BJD Talks
The official podcast of the British Journal of Dermatology
BJD Talks
Episode 1: Dermatology Scholarship
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this inaugural episode of BJD Talks, we meet the Editor in Chief and Deputy Editors of the BJD. Dr John Ingram, Prof Eleni Linos and Dr Neil Rajan tell us a story about the human side of dermatology scholarship, the values of an international dermatology journal and the secrets of what makes a successful BJD publication.
Hi there, and welcome to BJD Talks, the official podcast of the British Journal of Dermatology. This is a dermatology journal podcast that might sound a little bit different to others you've heard in the past. We aim to look beyond our published studies and explore the real-world implications of dermatology scholarship in a relaxed, accessible format. Whether you're a dermatology professor, registrar, researcher, patient, or simply a skin enthusiast, we hope you'll join us as we build on our world-leading research through friendly discussion. My name is Dr. Johnny Guccian, and I'm a dermatology registrar in West Yorkshire, as well as an editorial trainee at the BJD. Most importantly, I'll be your host as we dive into issues as wide-ranging as climate dermatology, artificial intelligence, and patient and public involvement in research. A lot of us have been working from home this year, so we thought it might be best to start this podcast at the home of the BJD. In this very first episode of BJD Talks, we meet the BJD's editorial team, who will tell us a story about the human side of dermatology scholarship, the values of an international dermatology journal, and the secrets of what makes a successful BJD publication. So let's meet our three guests. They're all so qualified, I think I could be here for 10 to 15 minutes just giving their introductions, but I'll give it a whirl. First of all, we have Dr. John Ingram, editor of the BJD, and a clinical reader, an honorary consultant dermatologist at Cardiff University in the UK. Hi, John. Hi, hi. Next up we have the first of two deputy BJD editors, Professor Eleni Linus, Professor of Dermatology and Epidemiology at Stanford University. Hi, Eleni.
SPEAKER_00Hi, Johnny.
SPEAKER_03Finally, I'm delighted to welcome our other deputy editor, Dr. Neil Rajan, senior lecturer and honorary consultant dermatologist based in Newcastle University, also in the UK. Welcome. Hi, Johnny. Good to see you. Hi guys. This is the first time that the BJD has delved into the world of podcasting. Can you tell me, why is the BJD doing this now and how do you all feel about becoming podcast viral megastars? My goodness.
SPEAKER_02Publishing is changing so quickly, isn't it? You know, we need to uh make sure that we kind of really connect with our audience in many different ways. And I think that you know the the old scenario of a uh gigantic sort of you know tomb of knowledge um uh arriving on your doorstep is is maybe changing now. And we need to um consider how do we spice up the communes, how do we make washing up more interesting? Uh how do we you know ensure that we really connect with our audience in uh a whole bunch of different ways that um aren't just you know the kind of traditional um say motse mo.
SPEAKER_01Johnny, I think I can add to that a little bit. I think it's something which kind of captures our outreach uh mission as a journal to really make sure that our authors that publish with us get the broadest engagement. And we're doing this on so many fronts. I mean, in a little while we'll speak about our social media, we'll speak about engagements on different platforms there, how we reach out to different stakeholders that we have. And and we think the podcast is going to be a fantastic addition to that lineup.
SPEAKER_00And Johnny, I'll add that even though I'm super excited about the podcast and the BJD uh reaching out to people in this new way, I'm personally very nervous, embarrassed, and self-conscious because I probably have to admit at this point that um some listeners may uh notice that I'm speaking in an accent that they're not used to. And that's partly because of the way I was brought up in Greece, lived in the UK, then came to the US. And I have this condition or this uh uh situation called being bidialectal. So I have two accents. When I speak to people with British accents, my more English or British accent comes through. And when I speak to American colleagues, my American accent comes through. And so this is something that I didn't really realize would be an issue until um until this podcast. And something that I want people to know is entirely um subconscious and um not something I can I can control. Neil, I think you have a similar situation, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely, Elaine. And I think um I I've recognized that we share this ability, and and maybe I don't get to show it as often. So I grew up in Malaysia and um I have this same situation when I move between continents. And when I speak to my Malaysian friends, they don't recognize me when they hear me speaking in different contexts. And so increasingly, as we're all recorded um on different YouTube videos, all the different Zoom videos we've done are now in the public domain. Um it is causing surprises when people look us up. So yeah, I think we both share that.
