American Society of Anesthesiologists Selects James P. Rathmell, M.D., MBA, as Editor in Chief of Anesthesiology Following Global Search

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is pleased to announce that James P. Rathmell, M.D., MBA, has been selected as editor in chief of Anesthesiology, ASA’s peer-reviewed medical journal. Dr. Rathmell has served as executive editor for Anesthesiology from 2012 to 2021, as creative and multimedia editor since 2021 and interim coeditor in chief with Deborah Culley, M.D., for the past seven months. Dr. Rathmell will start in his new position on January 1, 2024.

“It is a tremendous honor to be selected as the next editor in chief of Anesthesiology, the specialty’s premier medical journal,” said James P. “Jim” Rathmell, M.D., MBA. “My goal is to ensure that every issue of the journal upholds our mission to promote scientific discovery and knowledge in perioperative medicine, critical care and pain medicine that will advance patient care. My promise to readers is that we will deliver the very best content in different formats across multiple types of media to assure that the trusted evidence in Anesthesiology is as enjoyable to access and review as it is informative to improving direct patient care.”

Currently, Dr. Rathmell is chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine and professor of anaesthesia at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), Brigham and Women’s Physician Organization (BWPO), Harvard Medical School (HMS), Boston, Massachusetts since June 2015. He is also chief of enterprise anesthesiology at Mass General Brigham, Boston, Massachusetts since June 2022. Dr. Rathmell received his Bachelor of Science degree from Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania before receiving his medical degree and a Master of Science in biochemistry from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He completed his residency in anesthesiology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He received a Master of Business Administration degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is board-certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine.

While editor in chief, Dr. Rathmell aims to have greater worldwide impact on the field of anesthesiology through the identification and dissemination of innovative research and the highest-quality work that will inform daily clinical practice and transform the practice of anesthesiology.

“After a comprehensive search that yielded a pool of outstanding international candidates, I’m delighted that ASA’s Ad Hoc Committee on Editor in Chief Search selected the absolute best individual to serve as Anesthesiology’s editor in chief,” said ASA President Ronald L. Harter, M.D., FASA. “ASA was seeking an editor in chief with the knowledge and expertise to assure Anesthesiology continues to be the leading peer-reviewed journal in our specialty. Dr. Rathmell is ideally suited to achieve that goal.”

ASA’s Ad Hoc Committee on Editor in Chief Search was formed in March 2023 and was chaired by Andrew D. Rosenberg, M.D., FASA, with 14 members. The search process was facilitated by KnowledgeWorks Global, Ltd., a search firm that specializes in recruiting scholarly publishing editorial leadership.

THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS

Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific professional society with more than 57,000 members organized to advance the medical practice of anesthesiology and secure its future. ASA is committed to ensuring anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of all patients before, during and after surgery. ASA members also lead the care of critically ill patients in intensive care units, as well as treat pain in both acute and chronic settings.