Fellows‐in‐training, postdoctoral research fellows, and early career academic faculty members represent the future of cardiovascular medicine and a cornerstone in the advancement of cardiovascular medicine and research. The editors of the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA) realize the importance of helping create the next generation of academicians, scientists, and editors, and therefore created the JAHA Early Career Board (ECB). This ECB consists of a group of distinguished clinical and research fellows and junior faculty at academic institutions within 3 years of their academic faculty appointment in Cardiovascular Medicine or one of its subspecialties, or in stroke. Members of the JAHA ECB are carefully selected every year from a large list of distinguished nominees with versatile interests and expertise in the various disciplines of cardiovascular medicine, research, and public health. The selection process abides by the diversity and inclusiveness policies of the American Heart Association (AHA). The names and biographies of our inaugural group can be found on the JAHA website at https://www.ahajournals.org/jaha/early_career_ed_board.
During their term on the ECB of JAHA, the members will be involved in a number of activities including, but not limited to, peer reviewing of submitted manuscripts, writing mini‐reviews and Early Career perspectives, disseminating JAHA publications and endeavors in social media, covering AHA scientific sessions and other AHA meetings, and participating in JAHA Twitter journal clubs. They will also work on additional editorial tasks assigned by the Editor‐in‐Chief. The performance of the ECB members, including their peer review activities, will be serially and prospectively captured, using prespecified metrics, and will be periodically monitored. The ECB members will receive periodic feedback about their peer‐review activities and will be closely mentored by 1 or more member of the JAHA editorial board. The 1‐year term of a JAHA ECB member may be renewed for a second year, depending on his or her productivity and performance.
By participating in the JAHA ECB, fellows and early career faculty members will therefore gain editorial experience and receive mentorship from a distinguished group of editors, advance and diversify their research and academic portfolios, and help advance the AHA mission and fulfill its guiding values.
It is in this context that we are initiating the new Early Career Perspective section at JAHA. This new section will include succinct write‐ups (up to 1250 words, 2 Figures/Tables) by an ECB member in collaboration with a senior author and mentor from the JAHA editorial board. The Early Career Perspective will represent the opinions of the respective authors, and not those of the JAHA editorial board or AHA. The Early Career Perspectives will cover hot topics relevant to clinical practice or research finding, or delve into issues pertinent to fellows, early career faculty members, and postdoctoral fellows. We hope you enjoy this new section of JAHA.
Disclosures
Disclosures provided by Hani Jneid in compliance with American Heart Association's annual Journal Editor Disclosure Questionnaire are available at https://www.ahajournals.org/pb-assets/COI_09-2019.pdf.
(J Am Heart Assoc. 2020;9:e017464 DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.120.017464.)32452281
For Disclosures, see page 2.