SPEAKER_03But it's really nice in that it's demonstrating how we're manifesting right here, how the BJD is such a global journal. Um and uh Alini, we're really grateful uh for you for you coming on and kind of over overcoming that nervousness. We're always nervous when we start off doing a podcast, um, but that doesn't mean that your insights aren't valued at all.
SPEAKER_00My insights probably sound even better in a British accent, right?
SPEAKER_03I I tend to find that they're best in an Irish accent, but that's just me. I see, I see.
SPEAKER_00Well, I am I'm thrilled to be here with you. And um, like Neil, I think it's just incredible to be able to share the opportunity to talk about dermatology with colleagues around the world. And I think our upbringing, having grown up in different countries ranging from Malaysia, the UK, Greece, um, living in um different countries of the world is just so reflective of the journal as a whole. So I'm I'm glad to be here.
SPEAKER_02And it's fantastic to have such a you know uh a diverse editorial team. We've got uh just over 80 editorial team members and they're from nearly every continent. We haven't quite reached Antarctica yet. We've got to try harder. Uh but um we're so fortunate to have champions for the BJD in you know all the major parts of the world and ambassadors really for uh for dermatology and and for the the values of the BJD. So uh you know, we're all authors, and it's tremendous that you know the editorial team can really help to shine a light on different parts of the world.
SPEAKER_03And so what what we wanted to do in this episode is really kind of poke behind the curtain at the BJD and understand what what happens behind the scenes and what it means to be um an editor or or a deputy editor. So, John, I might just ask you first. I mean, a journal editor sounds like a really pretty important tactic job. What does an editor actually do?
SPEAKER_02Johnny, it is pretty busy. I I will certainly share that as my first uh reflection. We're so fortunate to have more than 3,000 submissions a year coming into the journal. And as the as the editor, I I get to look at all of them and uh you know uh pass the the best ones through to folks like Neil and Alaney and our other uh section editors. And uh and then of course they take the papers uh on and uh and then we're very much um you know sort of uh hugely fortunate to have a great pool of reviewers who uh do all the really heavy lifting in terms of you know keeping and upholding the standards of BJD and and also you know improving papers when they when they see them. So it's you know working with uh I'm hugely fortunate to have such a uh you know even bigger team than the than the 80 or so uh folks on the uh BGD team itself. So as an editor, I think I'm just pulling it all together really. Um the best uh part of my job is each month I get to see the rolling copy, the uh the articles that we've had um worked up into the final product, and I get to select them for the issue. And uh you know, we have all of the added value, the commentaries and so on that that have come in. And we have an editorial that you know kind of re-just sort of tries to shine a light on an important issue for that month as well. So that's actually that that's the most fun bit, I think, of the job is to really um see that come together. But perhaps the the the bit that I I most enjoy is our uh annual team day, where we get to bring all of our team together, more recently virtually, but in fact the time differences you know make it slightly easier to do that uh you know through a video conference link. So it's about kind of having this this team of like-minded people who all uh have share the same vision of of really sort of shining a light on the highest quality dermatology research and uh ensuring that you know that the journal highlights stories that really need to tell.
SPEAKER_03And speaking of stories that um we're interested in in hearing about, I'm I've been quite interested in hearing um Nina and Alaney, your your stories as to you know how does one become a a part of an editorial team at a major dermatology journal? What does it take?
SPEAKER_01So, Alaney, if I may go first, I I think it was a real privilege to be um asked to to join the BJD by by John and Alaney. And I think um some of this has come out of of years of working together in in other spheres and overlapping and and I guess recognizing that we all have similar shared values in terms of what constitutes high-quality research that contributes to patient care. And I think across different fields, I mean my passion is translational research, and you'll hear me speak a bit about a paper in a moment, Johnny. Um but across those different fields, we've basically got very strong shared values in that front. And I think that perhaps is is the glue that maybe finds our very different fronts um together in that way. But Laney, I'll invite you to uh perhaps say a bit more.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, for for me, being uh a deputy editor is a great honor. And being on an editorial team is something I've always been very passionate about. I love communication of science. I love efficient communication of science and trying to take a complex table full of you know numbers and data and distilling what the key message is is fun. It it feels a little bit like a puzzle, it feels a little bit like you know, poetry when you try and write concisely and and extract meaning. And for me, being able to do that with science is just is so fun. I I know it's not for everyone, but if you enjoy writing, if you enjoy editing, and if you enjoy communicating science, it might be something you want to consider. Um and the way you you start is by reviewing, by being a you know, a helpful reviewer, and we can talk a little bit more about what that means. And then eventually, as you do more reviewing, you might get invited to to join an editorial team as well and contribute in that way. But the reason I do it is because it's just so much fun.
