Jamie Trapp Has Stepped Down as Editor of PESM

For five years, Dr Jamie Trapp, Associate Professor of Physics at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), has been Editor-in-Chief of the Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine (PESM) Journal.  21 journals later, he is stepping down to dedicate more time to his own research. PESM has grown substantially under Dr Trapp’s guidance and ACPSEM thanks him for his hard work and dedication to PESM, its contributors, and its readers.

Highlights

Watching the reputation of the journal improve on an upward trajectory has been a highlight. It has been a wonderful opportunity.

Dr Trapp joined the journal as an Associate Editor in 2005, later working as Deputy Editor under former Editor-in-Chief Martin Caon. He was appointed Editor-in-Chief at the end of 2018.

Another highlight was when the College council approved the change of the journal’s name from ‘Australasian Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine’ to ‘Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine’. This happened at the right time and opened the journal up to an international audience.

In 2022 PESM reported a 5 year impact factor of 4.4 In general, an impact factor of 3 + is good. A score of 10 or higher is considered remarkable.

Research and ethics

Dr Trapp is a physicist with research interests in radiation detectors, radiation interactions, and their application to medicine. “I have been involved in numerous research projects focusing on radiation measurement devices, imaging, radiation safety, and optimisation of radiation fields used in medical applications. But really, I like to dabble in anything interesting.”

As the role of Editor-in-Chief is supported by a team of more than 40 Associate Editors and the Editorial Advisory Board. “My job at the end of the day comes down to upholding ethics when reviewing scientific papers. This is critical.”

The process begins with Dr Trapp assessing a paper. If deemed of high quality, an associate editor is allocated and does a technical evaluation before inviting anonymous peer reviews. Final edits are then made by Dr Trapp. “This process can take anywhere from three months to a year. It’s a lengthy and rigorous process, but it has to be.”

There are some papers that you think are going to change the world, then there are others that you are not sure about, which take off. The unpredictability of research and its uptake always surprises me.

New Editor-in-Chief

The June issue will be Dr Trapp’s last. ACPSEM would like to acknowledge Dr Trapp’s  commitment to the journal and publishing in Medical Physics and Engineering.

Professor Clive Baldock, Dean of Graduate Studies and Researcher Development at Western Sydney University has been appointed as next Editor-in-Chief.

Professor Baldock has himself published over 170 research papers. His specific interests are in the fields of gel dosimetry, radiation therapy, dosimetry, and medical imaging.

Further reading:

Caon, M., Trapp, J. & Baldock, C. Citations are a good way to determine the quality of research. Phys Eng Sci Med 43, 1145–1148 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13246-020-00941-9 | A debate between Martin Caon, Former Editor-in-Chief; Jamie Trapp, Outgoing Editor in Chief; and Clive Baldock, Incoming Editor in Chief.

The Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine 
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