Background
JHLT, the official publication of the ISHLT, is the highest ranked journal in the field of transplantation and is highly ranked in the fields of surgery, cardiology and respiratory.
JHLT brings readers essential scholarly and timely novel information in the field of cardiac and pulmonary transplantation, mechanical and biological support of the failing heart, advanced lung disease (including pulmonary vascular disease) and cell replacement therapy. The Journal serves as a medium of communication for both pre-clinical sciences and clinical research and practice guidelines in all these rapidly expanding areas. Further detailed information about
JHLT is provided below.
Criteria for Interested Candidates
The successful candidate will be a well-published clinical scientist, widely recognized as a leader in their discipline, with considerable research and clinical experience relevant to the at least one of the areas within JHLT’s portfolio. The successful candidate will have prior journal editorial experience at a suitable level to make the successful transition to an Editor-in-Chief role. They will demonstrate intellectual vision, bold scientific judgment, and skills to lead and work effectively with a multi-disciplinary team of editors and an editorial board.
Candidates for the Position:
- May have a background in any area of advanced heart and lung disease management.
- Must be willing and able to commit at least 15 hours weekly to activities of the journal.
- Must have excellent communication, writing, and editing skills, and exhibit a detail-oriented approach to collaborative tasks.
- Must have a demonstrated understanding of the broad scientific landscape which ISHLT encompasses and the future direction of the field.
- Must have a demonstrated understanding of statistics and statistical methods.
- Must have demonstrated prior leadership and organizational skills.
- Must be committed to the growth and improvement of the JHLT.
- Must be responsive to the JHLT readership.
- Must be committed to maintaining a Journal whose content is representative of the diversity of the Society’s membership.
Appointment Timeline and Key Dates
The ISHLT’s Publications Oversight Committee, in collaboration with the ISHLT Board of Directors and other Society leadership, will lead the search for a new EIC.
Applications will open on
1 December 2023, and will be accepted through
15 January, 2024.
Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed virtually in
March 2024.
Finalist candidates will have a second interview in-person during the ISHLT Annual Meeting in Prague,
10-13 April, 2024.
The newly appointed Editor-in-Chief will be required to shadow the current interim EIC of
JHLT in a transitional capacity beginning no later than 15 May, 2024, and to formally assume the position of Editor-in-Chief 1 July, 2024.
The Editor-in-Chief’s term is five 5 years, renewable once at the discretion of the ISHLT Publications Oversight Committee and the ISHLT Board of Directors.
The current interim Editor-in-Chief of
JHLT, Dr. Michelle Kittleson, has indicated she will not be seeking the substantive Editor-in-Chief position and will support ISHLT in identifying a new substantive EIC. The ISHLT Board of Directors and Publications Oversight Committee are hugely grateful to Dr. Kittleson for taking on the interim role at short notice following the resignation of the previous substantive EIC, Dr. Daniel Goldstein, for health reasons.
Evolution of JHLT
JHLT is the official journal of, and is owned by, the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. From its founding in 1981, ISHLT has grown to more than 3,500 members from every continent in the world, representing a wide range of professional disciplines involved in the diagnosis, management, and treatment of advanced heart and lung diseases. Members include anesthesiologists, basic scientists, cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, ethicists, immunologists, nurses, pathologists, perfusionists, pharmacists, pulmonologists, tissue engineers, transplant coordinators, infectious disease specialists, psychologists, and allied health professionals.
JHLT is published monthly by Elsevier, under a contract that ends 31 December, 2028. During their term, the incoming Editor-in-Chief will be part of the negotiation of the
JHLT publishing contract that will begin on 1 January, 2029.
In 2022, the Journal published Volume 41, which included 1,873 text pages and a 577-page online Supplement (the abstracts of the ISHLT 2022 Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions). The 2023 publication of Volume 42 is ongoing, but is on track to include 2,230 text pages and a 547-page online Supplement (the abstracts of the ISHLT 2023 Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions). The current Impact Factor is 8.9.
The Journal receives around 1,000 submissions annually, with time from submission to first decision at 37 days. Approximately 28% of papers are ultimately accepted for publication. The Journal’s online manuscript submission and peer review system is Editorial Manager. The current Editorial Board may be found at
https://www.jhltonline.org/edboard.
For specific information on current manuscript categories described in the Instructions to Authors, see
https://www.jhltonline.org/content/authorinfo. The incoming Editor-in-Chief will be free to retain, adapt, or change article categories and/or requirements such as word limits.
Expectations of the EIC Position
The Editor-in-Chief shall strive to:
- Publish the most authoritative, impactful, and highest quality articles within the scope of the Journal and the professional portfolio of the ISHLT.
- Identify emerging areas of importance and actively solicit the best work being done in those areas for submission to JHLT.
