AMA appoints new editor of JAMA

The American Medical Association (AMA) has named Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, MD, PhD, MAS, as its next editor for the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and JAMA Network.

Bibbins-Domingo is the Lee Goldman, MD, Endowed Professor of Medicine and chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the UCSF School of Medicine. She also served as the inaugural vice dean for population health and health equity at the UCSF School of Medicine, and co-founded the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. 

She begins her new tenure role July 1, succeeding Phil Fontanarosa, MD, who has served as interim editor-in-chief since March 2021. Bibbins-Domingo was a member of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force from 2010-2017 and served as the vice chair and chair of the task force from 2014-2017.

“We are tremendously pleased and fortunate to welcome Dr. Bibbins-Domingo as the new editor-in-chief where she will lead JAMA into a new era of publishing the groundbreaking research that is shaping the future of medicine and science,” AMA CEO and Executive Vice President James L. Madara, MD, said in a statement. “As a physician, scholar, and leader, she has focused on health equity, on cardiovascular disease prevention, top priorities for the AMA, and more recently on COVID-19.”

Bibbins-Domingo got her start as a biochemist after training in the laboratory of the Nobelist Harold Varmus. She is currently a general internist, cardiovascular disease epidemiologist and a national leader in prevention and interventions to address health disparities. She is an NIH-funded researcher who uses observational studies, pragmatic trials and simulation modeling to examine effective clinical, public health and policy interventions aimed at prevention, according to the AMA.

She was inducted into the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians and the National Academy of Medicine

“This is an extraordinary time for science, medicine and public health — one where the possibilities for accelerating advancements in human health seem limitless, while deep challenges to achieving optimal health for all seem intractable,” Bibbins-Domingo said. “Against this backdrop, a trusted voice for science, medicine, and public health has never been more important. JAMA and the JAMA Network represent an unparalleled platform for the very best science to reach the broadest audience and for advancing the discussions, debates and new ideas that will continue to shape health nationally and globally. I couldn’t be more excited to join as editor-in-chief.”

Find more information and article links on JAMA

Amy Baxter

Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."

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