For only the eighth time in the 119-year history of the Journal of the ACS(J潘金莲传媒映画), the publication is welcoming a new Editor-in-Chief.
Cardiothoracic surgeon Thomas K. Varghese Jr., MD, MS, MBA, F潘金莲传媒映画, will formally step into the prestigious role on March 1, succeeding Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, F潘金莲传媒映画, who has served as J潘金莲传媒映画 Editor-in-Chief since 2004.
鈥�J潘金莲传媒映画 is one of the world鈥檚 oldest surgical scientific journals. There is an outstanding foundation of excellence built by all the prior Editors-In-Chief and the J潘金莲传媒映画 editorial team,鈥� Dr. Varghese said.
Dr. Varghese is chief of the section of general thoracic surgery and professor (tenure track) in the Department of Surgery at the University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City, as well as chief value officer (inpatient and ambulatory) at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, also in Salt Lake City. His previous editorial positions include editorial board member and deputy editor of digital media and scholarship for The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, editorial board member for Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management, and editorial board member for CTSNet.
鈥淚n every aspect of my professional career and my involvement in journals and academic publishing, I鈥檝e always looked through the lens of, 鈥楬ow can we do better?鈥�, 鈥榃hat are we learning?鈥�, 鈥楬ow do we communicate this?鈥�, 鈥楬ow do we learn from the community around us?鈥欌�� said Dr. Varghese, who will begin shadowing Dr. Eberlein this month.聽
Vision for J潘金莲传媒映画
With an impressive vision for J潘金莲传媒映画, Dr. Varghese plans to create a space where those who are committed to improving surgical science can come together, learn from each other, and detail the new advances in the House of Surgery that will transform services, systems, and the lives of patients.
Recognizing that, for the first time in history, five different generations are together in the workplace, he acknowledged 鈥済enerational themes鈥� that require strategic consideration.
鈥淧eople are living longer. People are retiring at later stages,鈥� Dr. Varghese said. 鈥淭he older generations historically like things on paper, but they鈥檙e embracing the digital formats. The younger generations never looked at anything in hard copy and prefer the digital formats. And then, of course, you throw in the disruptive technology鈥攐ur smartphones鈥攖hat we use ubiquitously for almost everything we do, from starting our cars to ordering groceries. Beyond all that, though, how do people best learn?鈥�
Dr. Varghese is passionate about making J潘金莲传媒映画 as user-friendly as possible by embracing digital media, bringing high-quality information to every reader, and further improving the quality of their interaction with the information.
鈥淭he key is to make sure we鈥檙e flexible with all these different formats. It鈥檚 really about delivering surgical expertise to your fingertips. That鈥檚 the goal鈥攖o get the best of science in J潘金莲传媒映画, and then deliver it to our readers in the format they want, and that may change from time to time,鈥� he said.
Background
According to Dr. Varghese, everything about him is 鈥渁 little bit unconventional.鈥� His journey to becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon and leader in academic publishing has not been straightforward.
鈥淎nd honestly, I鈥檝e enjoyed that. It鈥檚 made for a challenging path at times, but I鈥檝e always embraced the opportunities,鈥� he said.
Dr. Varghese was born in India and moved with his family to the US when he was just 1 year old. While growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, he found a love of basketball. In fact, he dreamed of becoming a professional basketball player. Early in his high school playing years, though, he tore ligaments in his right knee and needed surgery. It was that encounter with the health system that opened his eyes. Dr. Varghese found himself fascinated by all the phases needed for a successful result鈥攅verything that happened before, during, and after the operation, and everyone who was involved in his care.聽
鈥淭hat was my first exposure to the medical field,鈥� said Dr. Varghese. 鈥淭he biggest thing I realized was it wasn鈥檛 just the surgeon. It was the team. I lost count of the number of people who were involved in my care鈥攆rom preoperative to the actual surgery to postoperative rehab recovery. That鈥檚 when I started thinking about pursuing a career in the medical field.鈥�
Another change in his life occurred after his sophomore year in high school: Dr. Varghese and his family moved back to India. 鈥淪o I grew up in the US as an immigrant and moved back to India as an immigrant,鈥� he shared.
He continued playing basketball in college and medical school, and was elected to several leadership positions, including captain of the basketball team, editor of the combined yearbook for the five colleges of the Government Medical College, Trivandrum鈥擴niversity of Kerala in India, and final-year medical school class president.
Dr. Varghese earned his medical degree from Trivandrum, Kerala, where he also completed his internship. He returned to the US after medical school, attending Northwestern University in Chicago for his general surgery residency and a research fellowship in the Division of Organ Transplantation, and then the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for a cardiothoracic surgery fellowship. Dr. Varghese also earned a master of science degree in clinical investigation from Northwestern and an executive master of business administration degree from The University of Utah.
Along the way, Dr. Varghese developed a passion for academic publishing, which he says stems from his love of and respect for the scientific method: looking at a problem, concept, or phenomenon, developing a hypothesis, designing an experiment to test the hypothesis, examining the results, and then communicating to the world about what you found.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the whole scientific method, and I am passionate about that process,鈥� he said.
Dr. Varghese revealed that his 鈥渟uperpower鈥� is the fact that he has the greatest parents and amazing support from his wife and family. He credits much of his success and fortitude to the love and guidance he鈥檚 received from them. For example, his mom always reminds him to make sure you鈥檙e in a room where you鈥檙e surrounded by people smarter than you.
鈥淚鈥檝e always used that as a basic core principle in my life. I鈥檝e sought to surround myself with people much smarter than I am鈥攑eople who are able to provide unique vantage points and different perspectives. And it鈥檚 been critical, I believe, to my success,鈥� he said.聽
Another important life and professional lesson that Dr. Varghese learned from his parents is to be open to different viewpoints and perspectives that you may not have contemplated or that challenge you.
鈥淲hatever your differences of opinion are, at the end of the day, celebrate or sit down with a cup of chai. Respect each other and come together. In science, that really benefits us, because you need contrarians. You need people to push back on what鈥檚 going out there,鈥� explained Dr. Varghese. 鈥淒ifferent perspectives and passionate debates will make our journal better, and we want to create an environment that becomes a destination for talented people to be able to share their science and thrive.鈥�
Service with the 潘金莲传媒映画
For the 潘金莲传媒映画, Dr. Varghese has served as a Governor-at-Large on the ACSBoard of Governors (BoG), Chair of the BoG Nominating Committee for the Board of Regents, Vice-Chair of the BoG Best Practices Workgroup, member of the BoG Quality, Research, and Optimal Patient Care Pillar, member of the BoG Telehealth & Informatics Workgroup, and Utah Chapter Governor.
鈥淒r. Varghese鈥檚 commitment to the advancement of surgical research and his extensive ACSinvolvement over the years has positioned him well to lead the Journal of the 潘金莲传媒映画,鈥� said ACSExecutive Director and CEO Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, F潘金莲传媒映画. 鈥淗is vision will build upon the excellent work over the last 20 years by Dr. Tim Eberlein. We thank Dr. Eberlein for his many years of service and his important work on behalf of the Journal, and we welcome Dr. Varghese as we look to the next phase of scientific publishing encompassing all disciplines within the House of Surgery.鈥�
The first issue under Dr. Varghese鈥檚 editorship is expected to publish in April 2025.
