Please thank Katherine Akers for her service to MLA as she steps down from the role of JMLA editor-in-chief and transitions to a new career outside medical librarianship. We wish Katherine the best of success as she begins a new role as a research scientist in evidence synthesis for a health economics and outcomes research firm.
In her five-year tenure as editor-in-chief of JMLA, she has initiated numerous changes to processes and policies to strengthen the quality of published articles and to help the journal better serve the needs of its diverse readership and authorship. Achievements during her leadership included dramatically expanding JMLA’s pool of peer reviewers, instituting a data sharing policy, and launching an initiative to provide more equitable opportunities for authors, reviewers, and editorial board members.
Alexander Carroll, a JMLA associate editor, has been appointed the interim JMLA editor-in-chief by the MLA Board. Alex will take over the daily management of JMLA’s editorial workflows and continue the work of making the journal a more rigorous, transparent, and equitable publication until a new editor-in-chief has been identified. Katherine will support Alex for several more months as a senior editor of JMLA. In addition, the MLA Board, staff, and the JMLA editorial team will support Alex during this transition.
More information will be shared soon regarding a search committee appointed by MLA President Kristine Alpi, along with next steps in the formal search process.
We are grateful to Katherine for her dedication and contribution to the success of JMLA and welcome Alex in his new role as interim editor-in-chief.
