Sandler named editor of Journal of Nuclear Medicine
Dr. Martin Sandler
Dr. Martin P. Sandler, professor and vice-chair of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, has been elected editor-in-chief of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, diagnostic imaging¹s premiere peer-review journal.
He was elected by the House of Delegates of the 15,000-member Society of Nuclear Medicine, and his five-year term as editor began July 1.
"To have this editorship at Vanderbilt is a tremendous honor because it means that we have been chosen as a leading institution in this field," Sandler said. "It represents the opportunity for a great deal of national and international recognition for Vanderbilt as the home of the editorship."
Sandler was tabbed by the Reston, Va.-based society following an extensive search and review process that narrowed the field to five finalists. The society provides a stipend to VUMC to cover the costs associated with managing the editor¹s office. Thomas J. Ebers, editorial assistant in Radiology and Radiological Sciences, serves as assistant to the editor.
Managing the editorial process for the monthly journal is no easy task. Sandler and a team of nine associate editors from Vanderbilt and other academic research institutions such as Harvard, Duke and UCLA have to wade through more than 1,000 articles submitted each year. Of those, just 35 percent are accepted for publication.
"We select the articles to be reviewed and send them on to the reviewers," Sandler said. "We will also write the journal¹s lead editorials and, overall, determine the journal¹s direction."
Articles submitted for review by members of the VUMC faculty will be handled by associate editors outside the institution, Sandler said.
Among Sandler¹s objectives as editor is to redesign the look of the publication, including adding a Rapid Communications section; extend and enhance the journal¹s presence on the World Wide Web; and streamline the publication review process.
"We want to have the ability to get new ideas into publication in a shorter amount of time," he said.
In addition to co-editing five diagnostic imaging textbooks, Sandler has acted as a reviewer for many journals and has served on the editorial boards of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine and The European Journal of Nuclear Medicine. He joined the Society of Nuclear Medicine in 1983, is a member of its House of Delegates and is a past president of the society¹s southestern chapter and of the Correlative Imaging Council.
The opportunity to serve as the editor of his field¹s preeminent journal is one that Sandler is honored to undertake.
"The Journal of Nuclear Medicine serves as the distributor of knowledge for the field of diagnostic imaging. It has a high scientific impact factor and has contributors from all over the world," Sandler said. "We want to maintain and improve the high standard of scientific excellence the journal is now known for."