Incoming editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo tells NPR that she is looking forward to increasing the number of voices represented in the journal.
Bibbins-Domingo, who was named to the post last week, is to take over from Phil Fontanarosa, the AMA executive editor who has been serving as the interim EIC. Fontanarosa stepped into the position following the resignation of Howard Bauchner last June. Bauchner's resignation came after a JAMA Network podcast questioned whether there was structural racism in medicine.
Bibbins-Domingo tells NPR that medicine and science — and physicians and researchers — are shaped by the same forces as the rest of society, including racism and sexism. "It's really important, then, if we're going to address these issues that do have an impact on our patients, that do have an impact on how scientific knowledge is generated and communicated, that we name these forces and that we work in every way possible to overcome them," she tells NPR.
She adds that she is looking forward to increasing the number of voices represented in scientific publishing and helping ensure that advancements benefit all communities in the US when she takes over the EIC spot in July.