Abstract
I am honored to assume the role of Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics (JCPT). The journal is published by the reputable publisher (Sage Publishing) and has established a solid track record in the dynamic field of cardiovascular pharmacology and therapeutics. My aim is to build on it by elevating scientific quality and relevance of incoming submissions and increasing the journal's impact and visibility within both clinical and preclinical cardiovascular medicine communities. Under my leadership, we hope to reach a sustainable growth in impact by prioritizing rigorous, clinically meaningful, and mechanistically insightful research, while ensuring that authors experience a fair, timely, and constructive editorial and peer-review process.
A central element of my strategic vision is to reflect on how contemporary cardiovascular treatment is truly delivered today. It is a holistic concept that integrates pharmacological therapy and interventional/device-based treatment. Both modalities are important in clinical practice and should be perceived as complementary. Cardiovascular pharmacology remains a fundamental and strong pillar of treatment, yet contemporary “therapeutics” increasingly include transcatheter and implantable devices, procedural innovations, and combined drug–device strategies that work together to improve patient outcomes. According to this, one of my principal aims is to re-emphasize and modernize the journal's scope so that high-quality submissions in cardiovascular interventions, device-based therapeutics, and interventional cardiology innovations are explicitly welcomed alongside excellence in basic, translational, and clinical pharmacology.
Another important moment is the journal's transition toward an “open access” publishing model in 2022. This should not be perceived as an obstacle or weakness, but rather as a strategic opportunity. We know that greater accessibility to manuscripts can substantially expand the readership base, accelerate dissemination of new evidence, and increase the real-world impact of high-quality work across diverse healthcare settings. If JCPT is led with integrity, transparency, strong editorial standards, and a clear commitment to author value, an open access publishing model can strengthen the journal's visibility, enhance citation potential, and reinforce our mission to serve the global cardiovascular community by ensuring that impactful science is readily accessible. We will also support authors from lower-income countries, such as through the Research4Life initiative that covers full or at least partial coverage of publication fees in JCPT.
“One size fit all” is not “modus operandi” we should nowadays be utilizing while treating our patients. It becomes increasingly important to realize that now we live in the era of individualized and precision care pathways, where cardiovascular therapies are increasingly tailored to patient biology, risk, phenotype, and clinical context. I hope that this journal serves as a leading platform for research that advances personalized cardiovascular therapeutics. This should include works that explore all facets of pharmacogenomics, biomarker-guided strategies, pragmatic outcomes research, and device-enabled monitoring and treatment optimization, while maintaining a clear focus on work that can elicit an impact on practice or meaningfully inform the next generation of trials.
To achieve these goals, we will actively seek high-quality submissions through well-curated Special Collections that address timely, high-impact themes at the intersection of drugs, devices, and outcomes. I will invite our Associate Editors and Editorial Board Members to propose bold, coherent, and clinically relevant collections, and we will be intentional about commissioning state-of-the-art reviews and perspectives that synthesize evidence and identify research gaps and uncertain areas of cardiovascular therapeutics where debates are not settled yet. In parallel, we will strengthen and recognize our reviewer community, because excellent peer review is the backbone of editorial quality and the safeguard of scientific integrity.
Equally important to our strategic vision is building a more diverse, inclusive, and progressive editorial culture. I plan to expand the Editorial Board to better reflect global expertise and diversity of perspectives, while also creating more transparent pathways for involvement of junior researchers and rising clinician-scientists. By actively engaging early career colleagues, both as authors and as peer reviewers who are mentored through the process, we can expand the journal's intellectual potential and ensure that the next generation of researchers helps to shape the future trajectory of the JCPT.
Finally, enhancing the online visibility of JCPT will be one of the important tasks. We will embrace modern dissemination of published work, including a stronger social media presence and more proactive communication of our highest-impact publications, so that important work reaches clinicians, researchers, and industry innovators more effectively.
I would use this opportunity to invite the cardiovascular community to join us in this next chapter for the JCPT. Please send us your best submissions, your thoughtful reviews, and your ideas for where the field of cardiovascular therapeutics is heading. Together, we can position the JCPT as a relevant and trustworthy platform for impactful science that bridges modern pharmacology and device interventions/innovations and ultimately advances patient care.
