Utility, stability and a digital presence

The first person Dr. John Fletcher shared the good news with was a flight attendant. Sitting alone in the international departures lounge of an airport, en route to his sister-in-law’s wedding, he had no friends or family nearby when he received the call offering him the job as CMAJ’s new Editor-in-Chief.

“I felt excited and a sense of responsibility, in equal measure. This is a big job,” says Fletcher, a native of Cheshire, England, who received his medical degree from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and a master’s degree in public health from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

He takes over the leadership of the journal from Dr. Rajendra Kale, interim Editor-in-Chief since Oct. 1, 2011 (www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.109-4025). Fletcher was chosen as the 17th Editor-in-chief (there have also been two interim Editors-in-chief) by an eight-member selection committee appointed to find a replacement for former Editor-in-Chief Dr. Paul Hébert. Before accepting a position as deputy editor (research) at CMAJ three years ago, Fletcher worked for seven years as an editor at BMJ.

“I felt excited and a sense of responsibility, in equal measure. This is a big job,” says newly appointed CMAJ Editor-in-Chief Dr. John Fletcher.

Image courtesy of Roger Collier

“We are very pleased that John Fletcher has taken on this key role,” CMA President Dr. John Haggie stated in a press release. “His wide experience in medical research, writing and editing, as well has his clinical and business background, have already proven to be a great asset to the journal. I am confident he will inspire CMAJ staff and help drive the journal’s reputation as a standard-bearer for medical knowledge as it heads into its second century.”

“John Fletcher has the right combination of leadership and interpersonal skills, editorial expertise and a commitment to knowledge transfer,” added CMA Secretary General and CEO Paul-Émile Cloutier. “I think he will be an excellent editor-in-chief.”

Fletcher has three goals in mind for CMAJ. He would like to see the journal improve its digital presence, attain financial stability and become more useful to practising physicians.

“The particular vision for content that I have is to focus more on the needs of Canadian doctors. That doesn’t mean we are going to take our eyes off of research, but the practice section of the journal is the part aimed at practising doctors,” says Fletcher. “I want to focus on medical topics and clinical cases that are relevant to the most readers.”

As for the business side of putting out a medical journal, Fletcher acknowledges that the past few years have been tough. Although CMAJ garnered roughly $13 million in profits for CMA over the course of two decades leading up to 2008, it required contributions from the association in recent years to allay the effects of declining advertising revenues (www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.109-3356).

Fletcher plans to help put the journal back on firm financial ground. “I’m going to focus on maximizing the revenue of the journal and reducing our expenses. It is very important for the journal to be financially sound.”

His third priority will be to establish a clearer distinction between print and digital versions of the journal. Currently, they’re similar, with the website primarily serving as a means to archive content or release it prior to print says Fletcher, who envisions the print edition of the journal becoming shorter, easier to read and used to highlight content on CMAJ’s website, which would be expanded to include blogs, reader surveys and social media.

“The website could become a meeting place for our readers,” says Fletcher. “It could be a place where they discuss what is being read.”

When he can turn his mind from improvements to the journal, Fletcher can sometimes be found with his wife, Alison, and children William, Louisa and Charlotte on hiking trails in Ottawa, Ontario, or just across the river in the hills of Gatineau Park, Quebec, enjoying the wildlife. “In the UK, you can’t get within a quarter-mile of a rabbit or deer. Here, you can put out your hand and feed a bird. It’s stunning,” says Fletcher, adding that he was introduced to canoeing and wilderness camping last summer. “I’m now planning another trip.”