SPEAKER_03Fantastic. That's quite a lovely poetic description of why we all love the the not only the science, but communication of the science, which is really wonderful. And speaking of wonderful, I know it's really important as a host for me to be uh very objective and impartial with these questions. So tell me, anyone, why is the BJD the most wonderful best journal in the world?
SPEAKER_01So many reasons, Johnny. So many reasons. Um for me, um, I think it's the breadth of um topics and areas it it covers. Many um journals sometimes sell themselves as as purely basic science or you know, a subspecialty of derm, but really we have a carefully curated full house of different facets of dermatology, which we all know you know ranges in terms of sub-specialisms, in terms of research methodology, and and we deliver that in this really uh boostfully put together package. I say we when I really mean John here.
SPEAKER_02Completely seen, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, um, I mean across the the whole the whole group of us, you know, we we try to make an offering ultimately that lands on your doorstep um for now anyway, that has all those elements. So I I think not many other journals can can match that really.
SPEAKER_02And I think uh Neil, you you're exactly right. And and I'd add just that we really it's the added value that we uh put into the papers. And it's you know, it's um we we're really um fortunate our authors uh help with that in producing PowerPoint slides for the journal club. We have the commentaries written by real experts in the field. Often they'd review the paper, so they have tremendous insight into the into the article and and put it into context for our readers. And we're so fortunate to be able to to kind of put that alongside the paper in each issue. And uh we've got uh plain language summary, of course, which is uh important to us not just to communicate um to the the the general public and to our our our patients, but also they're uh translated into uh Chinese, so you know really trying to reach out to our global audience.
SPEAKER_03And so that's uh um my shameless plug section done. So um, John, you can send me the brown envelope a bit uh later on. Um instead I'm gonna flip it now, and uh, as hopefully you guys will recall, I got to switch rules um and set you homework um to do some reading and reflecting. So what I want you to do is I want you to tell me about an article that you read this month in the BJD, and tell us what did you learn from it and why is it a BJD material? Perhaps Neil, could I start with you?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Uh thanks, Johnny. And so um the article I chose is a piece that looks at why patients who have vitiligo don't develop as much skin cancer as you'd expect. Now, we all know that ultraviolet light causes DNA damage in cells, and cancer is effectively uh a process where the DNA of skin cells has been altered and it gives those skin cells an advantage, and then they proliferate and they grow and we see a lump in our skin. Now, you'd expect that you had less protection in your skin if you had less uh melanin, and and we know that melanin is almost this cat that sits across the nucleus at sun-exposed sites, like sunblock, if you like. You you'd expect more damage to your DNA and you'd expect to see more skin cancer. And so the paper that um I've highlighted has got a sense of trying to tease that mechanism apart. And what it's done is it's looked at the skin cells in patients with vitiligo and studied um RNA molecules that sit within these cells. And it's teased out a mechanism that suggests that when these cells lack pigments, as in vitiligo skin, there is actually an upregulation of a protective process that reduces DNA damage in those cells. And so it's almost as if they're making up for the increased amount of DNA damage they're accumulating when they don't have the protective um pigment across the top. And the reason this is a really good BJD paper is firstly, it comes from India where there is a lot of vitiligo and it's a huge problem. And the impact of vitiligo there has got uh huge consequences in terms of whether people can be married or whether they can be in relationships or otherwise. So the stigma socially, the uh financial and familial consequences are huge. And there's a huge drive to study and understand it better. And this paper comes from um Brambrat et al. And they're based at the CSIR at the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology in New Delhi. And what they have done is they've studied the bitiligo samples using cutting-edge technology, firstly, but then they've not just, you know, left it as a description, they've then gone on to take primary kerosenocytes from patient samples and test to see whether by tweaking the different elements of the mechanism that they propose, that they actually have functional evidence that supports their finding. And they certainly do. And so what we really like is the fact that this is a paper that's been performed to the highest standard. It's come from a center where bitiliger research is is really uh going forward. And it's, you know, um something which has given us a new insight into why skin cancer doesn't happen at these places where you would expect them to. That's really interesting, uh, Neil.
