EDITORIAL: Continuity and innovation

Abraham (Rami) Rudnick, MD, PhD and Colleen Galasso

The Canadian Journal of Physician Leadership (CJPL) starts the first issue of 2024 with innovation as well as continuity. As the new editor-in-chief of CJPL, and as part of the innovation, I have co-authored this editorial with the Canadian Society of Physician Leader’s (CSPL’s) executive director, Colleen Galasso, to address collaboratively both content and process related to CJPL.

From a content perspective, CJPL has added new sections, two of which appear in this issue: Health Economics and Health Informatics. Jeffrey Hoch, professor and chief of the Division of Health Policy and Management in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of California at Davis, who has done much work in Canada as a health economist, is leading the Health Economics section. Its first article addresses efficiency and cost-effectiveness, provides tools and examples, and is a reminder that effectiveness is necessary for health care and its systems. The second article in the Health Informatics section is part 2 in a series of five articles on artificial intelligence (AI). Another Health Informatics article in this issue provides a multi-level framework to address AI. A third new section to be developed this year addresses Physician (and other relevant) Leadership Education; more to come on this soon. As well one issue a year will be dedicated primarily to CSPL’s Canadian Conference on Physician Leadership. CJPL will continue to publish various articles as before and will continue to enhance the accessibility and quality of all its articles, including adding lay summaries of technical articles, such as scientific papers.

From a process perspective, a senior learner has been added to the journal’s editorial board. Please welcome Dr. Nikhita Singhal, a senior psychiatry resident transitioning to a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry. Nikhita has been a contributor to physician leadership initiatives, such as the task force on structural racism and discrimination of the Canadian Psychiatric Association; she will co-lead CJPL’s new section on leadership education. In relation to other process aspects, CJPL continues to be published online, while changing from a whole PDF to links that can be read online or printed as PDFs or otherwise for each article. We will tally readership periodically, both for our accountability to revise content as well as to inform the process of CJPL according to its popularity as well as its quality. And we will explore opportunities to expand readership and sponsorship by means of selective marketing and ethical advertising. 

This new vision and corresponding changes for CJPL are informed in part by the results of the 2023 survey of the CSPL membership, which are suggestive (although not conclusive because of the survey’s low response rate, i.e., 6% of membership). Key findings of this survey were that many respondents benefited from CJPL at least in part but wanted the journal to expand its scope and diversity — for example, by addressing both academic and practical matters — as well as to enhance its visual aspect. CJPL continues to request input on its content and process, including format and style. Please feel free to provide ongoing feedback to its leadership, including its editor-in-chief and CSPL’s executive director. Last, but not least, many thanks to CJPL’s editorial board who continue to provide valuable contributions.

Authors

Abraham (Rami) Rudnick, MD, PhD, CCPE, mMBA, is editor-in-chief, Canadian Journal of Physician Leadership, and professor, Faculties of Medicine and Health, Dalhousie University.

Correspondence to: harudnick@hotmail.com

Colleen Galasso is executive director, Canadian Society of Physician Leaders.

Correspondence to: colleen@physicianleaders.ca