John Bartholomew, Ph.D., FACSM, officially began his four-year term as editor-in-chief of the Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (TJACSM) on January 1. Dr. Bartholomew has spent the past few months learning the ins-and-outs since being named incoming editor-in-chief by the ACSM Publications Committee.
Dr. Bartholomew joined ACSM in 1999. He currently serves as professor and chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at The University of Texas at Austin. His research centers on the development of school-based interventions to increase physical activity and the benefits of such interventions for academic performance.
In the following Q&A, Dr. Bartholomew shares his vision for TJACSM.
What prompted you to apply for the role of editor-in-chief? During my year as associate editor in chief, I saw the great potential for TJACSM and was excited to help move that forward.
What are you most looking forward to in this role? TJACSM is designed to advance the rigor of translational science for physical activity and sports medicine and to ensure a strong outlet to disseminate that research. I am excited to take on this responsibility and work with the associate editors to fulfill the mission. Because TJACSM is still developing, we have the opportunity to be nimble, innovate and try different strategies to achieve these aims.
How would you like to leverage the unique strengths of TJACSM? Translational science is incredibly difficult to do well as it necessitates a sacrifice of control to emphasize a more direct impact on people’s lives. Our challenge is to support scholars in navigating this challenge and ensure that what has been discovered in the laboratory can be used to shift behavior, as well as improve health and performance – which is, after all, a primary focus of the ACSM. Our targeted focus on this space is our primary strength, and it fills an important niche for ACSM.
What changes can readers look for in the coming year for TJACSM? You can expect a number of changes in how TJACSM is produced with additions to the submission categories. For example, instead of special issues we will pursue collections. Some collections will be built around a theme. Our initial theme is women’s health, which began with three invited articles and will build over time. Other collections will track a single trial over time – from the protocol to the outcome paper and process evaluation. Collections versus special issues are just one example of how we can innovate with an online journal that will distinguish TJACSM from traditional print journals. Stay tuned in the coming months as other ideas are developed and put into action.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Our younger daughter is in high school so much of my free time is spent cheering for her soccer teams – a role that is being formalized as I also begin a term as president of the high school booster club. Go Raiders!