My time to say goodbye to JHLT

Often endeavors reach their natural conclusion, and one must end a particular passage in life, however regretful that might be. I am now facing this crossroads at JHLT. For health reasons, I am compelled to step down as Editor-in-Chief (EIC) of this esteemed journal. I have stage IV metastatic adenoid cystic carcinoma, also known as salivary gland cancer, a very rare malignancy. I was first diagnosed in early Fall 2016, shortly after I moved from Yale to the University of Michigan, when a tumor was discovered hiding under my tongue, originating in the left sublingual gland. I made no secret of my condition at the time. After the initial tumor resection and oral radiation, I recovered and enjoyed excellent health for many years, though the typically slow-growing cancer had already spread to my lungs at the time of diagnosis. When I accepted my position as EIC of JHLT in September 2020, I was in great shape, running 3–5 miles per day and biking to and from work. I was undergoing routine surveillance for my cancer and had every intention and hope of completing my 5-year tenure as EIC. Unfortunately, symptoms subsequently arose as the cancer spread to new places. Since 2021, I have undergone three different forms of systemic therapy, including immunotherapy, and rounds of palliative radiation to diminish symptoms. Invariably, these treatments take their toll, and I have been subject to other health issues, including more than one hospitalization for pneumonia over the past year. Being EIC is an awesome responsibility that requires nearly daily attention. Although there are many fulfilling rewards, the burden is relentless. Given this and my health, it has become clear to me that I can no longer meet the ongoing challenges of this position. It is time for me to step down to focus on my health and my family. I am delighted to hand over the reins of EIC to Dr Michelle Kittleson who, as one of my Deputy Editors, has consistently made greatly insightful decisions about manuscripts. I am very grateful to Michelle for accepting this position on an interim basis. Dr Kittleson is an experienced heart transplant cardiologist and clinical researcher, and I am confident of a fantastic and seamless transition. I am proud of the progress and innovation that has occurred during my tenure as EIC of JHLT. As EIC, I strove to make the peer review process transparent, fair, and consistently of a high standard. I encouraged submissions in all areas of interest to JHLT including the fields of heart and lung transplantation, pulmonary vascular disease, and mechanical circulatory support. With the support of our highly talented editorial board, I strove to fairly evaluate impactful studies, whether experimental, translational, clinical, or health services research. I restructured the editorial board to ensure that every manuscript was assigned 2 expert editors, with a handling Section Editor being responsible for evaluating peer review reports, who then reported to a highly skilled Deputy Editor who rendered a final decision on the manuscript before sending it to me. Every manuscript, including those not sent out for peer review, was still evaluated by 2 editors. Importantly, I recruited an amazing team of statistical experts to ensure that all revised manuscripts utilized appropriate statistical approaches, and a fantastic team of technical editors to ensure that experimental studies employed rigorous laboratory techniques. From a content standpoint, I expanded the State-of-the-Art Review series to include companion reviews in which 2 different sets of authors wrote complementary articles. Examples include the role of the microbiome in lung and organ transplantation,1McGinniss J.E. Whiteside S.A. Simon-Soro A. et al.The lung microbiome in lung transplantation.J Heart Lung Transplant. 2021; 40: 733-744Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (7) Google Scholar, 2Pirozzolo I. Li Z. Sepulveda M. Alegre M.-L. Influence of the microbiome on solid organ transplant survival.J Heart Lung Transplant. 2021; 40: 745-753Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (6) Google Scholar clinical and biological aspects of myocardial recovery with mechanical circulatory support,3Tseliou E. Lavine K.J. Wever-Pinzon O. et al.Biology of myocardial recovery in advanced heart failure with long-term mechanical support.J Heart Lung Transplant. 2022; 41: 1309-1323Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (5) Google Scholar, 4Kanwar M.K. Selzman C.H. Ton V.K. et al.Clinical myocardial recovery in advanced heart failure with long term left ventricular assist device support.J Heart Lung Transplant. 2022; 41: 1324-1334Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (7) Google Scholar innate immunity in organ transplantation and lung transplantation,5Shepherd H.M. Gauthier J.M. Li W. et al.Innate immunity in lung transplantation.J Heart Lung Transplant. 2021; 40: 562-568Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (6) Google Scholar, 6Abou-Daya K.I. Oberbarnscheidt M.H. Innate allorecognition in transplantation.J Heart Lung Transplant. 2021; 40: 557-561Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (9) Google Scholar and the immunobiology and clinical applications of donor-derived cell-free DNA.7Khush K.K. Clinical utility of donor-derived cell-free DNA testing in cardiac transplantation.J Heart Lung Transplant. 2021; 40: 397-404Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (18) Google Scholar, 8Tsuji N. Agbor-Enoh S. Cell-free DNA beyond a biomarker for rejection: biological trigger of tissue injury and potential therapeutics.J Heart Lung Transplant. 2021; 40: 405-413Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar Other areas also included a review pathobiology of brain death,9Wong A. Liu M. Inflammatory responses in lungs from donation after brain death: mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets.J Heart Lung Transplant. 