Highlights of a Decade: Daniel G. Haller and Journal of Clinical Oncology
At the Annual Meeting in June, Daniel G. Haller, MD, will step down from his post as Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Clinical Oncology, a role he has held for the past 10 years. Over the course of that decade, Dr. Haller has helped guide JCO through some of its most significant changes since the journal began publishing in 1983.
Under Dr. Haller’s leadership, JCO established an online manuscript submission system and began publishing articles online before they are assigned to a print issue, essential components to decreasing the time between submission and publication. Dr. Haller also created the Special Series Review, entire issues dedicated to the hottest topics pertaining to a specific disease site, and oversaw the attendant increase in publication frequency, from 24 to 36 issues per year.
When considering such a wide array of initiatives, it is difficult to say which innovation has had the most significant impact on JCO. Nicholas Petrelli, MD, Associate Editor (2000–2010), believes that Dr. Haller’s greatest achievement as Editor-in-Chief was “his ability to capture high-quality, practice-changing manuscripts along with cutting-edge translational research. This led to a dramatic improvement of the journal’s impact factor during his tenure and the fact that JCO is now the premiere oncology journal.” The impact factor is a widely used tool that measures the average number of citations received per paper published in the previous 2 years. Under Dr. Haller’s aegis, JCO’s impact factor increased from 8.773 in 2001 to 17.793 in 2010.
Emerging Fields
One way Dr. Haller encouraged the growth of JCO’s impact was to expand into specialty areas that had been overlooked previously. Patricia Ganz, MD, Associate Editor (1998–2009), was charged with improving the peer-review process for the emerging fields of quality of life and psychosocial oncology. “Under Dr. Haller’s leadership and support, I was able to build this area of research content, along with an outstanding editorial board and peer-review database, such that JCO is now the premiere journal for papers in these fields,” she said.
Dr. Haller also influenced changes that cannot necessarily be seen in the journal pages. “[His] enthusiasm for new knowledge is infectious, and he motivates the staff and editors to think about the journal as much as he does. Being able to engage all who are involved in the process of publishing JCO and truly creating a united team has made the journal what it is today,” commented Mary L. Disis, MD, Deputy Editor (2006–present).
In the eyes of the Editors he oversaw, Dr. Haller’s was more than an Editor-in-Chief—he was a mentor. “Dan enhanced my experience as an Associate Editor by being an outstanding mentor; not only during my tenure but throughout my career,” said Dr. Petrelli. “He is bright, compassionate, and someone you can trust.” ■