SPEAKER_03Thank you. And and you get uh you get a merit for uh distilling the complex uh uh um hard science dermatology. And uh um I I wish I had you sat next to me whenever I'm I'm reading more of the these types of papers. Anytime, really, anytime. I'm only a tweet away, as you know. So yeah. Um I wanted to ask based on that, because obviously we we publish quite a lot of hard science or traditional hard science research in the BJD. Why do you value that kind of hard science or why do we value that in the BJD?
SPEAKER_01Um so I think that sort of robust science that actually isn't just uh an observation, but um science which is an observation, and then that leads to the development of a hypothesis, and then that's tested in a model that's patient relevant. I think those three steps are really important in terms of actually making translational advances because it is so um often the case that many um just do one or two of those steps um and then they they fail to take it further. So I think it's difficult to bring things back to the clinic and to the translational um message that we give to our readers and ultimately our patients without all those layers of evidence. So I think if we don't deliver on giving robust hard science, then we can't ultimately deliver on our translational aim.
SPEAKER_03Fantastic. Um and very obviously very worthy goals. Elaine, you're next up. You're time time for your homework to submit it. Tell me a little bit about the paper you've read.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and um Johnny, I I actually chose um a paper that was actually written by by our own team um simply to highlight the um the reason we chose the BJD as authors. So to to highlight the author's perspective of why we submitted to the BJD and why we think that this paper was a good fit for the journal. And this is uh a qualitative study. This is a study of telehealth for older adults with skin disease, where we um did a formal qualitative analysis of dermatologists' perspectives and experiences after the COVID pandemic really accelerated the use of telemedicine. And what we wanted to understand was really what these dermatologists felt were the key barriers, the key recommendations in order to provide excellent care for older adults. And part of the reason uh that I think this is a really good fit for the BJD is because it focuses on a vulnerable population, on older adults who sometimes are excluded from technological solutions and maybe a group that is forgotten or left behind as we rapidly switched to teledermatology. And the other reason I thought it was um a very good fit for the BJD is because the BJD really is a leader in publishing high-quality, qualitative research. And if you look across the last 10 years of the main dermatology journals, there are very, very few qualitative research articles published in in other journals. And so this type of research that is incredibly important at distilling deep insights into a certain problem or disease really is um, I feel like the BJD is really one of the main journals that highlights this type of research. And so this was, you know, the the other reason I I wanted to highlight this paper was that this was led by two of our trainees who are British and Dutch. So kind of extending that global collaboration and the global nature of um of the journal. So that the the authors span several continents and countries and yet really come together to to distill some key themes. And I I can talk about what we found if if you'd like to, Johnny. Yeah, of course. Okay, so maybe I'll keep this brief. But in these um, you know, we had about 23 interviews with dermatologists from across the US. And, you know, what we found was that during COVID, the experiences of telehealth with older adults uh showed some benefits. So because of lack of transportation and uh being able to come into the office, some older adults, some older patients actually found telehealth helpful. Uh uh participants said that it works very well for stable and chronic diseases, but did express some concerns about diagnosis of malignant lesions. There was a lot of variability in terms of access. So technology was a barrier for some older adults, but not for all. So many of them actually adapted very quickly to using a camera and being able to send images. But some of the challenges our dermatologist participants mentioned are are difficulties with seeing the whole patient and feeling the skin, as well as difficulties communicating uh virtually, whether it was language barriers and the lack of translators, or really being able to have these um more in-depth communication conversations about uh treatment recommendations. So the recommendations we concluded with was that really we need to give comprehensive instructions ahead of time so that older adults are able to access the technology or the system used by each practice, that appropriate appointment triage is crucial. So some conditions work very, very well with telodermatology, and others really need an in-person appointment. Really, that we should not make assumptions about patient comfort with technology based on age alone, uh, because there is this huge range in comfort level. And really that it's very important to manage patient expectations about what can be achieved and what really can't be achieved through a virtual visit. And ultimately we conclude that telehealth is here to stay and needs to be accessible for all. And we need to make sure that as we adapt and build technology platforms, we are uh designing. With older adults in mind. And that means focusing on usability and access for everyone.
