Infectious Diseases Society of America Announces Next Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Infectious Diseases
The Infectious Diseases Society of America is pleased to announce Paul E. Sax, MD, FIDSA, as the new editor-in-chief of Clinical Infectious Diseases. Dr. Sax, who currently serves as editor-in-chief of CID’s sister journal, Open Forum Infectious Diseases, will succeed Robert T. Schooley, MD, FIDSA, on July 1, 2022, following Dr. Schooley’s years of distinguished service to the journal and the Society.
“Since the beginning, CID’s contributions to the infectious disease literature have been inestimable, and under Dr. Schooley’s leadership it has maintained its high standards and served as a crucial source of new knowledge during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dr. Sax said. “I look forward to building on his hard work.”
Dr. Sax is clinical director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. At the Brigham, he holds the Bruce A. Beal and Robert L. Beal Distinguished Chair in Infectious Diseases. For the last 20 years, he has been the associate program director for the Mass General Brigham combined ID fellowship, a role he will be giving up to take on the CID editor position.
An internationally recognized clinician and clinical teacher in infectious diseases, in particular HIV, Dr. Sax also has been actively involved in research. Ongoing areas of investigation include clinical trials of antiretroviral therapies, cost-effectiveness of strategies for HIV management and toxicity of antiretroviral therapy. Like all ID specialists, for the last two years he has been closely involved in the clinical management and prevention of COVID-19, including frequent communications with the medical and lay public about the disease.
Dr. Sax is the founding editor of IDSA’s open access journal, Open Forum Infectious Diseases, which was launched in 2014. Under his editorship, OFID’s impact factor has risen to 3.835, and the journal has developed a significant online presence. Alongside its published content, OFID hosts a free podcast featuring interviews with infectious disease experts and other people. Dr. Sax has also fostered a close relationship between OFID and CID, which he hopes will continue in his new role.
“The volume of high-quality research coming through the pipeline at CID has been instrumental to OFID’s growth in the past few years,” Dr. Sax said.
As Dr. Sax will be stepping down as editor-in-chief of Open Forum Infectious Diseases, IDSA will be launching an open search for OFID’s next editor-in-chief and will be appointing an interim editor to lead the journal until a permanent editor is named.
Prior to his tenure at OFID, Dr. Sax served as editor-in-chief of NEJM Journal Watch HIV/AIDS. He remains a member of the editorial board of NEJM Journal Watch Infectious Diseases and writes their HIV and ID Observations blog. He also serves as the HIV section editor for UpToDate.
Dr. Sax received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and did his residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The AIDS crisis of the early 1980s sparked his interest in infectious diseases while he was in medical school, and he went on to do a fellowship in infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital.
CID’s editor-in-chief search was led by the CID Search Committee, chaired by Susan Rehm, MD, FIDSA. The committee launched a call for applications in July 2021, using a recruitment and selection process in line with IDSA’s values of inclusion, diversity, access and equity. Following the application deadline, the committee reviewed all written applications and selected finalists. The finalists each gave a detailed presentation on their plans for the journal and were interviewed by the committee. Ultimately, the committee determined that Dr. Sax’s experience, qualifications and vision for CID’s future made him the strongest candidate for the role. The IDSA Board then approved the search committee’s recommendation.
“Dr. Sax brings years of editorial experience to his new role at CID, and he has long been respected in our field for the rigor of his work and his capacity for innovation,” Dr. Rehm said.
In addition to Dr. Rehm, the search committee members were Ighovwerha Ofotokun, MD, FIDSA; Henry Chambers, MD, FIDSA; José Castillo-Mancilla, MD; Angela Caliendo, MD, FIDSA; and Preeti Malani, MD, FIDSA.
About IDSA
The Infectious Diseases Society of America is a community of over 12,000 physicians, scientists and public health experts who specialize in infectious diseases. Its purpose is to improve the health of individuals, communities and society by promoting excellence in patient care, education, research, public health and prevention relating to infectious diseases. Learn more at https://www.idsociety.org/.
About Clinical Infectious Diseases
Clinical Infectious Diseases is a leading journal in the field of infectious disease with a broad international readership. The Journal publishes articles on a variety of subjects of interest to practitioners and researchers. Topics range from clinical descriptions of infections, public health, microbiology and immunology to the prevention of infection, the evaluation of current and novel treatments, and the promotion of optimal practices for diagnosis and treatment. The Journal publishes original research (as Major Articles or Brief Reports), Review Articles, Viewpoints, Editorials, Invited Commentaries, Photo Quizzes, Practice Guidelines, Correspondence and Supplements and is among the most highly cited journals in the field of infectious diseases. Clinical Infectious Diseases is an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Learn more at https://academic.oup.com/cid.