The National Rural Health Alliance has announced the appointment of Professor Timothy Skinner as Editor in Chief of the Australian Journal of Rural Health (the Journal).
The Journal, published by Wiley, is considered one of the leading peer-reviewed rural health journals in the world. It contributes significantly to the evidence base on rural health, with the aim of improving health services and outcomes for people living in rural, regional and remote communities.
The Alliance’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Gabrielle O’Kane says, “The Alliance is honoured to have a person of such strong standing in the rural health sector to lead the Journal in the accelerating field of rural health research and publishing.
“Professor Skinner brings substantial experience and knowledge to the Journal, having more than 15 years’ experience on the editorial boards of many leading health journals in Australia and internationally,” Dr O’Kane said.
Professor Skinner has high professional standing in his research areas of diabetes, sleep health, Indigenous health and rural/remote health. He will commence in the role when Editor in Chief of five years, Professor Russell Roberts, steps down on 31 December 2021.
“As the Director of a University Department of Rural Health, Professor Skinner is ideally suited to enhance the pivotal role of the Journal in fostering scholarly excellence and education in rural health,” Dr O’Kane said.
“I believe Professor Skinner to be an excellent appointment to this position, and I am confident the Journal will see continued improvement and growth under his leadership,” said Professor Roberts.
The Alliance thanks Professor Roberts for his five years’ service as Editor in Chief of the Journal.
“Professor Roberts has successfully expanded the Journal in terms of the cultural and geographic diversity of the Editorial Board and International Advisory Committee, as well as the scope of original research and expert opinion published in the Journal.
“He has developed a collegiate and collaborative editorial team, which has strengthened the scholarly rigor of the Journal. This has led to a doubling of submissions from rural health researchers over recent years, more than 290,000 article downloads per year, and doubling the Journal Impact Factor,” Dr O’Kane said.
“On behalf of the Alliance Board and the entire Journal team, I would like to sincerely thank Professor Roberts for his dedication to and stewardship of the Journal,” she said.