Pitt will host the journal JCI Insight for the next 5 years

A team of physician-scientists at the University of Pittsburgh will serve as the editorial board of an American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) research journal for the next five years.

Leading Pitt’s JCI Insight team is Oliver Eickelberg, Dorothy P. and Richard P. Simmons Professor of Pulmonary Research and executive vice chair for academic affairs in the Department of Medicine. He brings 20 years of editorial experience, including serving as associate editor of the prestigious American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine since 2010.

“Our constituency is the physician-scientists across the world. I think we want to serve that community very well,” Eickelberg (pictured) said.

“We’re honored to be chosen for this role, which reflects our standing in the research community, affirming Pitt’s reputation for research excellence,” said Anantha Shekhar, senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of the School of Medicine.

Benjamin Humphreys, the 2023-24 ASCI president, served as the chair of the committee that recommended the selection of Eickelberg. "He presented a compelling vision for leading JCI Insight, and he assembled a great team to implement it," Humphreys said.

JCI Insight is known for its high-quality, high-impact research that contributes to the understanding of the biology and/or treatment of disease, with an emphasis on clinically relevant basic and translational research. It is a sister journal to the Journal of Clinical Investigation, or JCI.

Both are owned and published by ASCI, a nonprofit honorary scientific society of which about 75% of the scientists on Pitt’s editorial board are members.

“ASCI holds, in the field of medicine, around the world but particularly in the U.S., a huge reputation,” Eickelberg said. “Many Nobel laureates are ASCI members. It is the preeminent honorific scientific society of our day, in medicine.”

The online journal publishes twice a month with about 20 articles in each issue, though Eickelberg said the journal typically receives about 2,400 submissions per year. Those are evaluated through the peer-review process, he said.

Pitt has assembled a deep bench of about 30 editors who will meet regularly to work on the journal, and each issue will go through a detailed review by the executive team, he said.

Deputy editors will be G. Nicholas Beckwith III and Dorothy B. Beckwith Professor of Translational Medicine Toren Finkel, UPMC Professor of Translational Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Alison Morris, Professor and Department of Medicine Chair Anne Marie Lennon, and Vitalant Professor of Vascular Medicine Stephen Chan.

The journal, initially hosted at Duke University, has been hosted at the University of Michigan for the past five years.

ASCI Executive Director John Hawley said he and the rest of the ASCI team are excited for the start of Eickelberg’s tenure. “Like other academic societies, ASCI changes journal leadership on a regular basis — in our case, every five years. It’s an opportunity for new ideas and directions, and we’re currently working on a number of changes to be ready when the board begins.”

The onboarding of the new editorial board is planned for Aug. 13, and Pitt will take over the journal’s operation as of Sept. 1.