CMAJ names editor-in-chief

The Canadian Medical Association Journal has named Paul H￩bert, a critical care physician and vice-chair of research in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa, as its new editor-in-chief. He takes over his editorial responsibilities on January 2, 2007.

"I think it is the job of a lifetime," H￩bert, who has more than 180 publications to his credit, told The Scientist.

But the journal is still reeling from a controversy that started last winter when former editor-in-chief John Hoey asserted that the editorial independence of the CMAJ had been compromised when the Canadian Medical Association pressured the editors to back off of a report criticizing the Canadian Pharmacists Association for advising pharmacists to collect personal information, including sexual histories, from women seeking Plan B emergency contraception. The journal eventually published the report in a form that was modified to be less critical of the association.

In the midst of the controversy, the journal's publisher fired Hoey and Senior Deputy Editor Anne Marie Todkill. One week after Hoey left, his replacement resigned. The journal subsequently lost most of its editorial board members.

In spite of the troubles, H￩bert sees a bright future for the CMAJ. "The governance panel that was put in place, whose 25 recommendations were accepted [by the CMA], provides an exceptional framework to move forward. The lines of responsibility are completely clear, and the principle of editorial independence is now enshrined," he said.

H￩bert "has a great reputation as a team-builder. His goal is to make it a great journal," said Kathryn Bigsby, the Canadian Medical Association board representative on the selection committee that chose him. The committee reviewed more than 50 applications for the position. "We hope people will look at the process and see we worked very hard to get it right," Bigsby told The Scientist.

"The CMA Board was delighted to approve the search committee's recommendation," said Louise Cloutier, chair of the CMA Board of Directors, in a statement. "Dr. H￩bert combines the perspective of a researcher and author with a clinician's strong focus on patient care. This combination nicely reflects the dual role of the CMAJ in advancing both the science and practice of medicine."

The man at the center of the controversy, Hoey, also expressed admiration for H￩bert, but suggested that the new top editor has a tough road ahead of him.

"I certainly know Paul H￩bert and I have a great deal of respect for him," Hoey told The Scientist, "but I guess I remain troubled that the CMA never acknowledged, publicly at least, that it actually violated editorial independence by its actions in the Plan B story, and I think that's unfortunate. I'd certainly have a word of caution for Paul coming in. Although I think he's a very capable person, I think he will face the same institutional issues that I faced when I was at the journal."

"CMA, like any medical association, is essentially a political entity that has certain vested interests, primarily in the wellbeing and the advancement of the profession," Hoey added. "I haven't seen any evidence that that culture has changed."

Jerome Kassirer, an editorial board member who resigned during the disputes, told The Scientist he believes the CMAJ's reputation remains in tatters, noting that the journal has never put forth a good explanation for firing Hoey and Todkill. "A prestigious journal can lose its reputation very quickly if they make the kind of mistake the CMA made," said Kassirer, who served as editor-in-chief of The New England Journal of Medicine from 1991 to 1999. "It takes a long time to build a reputation up and a very short time to tear it down."

Doug Payne
mail@the-scientist.com

Links within this article:

Canadian Medical Association Journal
http://www.cmaj.ca/

Paul H￩bert
http://www.cmaj.ca/pressrelease/Dr_Hebert_Bio_E.pdf


Canadian Medical Association
http://www.cma.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/121/la_id/1.htm

L. Eggertson and B. Sibbald, "Privacy issues raised over Plan B: Women asked for names, addresses, sexual history," Canadian Medical Association Journal, Dec. 2, 2005.

http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/rapidpdf/cmaj.051461v1.pdf

A. McCook, "Canadian journal fires top editors," The Scientist, Feb. 22, 2006.
http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/23140/

D. Payne, "Resignations at embattled Canadian journal," The Scientist, March 1, 2006
http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/23176

D. Payne, "CMAJ loses most of its Editorial Board," The Scientist, March 16, 2006
http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/23234

D Payne, "Panel gives CMAJ editorial independence," The Scientist, July 17, 2006
http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/23965/

Press release: "Dr Paul C. H￩bert appointed new editor-in-chief of CMAJ," Dec. 5, 2006
http://www.cma.ca/multimedia/CMA/Content_Images/Inside_cma/Media_Release/pdf/2006/CMAJ_Editor_Release_E.pdf