2021; 40: 890-896Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (6) Google Scholar which was accompanied by a review on the clinical aspects of donation after cardiac death,10Scheuer S.E. Jansz P.C. Macdonald P.S. Heart transplantation following donation after circulatory death: expanding the donor pool.J Heart Lung Transplant. 2021; 40: 882-889Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (36) Google Scholar and an update on xenotransplantation, with a commentary on the ethics of xenotransplantation.11Caplan A. Parent B. Ethics and the emerging use of pig organs for xenotransplantation.J Heart Lung Transplant. 2022; 41: 1204-1206Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar, 12Chaban R. Cooper D.K.C. Pierson III, R.N. Pig heart and lung xenotransplantation: present status.J Heart Lung Transplant. 2022; 41: 1014-1022Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (9) Google Scholar One of the most rewarding aspects of my time as EIC was developing the JHLT podcast. I recruited a highly talented and energetic group of investigators (known as the Digital Media Editors) specifically, Marty Tam (University of Michigan), Van Khue Ton (MGH), Erika Lease (University of Washington), and David Schibilsky (Freiburg, Germany) to help me with this endeavor. Initially, we wanted to give the impression that we were meeting in a busy hospital corridor to discuss JHLT articles. We would summarize these articles and discuss the implications among ourselves. But once we grew more comfortable with the recording process, we became adventurous and invited the authors of the selected JHLT articles to be interviewed about their research as well as to answer questions about their careers. Earlier this year, we passed on the podcast to Dr Marta Farrero, a transplant cardiologist from Barcelona. She recruited a team of experts to produce 1 podcast entirely in Spanish. I am indebted to Max Fleigner, currently a medical student at William Beaumont School of Medicine, MI, USA, for technical assistance for the podcast recording, and to Jess Burke from ISHLT for providing all podcast-related public relations. Typically, the podcast received over 300 downloads a month, a marker of tremendous engagement. Nonetheless, production of the podcast involved relentless preparation—as soon as we were finished with 1 month’s issue, we barely had 1 week to recover before preparing for the next issue’s episode! Thankfully, the enthusiasm of the Digital Media team kept me going. I wish the Digital Media team all the success in continuing the JHLT podcast well into the future, and I look forward to their ongoing creative innovations. I am also very grateful for my social media editors, Ahman Sidhu and Yas Moayedi (both from the University of Toronto), for disseminating studies on social medical, specifically the use of Twitter. During my time as EIC, Twitter engagement has substantially increased, and we currently have over 5000 Twitter followers. Another aspect of being EIC that I enjoyed was the promotion of early career faculty. Although there are many ways of doing this, one of the ways I supported early career faculty was to invite them to write editorials on manuscripts they had reviewed for JHLT. Furthermore, I recruited over 60 early career faculty from all areas of interest of ISHLT to become early career reviewers (ECR) of JHLT submissions. I encouraged Section Editors to invite ECR to review manuscripts and asked the Section Editors to score ECR performance. After several months, the ECR with the best scores were invited for “enhanced mentoring” in which they would pair up with me or select Deputy Editors for individual mentoring regarding the manuscript review process at JHLT. We also discussed scientific writing and other aspects of career development, such as how to choose a research mentor and research project. One other component of my role as EIC was working with my partner at Elsevier, Luke Verillo, to lay the groundwork for a new ISHLT open access journal, JHLTOpen, which is about to launch. The new EIC for JHLTOpen is Dirk Van Raemdonck, and I wish Dirk and his editorial board all the success in launching this exciting new journal. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the wonderfully talented editors that I recruited to JHLT. I could not have executed my role without you. I am proud with the expertize and diversity of the Deputy Editor team with representation from across the globe and a 50:50 female:male split. Despite their many other clinical, professional, and academic responsibilities, these Deputy Editors have worked tirelessly to ensure that JHLT maintained its high standards. I wish the editors success in all their future endeavors. I also would like to thank David Newcombe, Managing Editor of JHLT, and his staff for their amazing support over the last 2 and half years. I am also grateful for members of the Publication Oversight Committee of ISHLT, chaired by Andy Fisher, in providing advice to me during my time as EIC. I am thankful to all the staff at ISHLT, especially Jess Burke, Susie Newton, Megan Barrett, and Greg Schultz for their incredible support. Finally, I would like to thank Bruce Skinner, my administrative support, for setting up many meetings during my time as EIC. I am sure that under Michelle Kittleson’s interim leadership, the JHLT will be in an incredibly strong position to meet all its future challenges. While my time with this phenomenal journal has come to an end, the journey has been incredibly gratifying. I wish you all many thanks for providing me with the honor of holding this amazing position. I will also treasure this opportunity as one of the most rewarding in my career.