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Kim Jonas and Craig Doig

This issue of The Endocrinologist is the last for Kim Jonas and Craig Doig as Editor and Associate Editor respectively. They served on the magazine’s Editorial Board for a combined total of around 14 years, and took up their current positions in spring 2022. Since then, they led the Board in coming up with ideas for, commissioning, reviewing and promoting over 100 feature articles across 13 issues.

We’re extremely grateful to Kim and Craig for their incredible service and, before they stepped away from their roles, we asked them to reflect on their time with the magazine.

How and why did you first get involved with The Endocrinologist?

KIM I was approached by a couple of the people who were on the Editorial Board, and I thought it sounded fun and a good way of getting involved in communicating endocrinology, with a greater reach than we can achieve with journal articles.

CRAIG I was always aware of The Endocrinologist, and I’d seen how broad endocrinology was within each issue. I viewed getting involved as a way of widening my exposure within the field.

KIM Yes – it’s definitely opened up the opportunity, because I don’t think that Craig and I knew each other properly before we worked together on the magazine, and now we’re collaborating in research too!

CRAIG It’s really benefited both of us.

Why is The Endocrinologist important for UK endocrinology?

CRAIG I think the community that the magazine creates binds us together. Because it is largely generated by the readership, it feels familial in a way. You recognise names and faces and think, ‘Let’s see what they’ve been doing recently.’

KIM I think it’s a good way of showcasing our breadth as a community, to members and beyond.

What have you enjoyed most about your time on the Editorial Board?

KIM It’s definitely been about meeting people. Getting to know other members of the Board whom I didn’t know and who aren’t in my field has been my biggest highlight.

CRAIG I agree – it’s been professionally and personally beneficial. I do recall one lovely moment, when I went to do a student’s viva and there wasn’t a room booked, so they put us in a very important person’s professorial office. The only publication on that very important person’s desk was the latest copy of The Endocrinologist. That was really cool.

Finally, what advice would you give to your successors?

KIM Commission authors to write articles early, to give people the best chance of saying yes, and come to the Board meeting prepared with some ideas. No idea is silly, and you can work them up as you chat through things with the Editorial Board.

CRAIG Yes, don’t be afraid to put ideas out there and bounce them off your colleagues on the board. Also, get to know people – say hello at conferences to people doing interesting work – that can be your ‘in’ to inviting them to write. But, even if you don’t know someone at all, just ask them – they might say no, but that doesn’t matter.