SPEAKER_03Thank you, Lenny. And actually in future episodes of this podcast, we will be diving a bit more into the murky waters on occasion of teledermatology and also looking at how we better cater for more vulnerable populations amongst our patients, for example, older patients, but also those experiencing health inequalities. And I think those two answers were beautifully contrasting in terms of the types of science that were happening, but living under the same roof, which is which is wonderful. I mean, sorry, Neil, I'm a little bit biased in terms of I I I'm a I'm a qualinerd myself, though we would say that bias is okay. We have lots of we all have biases. So I'm allowed to say that. John, what about what about you? What what paper have you been reading?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so I I love the breadth of the journal and and I think it allows us to tell stories from different perspectives, different angles, which is part, I think, of the beauty of of the journal, really. And I have to admit that the paper I want to shine a light on isn't from this month, but it's the COVID story itself. And yeah, I think it's given us a chance in dermatology to kind of punch above our weight a little bit and and reach out to other specialties and beyond that to patients and the public. And that I've been really pleased that we could do in terms of adding value to you know what's been a tricky pandemic situation. But um you know, it's evolved. And uh at the beginning we had uh the Galvan Cass paper that M BDD which looked at the main uh pairs of manifestations of COVID and those uh sort of um pattern recognition that um you know was really important, particularly at the beginning. And then there was a whole debate around are COVID toes caused by COVID? Are they just chill blanes? You know, are we just kind of uh overthinking it? But actually, you know, we had a beautiful paper from Colmonero and colleagues that uh demonstrated the spike protein in the uh uh endothetal lining of uh small vessels in chill blanes, uh, even those who are testing negative for COVID, so uh on PCR and so on. So it was really uh a great visualization that uh allowed us to uh help solve that mystery. And then uh more recently, of course, we've had the vaccination uh reaction patterns as well that have come through. But the paper I wanted to mention uh just just for a moment was uh by Visconti and co-authors. And it for me uh it was uh an important one because it came out in uh uh in May this year and and it was uh using the sort of routine data collection of uh over 300,000 uh UK users of a COVID symptom study app. So people just really uh contributing to research through their experiences of COVID. And uh by distilling that information, we got some really important uh results for people you know in the public and as well as a medical professional. So at 17% of of XR's COVID-2 positive cases, uh the patients reported that a skin rash was the first uh uh presentation. So really, you know, it was uh uh a pretty useful guide to uh going to go and get a PCR test and and self-isolate. And also that 21% reported it was the only clinical sign of COVID. So again, it could be a key marker to just really draw attention to that this uh this could be COVID. And uh, and of course this paper also produced a catalogue of images of the COVID uh rashes that people had had sent in through the app. So just a brilliant example, I think, of uh of the public being able to contribute to research directly and and then of course the analysis has to be really robust to draw out the key messages that might help uh the wider public and and policymakers in terms of how to approach this really uh unprecedented uh situation.
SPEAKER_03Thank you. And and I mean, if you could just take us back to 2018, and if you would just imagine like thinking that the big mystery that we would all be looking to solve over the following years would be about toes, you would you would you wouldn't have guessed it. But I think that's really that's a really nice story, as you say. It's the story of COVID, and um our authors have come up with the answers um at each step, which is really, really positive. So one thing I am keen for this podcast to be is is accessible um to those at all stages of their career. As an early career researcher myself, sometimes the world of scholarship uh can seem pretty scary and intimidating. What messages might you guys provide for someone get just getting started in uh the field of dermatology research?
