue, Artificial Intelligence in Action: Tested and Proven Approaches to Transforming Clinical and Translational Science. As the submission deadline approaches, I am excited by the breadth of work being considered. What interests me most is not AI itself, but the diversity of scientific questions being asked and I am excited to see the range of methods being applied to accelerate translation. The same diversity of thought is reflected in the applications we are receiving in response to our call for applications to join the JCTS Editorial Board. We are seeking individuals from across the translational spectrum because good journals require more than expertise in a single domain. Good journals require a community willing to evaluate evidence, challenge assumptions, mentor authors, and engage in scientific discourse. Our editorial board is precisely that, and we encourage you to consider joining us by sending us an email with your interest.
Scientific progress depends on more than the publication of results; it requires ongoing inquiry and discourse. As investigators generate evidence in Research Articles and Brief Reports, Review Articles can help us synthesize and understand that evidence. Our newer Translational Design Studies provide information about methods and processes that can be used to accelerate translation. Special Communications can describe innovations in how we structure and conduct science, and Translational Science Case Studies help us understand how discoveries become impact. Perspectives and Letters create opportunities to challenge ideas, provide context, and debate interpretations. Together, these contributions help move the field forward.
In many ways, the manuscript types available at JCTS mirror the scientific process itself. We generate observations. We test hypotheses. We build programs. We learn from successes and failures. We synthesize knowledge. We discuss, debate, and refine our understanding. At its best, a journal is not a repository of papers. It is a forum for scientific conversation. Whether your contribution is a major research study, a design-phase investigation, an innovative program, a translational success story, or a thoughtful alternative viewpoint, we encourage you to share it. The field advances when ideas are not just disseminated but are also discovered and discussed.
We look forward to hearing your voice.
Chris Lindsell, PhD
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Clinical and Translational Science
ACTS Updates
Office Update: ACTS Headquarters will be closed on Friday, July 3 in observance of Independence Day. All calls and emails received this day will be returned on Monday, July 6.
JCTS Call for Editors
The Journal of Clinical and Translational Science (JCTS), the official journal of the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS) and the Clinical Research Forum, is seeking new experts to join their Editorial Board. Editorial Board members are key members of the JCTS community, working together to elevate the impact of the journal and advance the state of the in clinical and translational science. Editors are expected to find reviewers, evaluate articles in the light of those reviews, and contribute to decision making, typically managing several manuscripts at a time. Anyone interested in becoming an editor is welcome to come forward. JCTS is especially interested in new editors with the following expertise:
- Community engagement
- Implementation science
- Qualitative methods
- Regulatory science, clinical research ethics
- Research operations and administration
- Research design
If you are interested in joining the Board, please submit a letter of interest and a CV to the journal office at jcts@cambridge.org by Wednesday, July 1, 2026.
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Partner News
CMSS Awarded Doris Duke Foundation Grant to Accelerate Adoption of Equitable Algorithms
ACTS is a partner in the ENGAGE: Eliminating Bias in Next-Generation Algorithm Guidance and Evaluation Initiative, coordinated by the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) and funded by the Doris Duke Foundation. ENGAGE unites thought leaders and organizations across the scientific, clinical, and publishing communities to accelerate field-wide adoption of modern methodologies in the consideration of race in clinical equations.
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Stories from our Members
Georgia CTSA AppHatchery Co-Director Receives NIH R50 Research Software Engineer Award
Clinicians and biomedical researchers often encounter challenges when translating their ideas into real-world applications and tools that can improve research and patient care. Santiago Arconada Alvarez, MS, Emory, aims to bridge this gap through NIH funding he received from the R50 Research Software Engineer (RSE) Award.
When asked why he applied for the grant, Arconada Alvarez shared, “I spent a decade in science, academia, then industry, then back to academia — and the question that got me hooked originally was, 'Why are there so few scientific discoveries published in academic journals that actually made it into our daily lives?' The R50 is the first funding I've seen that recognizes the people who build that software inside academia as researchers in their own right. When the opportunity came up, applying felt like the first time the mechanism matched the work and vision I had for science.”
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Engineered Gut Bacteria Therapy Emerges as Scalable Potential Alternative to Fecal Microbiota Transplants Following Clinical Trial
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed a new manufacturing platform for producing targeted mixtures of beneficial gut bacteria, an approach that could help expand access to microbiome-based therapies for patients with recurrent Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) infection. Their findings were published in the June 2 issue of Nature Medicine.
Recurrent C. difficile infection is a serious and often debilitating condition that can occur after antibiotic treatment disrupts the natural balance of bacteria in the gut. Although fecal microbiota transplants (FMT)—a treatment that transfers stool from healthy donors to restore gut bacteria in patients with severe or recurrent infections—have proven effective for many patients, more standardized and scalable therapeutic options are needed.
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