New Editor-in-Chief to lead the Australian Journal of Rural Health

The National Rural Health Alliance (the Alliance) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Pim Kuipers as Editor-in-Chief of the Australian Journal of Rural Health (the Journal) commencing from 8 May 2023.

The Journal is a multidisciplinary publication that aims to foster interdisciplinary networks to build and advance rural practice for all health professionals. It became the official journal of the Alliance in 1999 and is published by Wiley.

The Journal has subscribers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, India, Japan and over 50 other countries. Readership includes general practitioners, nurses, allied health professionals, pharmacists, health administrators, universities, rural health services and libraries.

It contributes significantly to the evidence base on rural health, with the aim of improving health service access and outcomes for people living in rural, regional and remote communities.

“We warmly welcome Dr Kuipers and are honored to have him lead the Journal,” said Alliance Chief Executive Susanne Tegen.

Dr Kuipers’ new role comes on top of an applied academic career with a strong research focus. He has extensive research and publication experience in allied health services research across Queensland, having worked within Queensland Health, through the University of Queensland, Griffith University and James Cook University (JCU).

Dr Kuipers started his career as a psychologist and shifted to research, completing a PhD exploring community-based approaches to rehabilitation.

He particularly focused on rural and remote health research during a three-year fellowship at the Centre for Remote Health in Alice Springs. He recently helped establish the JCU Central Queensland Centre for Rural and Remote Health in Emerald where he is now Senior Principal Research Fellow.

“Dr Kuipers’ focus as Editor-in-Chief will be to work closely with the strong editorial team to ensure the ongoing relevance and high standards of the Journal, particularly emphasising inclusive actions and preventative health research, as well as enhancing application to rural health practice and relevance to policymakers and decision makers.

“Dr Kuipers is an excellent appointment to this position and I am confident the Journal will see continued growth under his leadership,” said Ms Tegen.

Dr Kuipers will be taking over duties from Professor Timothy Skinner, who has led the Journal since January 2022. The Alliance sincerely thanks Professor Skinner for his service.

“Professor Skinner successfully expanded the Journal in terms of the cultural and geographic diversity of the Editorial Board, as well as the scope of original research and expert opinion published in the Journal.

“The Journal saw continued growth in downloads on Wiley Online Library to almost 366,000 in 2022.

“It also had an increase in the acceptance rate of submissions, indicating improved quality and supporting greater published output. There was a significant decrease in timeframe to publication, delivering an improved experience to authors.

“On behalf of the Alliance Board and the entire Journal team, I would like to thank Professor Skinner for his dedication to and stewardship of the Journal and his fellow reviewers. We also congratulate Dr Kuipers and warmly welcome him on board,” said Ms Tegen.

 

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