SPEAKER_02Johnny, I I might defer to Neil and Elainey on this question because it's been great that um we've had BGG editorial trainees, and Elaine's mentioned this already. And you know, there's that connection to our audience that isn't just you know, sort of in ivory towers, it's very much dermatologists in training. And of course, involvement in the journal as authors as well as readers is uh is really important. Um Neil, I was just thinking about the image gallery, for example. That's a really nice option for you know where authors just starting out.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely, John. And um briefly, Johnny, if I if I may plug the image gallery section, it's an eye-catching part of the BJD where we really, in a very short uh hundred-word uh limit, want teams um to put across their best images to the BJD. And you know, these have to be of the highest technical quality, they have to be uh a striking image, they have to, you know, want to draw the reader in to uh learn from that little gem. And it's uh it's a real opportunity for trainees to contribute to the BJD. And I think, you know, please send us your submissions. Uh I would also like to say a little bit about starting on research, Johnny, as you as you touched on. And I think um uh the important message that I have, I guess, is find an area of research which you know you can connect with and be motivated by, because research isn't uh always uh an easy process. In fact, it's quite the opposite. And for me, the motivation has always been to try to improve patient care. And so where that's you know been the unmet area of need, I've found uh a niche for myself, and you'll know that that's in genetics and patients who get more than their fair share of tumors in a family, to you know, pull me to the point of trying to study these um conditions more because they're overlooked, um, and to try to find new ways to come up with treatments. And so as much as I like all the geeky aspects of science and genetics and and uh you know drilling down into DNA and RNA um down to the level of a single cell, what really you know brings me home is the fact that some of these steps are key in terms of bringing forward translational advances. So my two pennies are you know, find a clinical cause that motivates you and then put everything behind it in terms of research to make that cause better.
SPEAKER_00And I have a slightly related but different perspective on that, Neil, which is that I think research can be fun and inspiring regardless of the topic. But I think for me, what makes a huge difference is your colleagues and your mentors. So I would say, you know, even if you don't have a topic you're passionate about, if you have a mentor who will inspire you and look after you and give you work that is appropriate for your level, so it's challenging but not overwhelming, that is interesting and not necessarily, you know, scut work or you know, um something that's that's not appropriate for your level and and who will sponsor you and support you and teach you not just how to do the exact technique of a certain experiment, but also how to write and how to publish and how to present at a conference. Because academic research and dermatology is a lot more than the science alone. And I think sometimes what happens is people get lost because they don't have a good relationship or or a certain researcher may not have time to devote to the mentorship and uh teaching. So I would say a good mentor, an experienced mentor who um who loves mentoring and loves teaching is often just as important as finding a a cause or a disease that uh you care about.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I might actually um come in um on that and just offer my perspective as a uh early career researcher and uh as a dermatology registrar who's been lucky enough to be in part of the uh BJD's editorial um trainee team. And I know you guys um mentioned mentorship and relationships, and I think that the best part of research for me is about relationships, it's about growth, it's about learning. The science is important, of course, and that's why we get into this, but these things which start off as byproducts become what keeps us in um the field. And I know from my experience as an editorial trainee, we have our editorial trainee team of uh like-minded sort of early career researchers, and we we get involved in in our niche, which is social media, um, which I could talk about for ages and will do in a future episode. Um but I I would advise those who are who are very early on in their career, maybe medical students or those just getting started in allied health uh professions, that research can seem scary and it can seem long. Um we're we're used in society now to have the to have quick wins and things that you know help you succeed overnight. That's not going to happen in research. And you have to be prepared to fail and you have to be prepared to bang your head against the wall at three in the morning, and you have to really love your science to want to get past that. But what will help you with that will be forming relationships and becoming I know I hate the word, but becoming resilient and learning about yourself and that process. And that that's the the tips that those are the tips that I always give to learners getting started out. They're not quite from a eminent professor just just yet, but they've served me, they've served me already. But not long, I don't think, either. Um so I I I just wanted to ask briefly just about because we we've been talking about global things for the the entirety of this this podcast and um the global experience, the global community um at the BJD, but um we have global dissemination and global reach at the BJD. Uh John, maybe you could talk for a little bit about how how do we achieve this at the BJD practically?
