https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.132.7

Dariel Burdass
Chief Executive, The Physiological Society

As we come toward the end of the calendar year, I would like to take this opportunity to celebrate the amazing work done over the last 12 months by colleagues, Trustees and the wider membership to deliver the first year of our 2023–2027 strategy. We are one year closer to achieving our vision of a world in which physiological discovery leads to healthier lives. As my old rowing coach used to say “there is no I in team” and together we are stronger, effective, and innovative.

Firstly, I would like to say a big thank you to the Scientific Editor of Physiology News. Dr Keith Siew has served on and led the PN Editorial Board over the last eight years (two terms of office). I would like to thank him for his commitment and inspired ideas, which have continued to make PN a firm favourite read with members – highlighting the best of physiology and physiologists.

The Society continues to evolve to meet the demands of a sustainable future for physiology and physiologists, both financially and environmentally. We strive to enable strong networks to grow and communities to thrive. I am pleased to share just a few of our 2023 highlights, but our President David Attwell will be illustrating many more achievements in his talk at the Member Forum that have been made to raise the visibility of physiology.

Conferences

This year we launched our new two-day meeting programme – eight in total and more in the pipeline for next year – please check out our website for more details. This new format allows us to run more events to support members: they are run by members for members and their community.

Taking place in members’ institutions, these meetings enable us to connect with the local community. This year’s schedule included a meeting on “Membrane Transport” in St Andrews, “Cross-Talk of Cells in the Heart” in Liverpool and “Regenerating the Cardiovascular System” in Oxford.

We also supported a dedicated teaching meeting as part of our commitment to help this community with the changes to traditional teaching post COVID. It allowed academics to share best practice across the sector and generate ideas to implement in the future.

Publishing

Our three journals lead the discipline, promoting best practice and pushing the boundaries of scientific endeavour. In 2023 we welcomed back Kim Barret as the Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Physiology (JP). Through her dedication and hard work, as well as that of the previous Editor- in-Chief Peter Kohl, and the Editorial Board, the Society’s pipeline of special issues has grown with five published in 2023 and another twelve currently in progress. I am pleased to note that JP is predicted to end the year with a 18% increase in submissions and 5% increase in published content.

This year we flipped Experimental Physiology to Gold Open Access and we are delighted to be able to offer Society members a 10% discount on article processing charges. Many thanks to the Editor-in-Chief Damian Bailey and the Editorial Board for helping us deliver a successful flip. Physiological Reports has received its first journal impact factor of 2.5, which is an enormous success and tribute to not only the current Editor-in-Chief Josephine Adams and her Board but all those who have gone before since the journal’s inception in 2013.

Membership

Our Training Hub launched in April this year as the home for career development, skills and training support for physiologists looking to advance their career and unlock their potential.

Our online Hub has a series of exclusive member-only resources that are tailored to the needs of physiologists. They focus on developing techniques, understanding concepts, and improving skills such as project management. We have also launched an extensive new series of video resources for early career lecturers, which have received extremely positive feedback. These online resources are supported by a programme of events and activities across the UK.

Finally – while recognising for some of our members these may be difficult times – I would like to wish you a very happy and healthy holiday season and all the best for 2024.