With this last issue of 2013, I am pleased to tell you that JCRP continues to elevate its presence globally within the cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and disease prevention community. The Journal now receives more than 70% of it submissions from outside the USA and Canada, and for that, I am greatly appreciative. The Journal has come from 2007, when we received 87 submissions, to currently on track for receiving nearly 190 manuscripts. Obtaining our first Impact Factor in 2009, we have continued to make modest gains, to a recent 5-year Impact Factor of 1.76, ranking in the upper 50% of 122 journals within the Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems section in the ISI Web of KnowledgeSM. I believe our successes are the result of outstanding submissions, a thorough and careful review process which engages scientists and clinicians for their participation, a dedicated editorial staff, and a committed publisher. I am indeed indebted to all of my previous Editors that set the stage for the Journal successes, and it has been my honor to follow in this tradition.
However, despite my passion for the "work," it is time to move to the next generation of the Journal's leadership. As many of you may know, I have served as Editor-in-Chief of JCRP for nearly 7 years, as well as 6 years previously as an Associate Editor. It has been a great run and I have enjoyed the work tremendously. As we approach the end of the year, I would like to take the opportunity to apprize the readership and contributors of some changes in the JCRP editorial leadership, beginning in 2014.
* Through discussions with colleagues, and the Board of Directors of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR), as well as the AACVPR management team, SmithBucklin, I am pleased to announce that Larry Hamm, PhD, has accepted the Editor-in-Chief position, with his term beginning January 1, 2014. Larry brings a long successful history with the AACVPR, is currently serving as an Associate Editor of the Journal, has a number of international ties, has been an active peer reviewer for the Journal since 2008, and is committed to leading JCRP. Dr. Hamm is Professor of Exercise Science and Director of Clinical Exercise Physiology Program in the School of Public Health & Health Services at The George Washington University in Washington, DC. I am confident he will serve the Journal well and continue to elevate its status as the leading journal in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and prevention. Congratulations Larry.
* In addition, it is my pleasure to tell to you that Leonard Kaminsky, PhD, has recently been added to the JCRP editorial leadership as a new Associate Editor. Lenny is Professor of Exercise Science, Ball State University, and began his new role with the Journal in August. Dr. Kaminsky is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes for Health (NIH), and American Heart Association funded investigator. Welcome aboard Lenny.
* Finally, Dr. Jeff Roitman will be leaving the Editorial leadership, serving as a Literature Update Section Editor since 2007. Jeff has provided a unique approach to the review of valuable outside publications and his support of the JCRP mission and to me personally, has been invaluable. Thanks Jeff.
I would like to thank all of our authors and reviewers, Kathleen Phelan representing the JCRP publisher Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams Wilkins, and the production team, led by Amy Myers. In addition, the work has also resulted from the dedicated efforts of our contributing Editors, and my friends, Brian Carlin, Jerry Fleg, Karen Hardy, Sanjay Kalra, Jeff Roitman, Bonnie Sanderson, Ray Squires, and Jim Stone. Your commitment to JCRP will be memorable to me and is a great part of what has made my time truly fulfilling. I sincerely thank you for your attention to detail, timeliness of your work, and of course, your counsel along the way. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't say thanks to my secretary, Jan McNew, for assisting me with all the "techno" challenges that presented themselves in the nearly 900 submissions over the years. Lastly, our Managing Editor, Abigail Lynn, continues to work tirelessly for the Journal. Always gracious and tremendously organized, Abigail is the mainstay of our production of JCRP and has my everlasting gratitude. I owe you big time! Thank you, Abigail.
In closing, all of your work, that of authors, reviewers, editorial staff, and production staff, has greatly impacted the growing reputation of the Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention as being ideally suited for publishing cutting-edge clinical science and solid review pieces in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and prevention. JCRP is a great fit for the practicing clinician and the dedicated researcher. I'm sure we are on a very strong path to continued success and future accomplishments.
Sincerest regards and, of course, Happy Trails!
-Mark A. Williams, PhD, MAACVPR, FACSM
Editor-in-Chief