The 44^th and 45^th Meeting of the Human Fertility Editorial Board

In June 2021, we held the 44^th Meeting of the Human Fertility Editorial Board and in early December 2021, we held the 45^th. Both were virtual meetings of course. Despite this, we made some important changes to the Editorial Board which I now report in this editorial.

First, Dr Denny Sakkas (Boston IVF) who has been a member of the Editorial Board for many years, and most recently the Science Sub-Editor, decided to step down from the role. We estimate that over the years, Denny has handled over 800 manuscripts for the journal and for this we owe him a great deal! I’d like to thank Denny for his exemplary service to Human Fertility and wish him well for his future projects.

Second, because of the vacancy that Denny’s decision creates, the Editorial Board decided to ask both Dr Bryan Woodward (X&Y Fertility, Leicester) and Dr Steven Fleming (University of Sydney) if they would consider undertaking this role jointly to future-proof our year-on-year growth in manuscript submissions. As such, I am pleased to report in this Editorial that they have both agreed to do so and have already started their Sub-Editor work. This in turn means that we now have a need to recruit more members of the Editorial Board with science backgrounds to support them. We are particularly interested in recruiting new Editorial Board Members with experience genetics, bioinformatics, molecular biology, cell signalling, artificial intelligence as well as a broader expertise in andrology and embryology. If you would like to be considered for the role, then please send me a brief CV as soon as possible so we can consider your application at the next Editorial Board meeting sometime in the spring of 2022.

Third, in my Editorial of December 2020 (Pacey, 2020), I invited expressions of interest from academically focussed Nurses who might also be interested to join the Editorial Board following the departure of Jane Denton and the promotion of Dr Eleanor Stevenson to the role of Health and Social Sciences Sub-Editor (Pacey, 2021). As such, I am pleased to announce that we have appointed Dr Patricia Hershberger (University of Illinois) and Val Peddie (University of Aberdeen) to become new nurse members of the Editorial Board. Again, they have already started in this role, and I am grateful for their enthusiasm.

Finally, this is the last issue of Human Fertility for 2021 and I hope that you enjoy reading the articles that it contains. Wherever you are in the world, can I wish you seasonal greetings.