The Society is pleased to announce Professor Kim E. Barrett as returning Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Physiology. The Journal is the leading general research journal in the discipline, with the highest number of citations of any physiology journal. As The Physiological Society’s oldest journal, it has a distinguished history of publishing research that significantly advances our knowledge of how the body functions in health and disease.
Professor Kim Barrett is Vice Dean for Research and Distinguished Professor of Physiology and Membrane Biology at the University of California Davis School of Medicine, USA, positions she has held since 2021. A native of the United Kingdom, Professor Barrett completed her doctoral training at University College London before coming to the United States for postdoctoral work at the National Institutes of Health. In 1985, she was recruited to the University of California San Diego, where she rose through the ranks in the Department of Medicine to attain the title of Distinguished Professor of Medicine. She also served as Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Medicine and was Dean of the Graduate Division for the campus as a whole from 2006-2016. Immediately prior to joining UC Davis, she was also the rotating Director of the Division of Graduate Education at the National Science Foundation in Alexandria, VA.
In terms of scientific focus, Professor Barrett’s research has centred on the physiology and pathophysiology of the gastrointestinal epithelium throughout her career, with research findings that are applicable to the understanding and treatment of infectious diarrheal disorders and inflammatory bowel diseases. She has published almost 300 original research papers, review articles and book chapters, and a number of widely used physiology textbooks. She has received several honours for her career contributions, including the Distinguished Achievement Award in Basic Science from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) and election as an Honorary Fellow of The Physiological Society (UK and Ireland). She is also Past-President of the American Physiological Society and the former Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Physiology, and serves currently on the AGA Governing Board as Councilor-at-Large.
During her term as Editor-in-Chief at The Journal of Physiology, Professor Barrett is committed to building on The Journal’s position as a gathering place for international physiologists across the world by introducing new regional Editors, as well as by building on outgoing Editor-in-Chief, Professor Peter Kohl’s very successful series of Special Issues to cater for specialised communities of physiologists.
Speaking about why she thinks The Journal of Physiology is unique, she said:
“One of the things that make The Journal of Physiology so special is its breadth of coverage; it touches all topics of contemporary physiology and neuroscience. Furthermore, as the most highly cited physiology journal in the world, with an incredibly storied history – from Nobel laureates to early career researchers – it is an important hub for authors to convey their research to the wider community.
Watch an interview with Professor Barrett here: