Effective from 1 January 2022, he succeeds Fiona Godlee, who will step down at the end of this year, after more than 16 years in the role.
Kamran Abbasi, has been Executive Editor of The BMJ since 2016, leading the journal’s content team and international growth strategy. He qualified in medicine from Leeds University, and joined The BMJ after postgraduate training in general medicine. Over a 25 year career in medical editing and publishing, he has developed wide digital, international, senior management, and Board level experience. Kamran is also a visiting professor in the department of primary care and public health at Imperial College, London, and a patron of the South Asian Health Foundation.
Welcoming the appointment, BMJ’s CEO Chris Jones said: “Kamran’s editorial experience, clear sense of purpose and strong commitment to The BMJ’s values of credibility and integrity, are what distinguished his candidacy.”
“As BMJ heads into a new and exciting phase of investment and growth, I look forward to working with Kamran to build on this success and continue to develop the journal and the wider business for a digital future. BMJ is committed to diversity and inclusion, and we are proud to appoint a British Asian to this important role. This is a first in our history, but Kamran is also the first person of Asian origin to be editor in chief of any of the top four international medical journals.”
Kamran Abbasi commented: “I’m honoured to be appointed Editor-in-Chief of The BMJ, and grateful to BMJ and the BMA for putting their faith in me. We are at an exciting moment in the history of The BMJ with opportunities for digital and international growth. Yet the world is in crisis, and it is our role to ensure that outcomes related to health and wellbeing are central to how we create a better future. There has never been a more important time to be evidence based, patient centred, open and transparent, and courageous. These are the values of The BMJ, and we will live by them as a journal to join our readers and authors in influencing health policy, clinical practice, and medical science to improve the health and wellbeing of people and the planet.
“As I take up my new role, I want to thank Fiona, the first woman to be Editor-in-Chief of The BMJ, for her remarkable stewardship of the journal over the last 16 years. She leaves the journal even stronger than she found it, particularly through its campaigning journalism – and that is all any editor can hope to achieve.”
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