We are delighted to welcome the following six people to the Editorial Board of Spinal Cord:

  • Tom Nightingale, Canada

  • Ed Nieshoff, USA

  • Julia Engkasan, Malaysia

  • Emil Kostovski, Norway

  • Euan McCaughey, Australia

  • Inge Eriks Hoogland, Switzerland

These six people were selected following a public call for expressions of interest in joining the Editorial Board. We advertised for academics and clinicians with strong backgrounds in research design and publication, and expertise in some priority area of research related to the treatment and management of people with spinal cord injury or disorder.

We (i.e., the existing members of the Editorial Board) were heartened by the high number of very good and competitive applications which led to our decision to accept six rather than three new Editorial Board members (as intended and advertised). We assessed each application on merit and during our selection took into account the following factors:

  • diverse gender, professional and geographical representation on the Editorial Board.

  • a mix of early/mid/late career-researchers to encourage and support the next generation of research leaders.

  • career disruptions related to carer duties or other issues that may have impacted on career progression.

  • applicants’ recent reviewing for and publication history with Spinal Cord, giving priority to those who regularly reviewed for us and published their work in Spinal Cord.

Members of the Editorial Board play an important role in shaping the direction of the journal. They contribute to decisions about the papers we accept for publication, provide input into defining our scope and drive new initiatives to help improve the journal. They also review a lot of manuscripts. It is therefore important that the Editorial Board has regular turn-over, benefitting from the injection of energy, ideas and initiatives that different and new people bring. For this reason, the term of office for all Editorial Board Members is limited to three years, with the possibility of up to three terms.

I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank five outgoing members of the Editorial Board, namely:

  • Yunbo Li, USA

  • Eustace Johnson, UK

  • Michael Baumberger, Switzerland

  • Bill Donovan, USA

  • Marcalee Alexander, USA

They have all made important contributions to the journal over many years, and have worked hard to achieve our goals. However, Bill Donovan (a past president of ISCoS) requires special mention and thanks. He has been an active and invaluable member of the Editorial Board for 33 years commencing his appointment when the journal first created an Editorial Board in 1986. He has reviewed over 86 papers since 2006 (and no doubt countless more prior to this), and authored 31 papers in Spinal Cord (or Paraplegia as the journal was previously known). It, therefore, goes without saying that Bill has been instrumental in shaping the journal. We, therefore, extend our very sincere thanks and admiration to him, as well as to Yunbo, Eustace, Michael and Marcalee. I am sure they will all welcome a rest from Editorial Board duties, but continue to support the journal’s growth over the years to come.