The Next Century of Endocrinology

I take the helm of Endocrinology at a time in scientific history that is both auspicious and unpredictable. During my 5-year term, the journal will celebrate its 100th anniversary, and it is still a leader in the publication of frontier science. I thank my predecessor Jeffrey D. Blaustein and his Editors for handing the journal over to my team in such excellent shape. Readers and scholars appreciate the impact that Endocrinology has made on basic science in the field, and this is reflected by the journal’s metrics. In my own research area of reproductive neuroendocrinology, when I am searching for the original studies that laid the groundwork, I continue to discover that many, if not most, were published in Endocrinology. Basic and biomedical research in the endocrine sciences today is leading to truly transformative discoveries. At the same time, there are new challenges and uncertainties that we must overcome. I am honored to have this opportunity to lead the journal into its second century, and I am eager to see the next 5 years unfold. I am delighted to introduce the new team of senior Editors of the journal, who are leaders in their respective fields in all senses of the word: Richard Auchus (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI), Daniel Bikle (Veterans Affairs Medical Center/University of California, San Francisco, CA), Patricia Brubaker (University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada), Anthony Hollenberg (Beth Israel Deaconess/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA), Adrian Lee (University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA), Gail Prins (University of Illinois, Chicago, IL), Emilie Rissman (University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA), Hugh Taylor (Yale University, New Haven, CT), and Manuel Tena-Sempere (University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain). This group is simply outstanding. We have begun working together, and I am inspired by their thoughtful attention, knowledgeability, and genuine commitment to endocrinology, both the discipline and the journal. Andrea C. Gore During the course of the next year, I will be rolling out new initiatives that will provide substantive value to authors and readers of Endocrinology and more broadly to members of The Endocrine Society. We are at an historic turning point for basic and biomedical research, and one that will disproportionately affect graduate students, fellows, and junior investigators. A recent report by a working group of the United States National Institutes of Health (1) stated that in this era of research funding cutbacks, it is necessary to constrict the size of the research pipeline and to change the formula for training and funding such individuals. By contrast, others have suggested that despite decreasing budgets, something that is happening worldwide, the workforce actually needs to be expanded in order to make significant advancements in research and technology (2). I am not certain how to reconcile these disparate concepts, but I am disturbed by the idea that the pipeline of new scientists, our most precious resource, may dwindle, and that the ultracompetitive market may cause the best and the brightest to choose other and more stable careers, resulting in a brain drain in the sciences. What can a journal do to help? Sadly, we cannot infuse the scientific enterprise with the hundreds of millions of dollars (or more) needed to sustain it. Yet, a journal such as Endocrinology, with all of the strength of the esteemed The Endocrine Society behind it, has the ability to influence the future. In my first year as Editor-in-Chief, I will be announcing a Career Development section of the journal, accessible through the website, with interactive features to provide training to new investigators or those seeking mentorship. My goals are to provide mechanisms and web links for inexperienced authors to learn how to publish a paper, including templates for cover letters, guidelines for suggesting reviewers, information about article titles, and other journal rules. We will develop a mentorship system for teaching new scientists how to review papers by pairing them with members of the Editorial Board who can serve as their reviewing mentors. This has value for the less experienced scientists because the ability to critically review a paper is one of the best ways for an author to learn how to consider his/her own papers in the same critical light. My hope is that some of the junior reviewers will prove their mettle and be invited to serve on the Editorial Board themselves, something that is essential for career development of an individual. The Endocrine Society already supports young investigator activities at its Annual Meeting, as well as at other workshops held during the year. I intend to link the journal to such events by inviting the mentors at these activities to write commentaries on topics of interest to our more junior scientific constituency. Although Endocrinology’s fundamental mission is to publish the best basic science research papers, it is a priceless opportunity to be able to support and foster the careers of the next generation of endocrinologists. The same questions come up repeatedly in manuscripts under review about validation of antibodies, confirmation of genotype of transgenic animals, the correct usage of positive/negative controls, the specificity of gene sequences used for primers and probes, and others. Furthermore, sometimes these questions come up retrospectively about published papers, because authors omitted this information and reviewers missed the omission. During my editorial tenure, I will announce requirements for authors to provide unambiguous information about these topics in the form of simple tables provided upon manuscript submission. These tables should not take more than a few minutes to complete, but they assure reviewers, and scientific peers attempting to replicate or follow up on the research, that the science is sound. My first such initiative will be announced in the February 2013 edition of the journal, focusing on antibodies. With a journal that is nearly 100 years old, it is natural that there have been changes in the discipline. Who, for example, remembers Edward A. Doisy and theelin [now called estrone, isolated from thousands of gallons of urine from pregnant women in “lying-in” (maternity) hospitals in St. Louis, MO] or dihydrotheelin [now called estradiol, isolated from porcine follicular fluid (3)]? Notably, Doisy won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1943 and was President of The Endocrine Society from 1949 to 1950. Thus, periodic updates are needed to reflect the changing state of the science, the new vocabulary, and emerging research areas. I am in the process of revisiting the submission categories to make them more meaningful to endocrinologists. Stay tuned; the new categories are on their way. I conclude my first Editorial by considering the next 5 years, and beyond, for Endocrinology. It is surprisingly difficult to prognosticate what the future may hold because of our rapidly changing times, economic uncertainty, and funding shortfalls. Despite this, exciting advances in endocrine research continue to be published in our journal. The effects of a glut of online journals, some that seem to be truly transforming how we publish, others that are simply flooding the field with so many choices as to obfuscate which have value and which do not, remain to be seen. I am discussing with the Society what is the best model to serve our authors and members, and I will keep you posted. Endocrinology is truly unique in its multidisciplinarity and its ties to The Endocrine Society, with its mixed basic science, clinical, and physician-in-practice constituency. As the Society’s flagship journal, Endocrinology fills a critical niche for basic and translational researchers. The journal’s longevity and reputation have enabled it to play a unique role in the history of endocrinology, and I anticipate that it will continue to be one of the most relevant publication venues for cutting-edge research for at least another hundred years. I look forward to serving the scientific community in my new role as Editor-in-Chief, and I welcome your feedback and comments as to how I can best achieve my goals. I thank Dr. David Crews for reading this editorial and providing helpful information on the history of endocrinology. Disclosure Summary: The author has nothing to disclose.

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