SPEAKER_02So I think we've always aspired to be a truly global journal. And to do that, I think we've had a couple of different uh key elements. One is to really have ambassadors and champions for the journal in all those parts of the world. And our editorial team become both the ambassador but also authors, and they have a network of reviewers and so on that draws people into the journal from each of those different uh not as parts of the world, but different perspectives and in trying to reach out to underserved and underrepresented parts of the dermatology community. And I think that the next element to that is the more most recent thing that we've done is to create a new section of the journal, uh, Global Health and Equity. Our first new section in a few years. And I'm really pleased we've done it. We should have done it long ago. Uh and I'm delighted that Esther Freeman at Harvard has uh agreed to uh lead the section. And she's brought together a a group of brilliant associate editors embedded in different parts of the world and with different expertise in structural racism and migrant health and uh some of these issues that really probably don't get a fair air in at all currently. And uh we've got this brilliant platform to ensure that we fix that, that we really give a uh a great sort of spotlight on uh some of these issues that that really had long needed to be heard. So uh I'm really excited for the sort of uh papers that we're gonna be able to attract into the journal. I think that's part of it is if you build it, you know, people will hopefully come and uh and make use of that platform. And uh so uh yeah, we're just looking forward now to drawing in more and more papers in this field. And uh you know, we've had some great ones, and particularly things like the absence of of skin of colour images in COVID, for example. That was a lovely colour image that uh Elaine and and colleagues uh produced a while back. But yeah, so you know, it's I think it's all about the papers we publish and and reaching out to those different parts of the world and the community.
SPEAKER_01And um, John, if I can build on that, I think that's already showing because you know, we've got an editorial trainee opportunity coming up in in the coming months, and it'll be great to you know follow on the momentum of last year. And and just to to give an indication, we had something like 132 applicants last year from all over the world. And um, you know, it was fantastic to see such enthusiasm for dermatology and such a breadth of places applying and wanting to be part of our team. So, you know, that's an opportunity that's coming up in in the coming months, and there should be an ad out soon, and it'll be great for that to happen. But it really aligns, John, with what you're saying about, you know, once you start to develop and grow that brand, it really sells, and then people you know start to buy in. I'd also like to say that it's really fun working uh with a global team. And and recently I had the opportunity to mentor one of our editorial trainees to write a commentary on a paper. And so this commentary was being written between Newcastle, Yale, and Sydney, right? And so um, we have short timelines for our commentaries, and so you know, there's a real push to get that piece of work done. But literally, uh when I went to bed in Newcastle, I put my bit in, and then at four in the morning UK time, my trainee in Yale had done his bit. And then by seven in the morning, my colleague in Sydney had done that bit. And so by the time I got up at eight in the morning, um, I was ready to do my next bit. So I think it's the fastest commentary I've ever written. That that's thinking of the global uh time zones working for you.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, it's I've had the same experience again. Um to reiterate what Neil said, our editorial trainees have this added opportunity to co-author commentaries with us, which I think is just a wonderful first step at writing for many of them. And the commentary we wrote also spanned Canada to the UK and had that benefit of uh of the time zone. So that really is a wonderful benefit of the global nature of the team.
SPEAKER_03I would say that some of my best work has been done at four in the morning. And people might people might say, Oh, were you in another country? And like, yeah, yeah, sure. Of course I was. And I I would I would just add as an editorial trainee, current editorial trainee myself, that it's a great experience. So please, if you're listening and you're thinking about starting a career in research, please do apply. Don't be put off by the 130 or something people who who applied. Last time every every application is different. If they can put up with me for a couple of years, you know, you've def any of you've got a chance. So um it's definitely a worthwhile and and uh fantastic experience. And I think I just wanted to maybe just end on something that that um John had said, you know, if you if you build it, they will come. We're hoping that uh we've built this podcast. We will some of some listeners, maybe one or two, might come and and and uh follow on with the rest of the series, where we're hoping to cover all kinds of different um topics. But if you yourself as a listener have an interesting um thought, concept, idea um of something you'd like us to talk about at the BJD, or if you if you are potentially a speaker or know a speaker who'd like to come and share uh your thoughts, we'd be more than happy to speak to you. Uh if you get to know me, you know I'll talk to anyone. Um so if you're interested, uh just pop onto our social media um at brjdermatology on Instagram and uh at brjdermatol on Twitter. And that brings us to the end of the episodes uh of the very first episode of BJD Talks. We've covered the global impacts of research, uh the importance of teamwork and mentorship in publications, and hopefully we've demystified the research process just a little bit. We look forward to sharing the next episodes, and in the meantime, please do reach uh out to us at the social be mentioned or on the hashtag hashtag BJD Talks. So thank you all, and bye for now. Thanks, Johnny. Thanks, Johnny. Bye for me.
SPEAKER_00Thank you. Bye, everyone.