JABFM in 2026

I am deeply grateful to be assuming the role of Editor of JABFM from a long-time personal mentor, Dr. Marjorie Bowman. I also thank her for agreeing to stay on as Editor Emerita. Having been a part of the editing team since 2007, I anticipate more continuity than change. At the same time, I do envision some changes that will make the Journal more timely and more accessible to our readers.

The target audience of JABFM remains the practicing American family physician, specifically, diplomates of the ABFM. The goal of JABFM in 2026 is to publish original research, secondary analyses, clinical reviews, and opinion pieces that are impactful for the practicing American family physician. To paint a mental picture, I often say, “ JABFM publishes papers that a family physician can use in their clinic tomorrow.” Additionally, JABFM will continue to occasionally publish clusters of papers dedicated to delving deep into topics of interest to the specialty.

Among changes coming to Journal is a continuous publishing model that allows papers to be available and indexed soon after they are accepted. This reduces the total number of days any given manuscript awaits publication; good news for authors and for readers. JABFM is also in the process of hiring a full-time, in-house, copy editor. This will enhance and standardize the JABFM end product.

I also anticipate growing the range of expertise on the editorial team in order to ensure a high-quality product for readers. I anticipate the addition of a statistician, a junior practicing physician-researcher and another PhD researcher to the editorial team.

The editorial team is re-evaluating our current manuscript categories. Original clinical research continues to be the heart and soul of what JABFM publishes. We continue to publish brief reports, clinical reviews, and Priority Updates from the Research Literature (PURLs). There are expanded opportunities to publish high-quality Quality Improvement projects that contain learning points for others. The editorial team would specifically like to publish more meta-analyses and clinical practice guidelines. We hope to see more manuscripts covering innovative clinical care delivery models, professionalism, and the intersection of family medicine and community health. A new manuscript category is Medicine and the Law, which focuses on the practical implications of the legal landscape on how family physicians practice.

A mission that JABFM continues to embrace is training and elevating the next generation of family medicine researchers, peer reviewers, and evidence-based medicine experts. The JABFM Fellowship continues to advance and mature. The first three years of the fellowship have been highly successful and we are already seeing graduates take leadership roles within the specialty. JABFM will continue to enroll two fellows per year and provide a wide-ranging and diverse educational experience in the publishing world for these talented learners.

I look forward to this opportunity and look forward to hearing more from you, the readers. How can JABFM serve you better? What do you want to see more of in our pages? Equally important, what would you not want to see changed at the Journal ? Please send us your thoughts as we move into 2026.