Abstract
I am grateful for the journey ahead with our journal and field. I wanted to thank our prior editorial leaders and deputy editors for years of service and innovation. Harold S. Koplewicz is a visionary who has dedicated 25 years to the journal. He will be missed but not far away. We will watch with great interest as the Child Mind Institute continues to improve the lives of children through clinical care, research, and advocacy. This impact and reach is now global thanks to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Child Mind Institute. Thank you, Harold for all you have done and will continue to do for children, families, and our field.
Ron J. Steingard has retired, and we wish him well for the next phase of his journey. Ron will be missed after more than 40 years serving in multiple (too many to count) academic and leadership roles throughout Boston and the East Coast. Ron is among the most inspiring, eclectic, and authentic colleagues I have met in professional and personal circles. His expertise spans neuroimaging, neurobiology, pharmacology, psychiatry and work with the World Health Organization. It was always evident that Ron loved our journal and loved engaging and mentoring younger colleagues. My introduction to our journal was one such example after a friendly and scholarly conversation at a busy poster session. From this first meeting and moving forward, I always felt like a peer and old friend in Ron's presence. Ron has been a key mentor and role model in many spheres of life, spanning editorial, pharmacological, and devoted husband. Ron, thank you for all you have done for our journal and thanks for everything else.
Please also give our thanks to our rotating deputy editors: Bonnie T. Zima, Jeffrey H. Newcorn, Scott N. Compton, Edwin H. Cook, and John S. Markowtiz. We appreciate your years of service and ongoing sage advice. For 2024, we welcome four new deputy editors. Ellen J. Hoffman is an expert in functional analysis of the underlying genes in neurodevelopmental disorders (Weinschutz Mendes et al., 2023). Ellen will advance our journal with more basic science and translational research content. Robyn Thom is a leader in our field with expertise in the pharmacological treatment of co-occurring conditions in patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Williams syndrome, and other neurodevelopmental disorders (Thom et al., 2023). Her leadership and rigorous thinking has already proven useful for our Journal's efforts. Jeffrey Strawn is an international expert in anxiety and mood disorders in children and adolescents (Kanu et al., 2024; Malik et al. 2024). Jeff has selflessly served this journal for nearly a decade. We are grateful for his guidance and leadership. My colleague, Jennifer R. Geske will provide statistical expertise for our team and journal (Nooraeen et al., 2024). Julia Shekunov has also joined our editorial team for the management of Brief Report and Letters to the Editor submissions. Please welcome and pass along appreciation for our new editorial team members.
Our vision for the Journal of Child and Psychopharmacology Developmental Psychopathology and Therapeutics will elevate the impact and engagement of the journal. We will continue to strive for excellence related to our current focus. We also have important opportunities to engage emerging research with neurotherapeutics in youth as this community is lacking in consistent platforms at present. Other key opportunities will be the pursuit and publication of new content focused on artificial intelligence, cognitive neuroscience, basic science, and work from international colleagues.
This month brings a number of intriguing papers. Alice Lineham and colleagues from the Yale Child Study Center have pioneered investigational therapeutic work with ketamine in youth. This month the group focuses on efforts to develop a phenotypic pattern of response in adolescents. This critical study has wide ranging implications for rapid acting antidepressants and interventional psychiatry (see Lineham et al. 2024). Emine Rabia Ayvaci and colleagues from the Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care, UT Southwestern Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, present findings from a web-based platform designed to enhance the management of depression in adolescents. The findings identified differences in management plans for youth treated in primary care and psychiatric settings (see Ayvaci et al. 2024). Reena Thomas examines the possibility that youth with concurrent treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and stimulant medications have elevated rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This preliminary study is reassuring but will generate important questions and future studies (see Thomas et al. 2024). Finally, James H. Powers, Robyn P. Thom, and colleagues report on a study examining outcomes in children and adolescents with Down syndrome and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder treated with guanfacine. This study addresses clinical knowledge gaps related to Down syndrome and we look forward to additional contributions focused on treatment planning for children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders (see Powers et al. 2024).
We hope you enjoy this issue of Journal of Child and Psychopharmacology Developmental Psychopathology and Therapeutics and as always please stay in touch with any ideas you have for advancing our journal's mission and future.