By Joseph F. Welch, Ph.D.
Dr Welch is Assistant Professor in Respiratory Physiology at the University of Birmingham, School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences. He is a current Editorial Board Fellow for The Journal of Physiology and member of the editorial board for the Journal of Applied Physiology. He completed his PhD in the School of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia and postdoctoral training at the Breathing Research and Therapeutics Centre at the University of Florida. The focus of Joseph’s research is to advance knowledge of the mechanisms that drive respiratory system responses and adaptations to physiological stressors such as exercise, injury/disease and hypoxia, and the interactions between respiratory and other integrated systems. His research aims to answer fundamental questions about respiratory function that have biological and translational significance in humans.
Early inspiration
It is with pleasure that I write this short blog for the 150 voices in physiology series, celebrating the Physiological Society’s 150th anniversary. I first became aware of the Society during the first year of my doctoral training when reading the historical literature that informed current knowledge in my area of interest. Many of the articles I was reading were published in Society journals. From the earliest clues (and red herrings?) about the mysteries of exercise ventilatory control, to the first descriptions of diaphragmatic fatigue in the early 20th century. I was inspired by the writing of such beautifully elegant experiments and admired the minds behind them. I quickly associated research excellence in physiology with the Society. These papers and people set the standard of what I aspired to be and hoped to achieve.
“Poor research ‘muddies the water'”
Later, I began to appreciate the Society beyond the papers they publish. I was encouraged to engage with peer review early during my training, and I did. My mentor once said poor research ‘muddies the water’ and that poignant message has stuck with me ever since. One of my happiest achievements was to publish my doctoral work in The Journal of Physiology, becoming a small part of an incredible legacy. The feeling of receiving that acceptance letter is a sure sign of how meaningful the Journal and the Society are to those in the field. From that initial involvement, I have found the Society’s peer reviews to consistently be critical, constructive, intelligent and insightful, regardless of the outcome. My positive experiences with the Society, desire to learn more and give back to physiology prompted me to apply for The Journal of Physiology Editorial Board Fellowship. It is a privilege to be entrusted with being an editorial board member and I am very grateful for the opportunity. It has been tremendously rewarding learning from and working with a team of experts; from the senior editors to the peer review coordinators, editorial assistants, content officers and more, to the peer reviewers and authors—each is key to the success of Society journals. The care that is taken when handling submissions is credit to all those involved.
The next 150 years
As I reflect on what the Society means to me and the role it has played in my career, I think about how it brings people together, from whom we can learn and grow, share ideas and advance science. I am fortunate to have been trained by some wonderful people who happen to call themselves physiologists—incredibly talented but equally humble and generous. They have been strong advocates for the Society (and other physiological societies), its mission and values, which I proudly continue. I am confident the next 150 years of the Society will be just as influential as the first because I see the same innovative thinking and outstanding quality of discovery-based research published today as was published then that had inspired me. Thank you PhySoc.