The American Heart Association announced today that Bradley A. Maron, M.D., FAHA, a globally recognized leader in pulmonary vascular research, has been named the new editor-in-chief of Circulation, the Association’s flagship peer-reviewed journal. Effective with today’s issue, Maron succeeds Joseph A. Hill, M.D., FAHA, who led the journal since 2016, and Joseph Loscalzo, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA, who served from 2004 to 2016. Maron’s appointment marks a strategic move to further integrate precision medicine and computational science into cardiovascular publishing, reflecting the journal’s commitment to practice-changing science.
Maron, a board-certified clinical cardiologist, is senior associate dean for precision medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center, and co-executive director of the University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing. His research focuses on mechanistic and clinical advances in pulmonary hypertension, right heart failure, and cardiomyopathy. With over 260 scientific publications and six patents, Maron brings a track record of innovation, including the use of artificial intelligence to automate clinical diagnosis and network medicine to improve disease phenotyping.
Under Maron’s leadership, Circulation will introduce several new features designed to enhance engagement and transparency. Among them are the Clinician Lighthouse article, which offers expert-guided interpretation of diagnostic tests and patient management, and the Patient’s Corner, which translates key research for the public. The journal will also implement graphic abstracts for all research articles, central illustrations for invited papers, and video commentaries for select manuscripts. A streamlined submission process with accelerated review timelines aims to improve efficiency, while expanded weekly eTOC alerts will include brief article summaries.
The new editorial team includes Executive Editor Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, from Washington University School of Medicine, and Deputy Executive Editor Sadiya S. Khan, M.D., M.Sc., FAHA, from Northwestern University. Ten deputy editors will oversee specific sections, including Joseph C. Wu for fundamental sciences, Adrian F. Hernandez and P. Gabriel Steg for clinical trials, and Thomas M. Maddox for AI for process and science. This structure underscores the journal’s emphasis on interdisciplinary and global perspectives.
Maron’s appointment is seen as a pivotal moment for Circulation, which has a history of shaping cardiovascular medicine. The journal’s editorial independence from the American Heart Association ensures open dialogue and rigorous peer review. As Maron stated, “Our mission is to reinvigorate the type of cardiovascular science and medicine published in Circulation, and fast track that information to our readers with additional transparency.” The changes aim to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice, ultimately benefiting patients worldwide.
