A Sentimental Segue

It has been a tremendous honor to serve as Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Pharmacology for the last six years.

In the years since its founding by Avram Goldstein in 1965, with the proud sub-title “An International Journal”, Molecular Pharmacology has been led by many illustrious pharmacologists. Some of these individuals co-authored a review of the history of the journal in 2015 [Mol Pharmacol 88, 139–140]. Several of the previous Editors are my mentors and close friends. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the positive influence of Paul Insel on my own career, and on the field of molecular pharmacology. I would also like to thank Joan Heller Brown (also a former Editor), Martin Michel, and Harvey Motulsky for their work on behalf of the journal, and for their friendship. It is not a coincidence that all the aforementioned were at one point working at the University of California, San Diego. This was my undergraduate institution, and home for my postdoctoral fellowship in the Insel lab. I still recall listening to Palmer Taylor lecturing on basic principles in pharmacology when I took an undergraduate course on this subject at UCSD. This course prompted me to apply to graduate school in pharmacology, and ultimately to devote my professional life to this field.

The goal of the journal has always been to publish cutting-edge work concerning the molecular mechanisms of drug action. Over time, this work has undoubtedly become more “molecular” than ever envisioned by its founder. Many of the reports published in the journal over the last few years deal with structural aspects of drug-receptor interactions, utilizing computational approaches to model and analyze these interactions. This area of research has become so important to drug development that multiple new journals have emerged to address the same topic area, and new monikers have evolved to lend more novelty to the subject. Thus, the very success of the field of molecular pharmacology has created some competitive challenges for the journal so named.

During my time as Editor, I strove to continue and expand upon the proud history of service that Molecular Pharmacology provides to the profession. One approach was to recognize the enormous contributions of pre- and post-doctoral trainees by launching the Highlighted Trainee Author Award program in 2017. Adriano Marchese has been skillfully managing this program. The three statistics editors, Harvey Motulsky, T.J. Murphy, and Martin Michel, expanded an initiative begun by my predecessor, John Traynelis. They have contributed immeasurably to the ASPET journals and to science as a whole through their efforts to clarify expectations for scientific reproducibility. The trio worked tirelessly to develop “New Author Guidelines for Displaying Data and Reporting Data Analysis and Statistical Methods in Experimental Biology” [Mol Pharmacol 97, 49–60, 2020], which continues to be highly cited. Authors continue to share their appreciation on the statistical feedback provided by these editors on their papers. In 2020, the journal launched a new category “Emerging Concepts”, under the leadership of David Gewirtz, to provide a forum for the presentation of novel ideas. In 2021-2022, we continued to increase the presence of the journal by promoting Editor Choice articles, Highlighted Trainee Author winners, and more on social media platforms. The journal is currently working to implement a Reviewer Academy program to provide a new professional one-on-one training opportunity so that novices can learn how to deliver a fair and constructive review.

My editorship spanned an eventful period in my personal life that included profound joys as well as deep sorrows. I thank my family for supporting me to engage in activities like this one, in which I can serve others. My work with Molecular Pharmacology has presented me with an ever-changing array of fascinating science that has sustained me intellectually. The editorship also provided me to interact with an even wider circle of professional colleagues. Members of the team in the ASPET publication office were consistently responsive and supportive. I particularly thank Jacqueline Perry, whose creative ideas have continually encouraged me to think "outside the box". The implementation of the Highlighted Trainee Author program, piloted in Molecular Pharmacology and later extended to other ASPET journals, arose from our discussions. I also greatly enjoyed working with Rich Dodenhoff, who provided perspective on all matters related to scientific publishing while helping to shepherd the ASPET journals through a time of incredible change in the scientific publication industry. It has been a privilege to serve on the ASPET Publications Committee, formerly the Board of Publications Trustees, under many strong leaders, most recently Mary Vore, Emily Scott, and Ken Tew. I would like to emphasize that ASPET journals, like other society-based journals, exist to serve their membership. Publication revenue supports the numerous ASPET programs that nurture the careers of the next generation of pharmacologists.

I am pleased to pass the baton to John Tesmer, who has served as Deputy Editor for the Journal for six years. His expertise in structural biology has been critical during this time and will guide the expansion of the journal into yet new frontiers. I thank the journal’s brilliant Associate Editors, currently Jeanne Nerbonne, Andrew Morris, Sridhar Mani, Manojkumar Puthenveedu, Cecilia Bouzat, John Hepler, Alan Smrcka, Raymond Evers, and John Tesmer, for the many hours that they spend on behalf of the journal. Martin Michel currently serves as our outstanding mini-review editor. Other key contributors were mentioned above. To the many members of the Editorial Advisory Board, please accept my gratitude for your dedication to producing insightful and educational reviews. I look forward to seeing how the journal continues to evolve.

Kathryn E. Meier

Editor