Voice of the Editor, The Journal of Physiology
This blog is part of our Research Roundup series, hearing from the Editors-in-Chief of our three journals, Physiology Reports, Experimental Physiology and The Journal of Physiology each month. Their blogs are featured in our Research Roundup, a monthly newsletter, summarising the recent research published in our family of journals.
Professor Kim E. Barrett
Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Physiology
As I pen these lines, the quintessential American holiday of Thanksgiving is taking place next week. When I first came to America, I was immensely impressed by the concept of a holiday that was entirely secular, and in which most Americans were delighted to take part. Aside from the turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin-themed everything, and pies, it is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on that for which we are most grateful, which for me includes our international physiology community.
I am chagrined to say that this year, my Thanksgiving spirit is being challenged by the need to travel to London on Thanksgiving Eve for The Physiological Society’s Member Forum – I’ve promised my husband an early Thanksgiving dinner before I leave. Nevertheless, the travel reminds me that, in spite of our varying traditions, we all benefit from the diverse experiences and attitudes that add so meaningfully to our strength as a group of unified scientists.
In fact, I am writing today at the outset of Physiology Week, an opportunity to share our discipline with schoolkids, university students, and interested members of the community who seek simply to understand how our bodies function in health and disease. My day began with the distinct honour of delivering an online address to students and faculty at Bayero University, Kano, in Nigeria. It was simultaneously inspiring, yet humbling, to be joined by dozens of eager minds, many of whom were connected to the meeting on their phones, and many of whom, including me, were challenged with inevitable Wi-Fi issues.
The excellent physiologists in Nigeria have strong connections with The Physiological Society, and indeed I was invited to speak by Dr. Basheer Waziri, whom I had met in person at this summer’s Physiology in Focus 2024 meeting in Newcastle, UK. Most memorably, the questions could have come from my own trainees in California, US – “How do I get my work published in The Journal of Physiology?”, “What inspired you to become a physiologist?”, “How can I best network in the field?” – underscoring the universality of science in general, and physiology in particular.
And now I am en route to Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the invitation of the Argentine Society of Physiology and the Latin American Association of Physiological Sciences, where I will promote The Journal to another audience with the help of our regional editor for Central and South America, Professor Luis Sobrevia. In total, three continents visited in person or virtually in the space of two weeks, each illustrating the reach of our critical discipline. At a time of turmoil, I recognise not only our commonalities, but the distinctions and diversity that allow us to develop more robust solutions to scientific and other problems. For that I am truly grateful.