- Promote the scientific exchange of ideas to advance the field of advanced heart and lung disease.
- Remain aligned with the strategic direction and structural requirements of the ISHLT.
The Editor-in-Chief sits on the ISHLT Publications Oversight Committee (POC) and reports key performance indicators to the POC. The POC will periodically evaluate the performance of the Editor-in-Chief in consultation, as needed, with the ISHLT Board of Directors, using criteria including strategic direction, metrics, and the success of the Journal. The EIC may present challenges and opportunities within the Journal to the POC for advice and consultation.
ISHLT provides for a competitive stipend to cover costs associated with the operation of the
JHLT editorial team, including a stipend for the Editor-in-Chief.
Specific Editorial Responsibilities
The specific responsibilities of the EIC shall include:
- Establishing, in consultation with the ISHLT Publications Oversight Committee, the Editorial Board of the Journal (Deputy Editors, Section Editors, Digital Media Editors, Social Media Editors, Statistical editors and Editorial Board members at large), consisting of distinguished international researchers and clinicians across the spectrum of cardio-pulmonary basic, translational, and clinical research and clinical practice.
- Maintaining a diverse pool of reviewers for the journal that encompasses the international and multi-disciplinary identity of the ISHLT. This may include period calls for new reviewers from the ISHLT membership and beyond generally or in specific specialty areas.
- Working with the Society and the Publisher to develop strategies for editorial development of JHLT, including improvements to the features of the Publisher’s Journal website; developing plans and strategies to attract the most impactful science in support of the Journal’s Impact Factor; attending strategy and planning meetings arranged by the Society or the Publisher; and maintaining full and transparent communications and a positive working relationship with the ISHLT Publications Oversight Committee, Board of Directors, staff and the Journal’s publisher.
- Collaborating with the Editor-in-Chief and leadership of the Society’s Open Access journal, JHLT Open, to ensure ongoing information sharing and a smooth flow of papers from JHLT to JHLT Open. The EICs of both Journals may offer advice to the Society and the Publisher about the success of both publications.
- Participating in discussion with the Journal Publisher and potential publishers as need to improve the Journal’s processes or performance and ensure the Journal remains on competitive footing with similar journals in the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and transplantation spaces.
- Engaging the Editorial Board in discussing continuous improvement and development of the Journal and improving their understanding of criteria for selecting papers and expanding coverage in new areas.
- Arranging appropriate, timely, and efficient peer-review procedures for the contributions submitted for publication in the Journal and utilizing the manuscript tracking system (currently Editorial Manager) provided by the Publisher (currently Elsevier).
- Preparing an annual or semi-annual report to the ISHLT Publications Oversight Committee and Board of Directors, showing the acceptance rate, rate of submission, origin of submitted and accepted papers, time lag to first decision and final decision, and other statistics that will indicate the health of the Journal.
- Ensuring that his or her conduct conforms to the highest standards of professional conduct and scientific integrity, is consistent with all applicable laws and regulations, and reflects positively on the ISHLT; and promoting the same standards of conduct by the Deputy and Section Editors, and all other members of the editorial team.
- Securing from all members of the Editorial Board Conflict of Interest disclosures and submitting his or her own Conflict of Interest statement annually to the ISHLT per the latest COI policies.
- Adhering to the Editorial Budget, which includes the honoraria for any Editorial Board positions as well as office support for the work of the Editor-in-Chief.
Application Process
Applicants are asked to complete a short online application form, which includes questions regarding their professional history and their editorial experience.
As part of the application, applicants will be asked to provide the following materials:
- Resume/CV
- Vision statement for the future of the Journal (no more than 1,200 words)
- Letter from their institution confirming support for their application and willingness to release them from existing commitments to serve in the JHLT EIC role
- Contact and professional information for 3 references
The application should include evidence of fulfillment of the following criteria:
- Academic and Publishing Record
- Evidence of strong academic achievement as a leader in their field and a robust list of publications in relevant fields.
- Editorial Experience
- Experience as an Editor, Associate or Deputy Editor, or Editorial Board Member of one or more scientific journals in related fields.
- Content and Format Development
- Personal statement (vision) on developing the journal’s content, increasing the journal’s impact, the editorial structure and process, and strategic development of the journal.
Compensation
ISHLT provides for a competitive stipend to cover costs associated with the operation of the Editorial Office, including a stipend for the Editor. Further information can be provided to applicants on request.
For More Information
For detailed information on the work of the
JHLT EIC, view the
full job description.
Interested candidates can discuss the EIC role and the expectations of ISHLT for the position by contacting Andrew Fisher, Chair of ISHLT Publications Oversight Committee at
a.j.fisher@ncl.ac.uk.
For additional questions about the application process, candidates should send an email to Jess Burke, CAE, ISHLT Director of Marketing and Communications, at
jess.burke@ishlt.org.