Senior Editorial Associate, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
 |
Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from, and what did you study? Where are you currently based?
I am originally from Maryland. I went to Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia where I studied English and journalism. I graduated in 2020 and served as an Americorps member for a year of service before starting my career in publishing as an Editorial Assistant at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Philadelphia, which is where I currently am.
Describe your current role and organization. What are your main responsibilities? What type of organization do you work for?
AACR is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for cancer through research and education. I work in their publishing department where they currently have 10 journals that each publish specified articles about cancer research and discoveries depending on the specific journal. I am currently a Senior Editorial Associate at AACR for their first Open Access journal Cancer Research Communications. I have been in this current role for almost a year. Prior to my current role, I was an Editorial Assistant for Cancer Research, AACR’s first journal. I have a lot of regular EA roles in my current role, including quality checking manuscripts, communicating with authors, and chasing and reaching out to editors and reviewers during the peer review process. The “senior” aspect comes into play when I run weekly team meetings, strategize processes to create smooth interactions for authors and editors, and run the journal inbox.
Walk us through a typical day in your role. What challenges do you face? What opportunities do you encounter?
My day usually starts with checking my email to see if there was anything urgent that came in over night. Then I go into our submission system (SmartSubmit) where I will organize which articles I will have to quality check, I then chase any editors who may need to make a decision on a manuscript. I contact reviewers and send decision letters out. And clean up authors’ accounts who may have more than one within our system.
I think the most challenging part of my role is finding answers for authors when they are trying to figure out what our policies are. I have been here for three years, so I know a lot of what we require, but this is still scientific content and that is where my knowledge ends. So being able to find the correct person who can answer authors’ questions is really important to me.
Share your journey in scholarly publishing. What was your first role in this field, and how did you land it? What path led you to your current position? What unexpected challenges have you faced?
I think there’s a lot of opportunity for growth in this job. I didn’t know anything about this career path until I joined AACR. I went from little to no knowledge to calling myself somewhere of an expert all within a year or two. There’s a lot to learn and I find that inspiring because there’s so many paths you can take once you’re in. And I enjoy new challenges when it comes to finding the quickest way through certain processes and actions we need to take. Sometimes my days are like little puzzles, and I take the knowledge I’ve learned and use it with whatever problem I am facing.
Can you share a memorable project, achievement, or pivotal moment in your career development? Was there a defining moment or influential person who shaped your career?
There have been a lot of pivotal moments in just the three years I have been in this industry. I think my biggest achievement would be when I changed journals and started working on Cancer Research Communications. I was unsure of the move because I was so comfortable in my current job. I was also unsure if I was capable of moving up to a position I wasn’t lined up for yet. However, my managing editor at the time really believed in me and knew what I was capable of (even if I didn’t believe her). She really encouraged me and helped me through the decision-making process of it all. I ultimately decided to take the job and I am very happy with the new challenges I face. She is still my biggest fan when it comes to me finding myself within the scholarly publishing world, and I am very grateful that she sees such growth in me. She continues to encourage me to step out of my comfort zone and try new things.
In your experience, what skills or qualities are essential for success in scholarly communications?
I think being personable is one of the biggest things when starting out in scholarly publishing. Speaking from my point of view, I didn’t know anything about the world I was entering before I entered. But being able to talk to my boss and ask questions about the process made everything a lot easier to learn. That also brings me to my next trait, which is being curious. I think it’s really great to be able to ask questions (I love asking them and answering them). It’s important if you are just starting out that you feel comfortable to ask and that you are curious enough to want to understand it all a little more. Lastly, I think problem-solving is a great skill to have. Things are constantly changing and moving into new ways, and change doesn’t happen without a problem first being in your way. Once you are able to move through that issue and find a new way of doing it, you will go far with that. I have a love-hate relationship with problems. Hate to see them, love to solve them.
What motivates you in your work? What keeps you passionate about your role in scholarly publishing?
I think what I love most about my work is knowing that there is a mission that I am working for. AACR has a specific mission and knowing that that is why I am in the office makes me feel good about the work I am doing. I started working at AACR because it was a non-profit. Now that passion for the work I am doing is backed even more based on the fact that I enjoy it. But for me, it was all about making a change, and I knew I could do that at a non-profit organization with a mission.
What advice would you give to aspiring professionals in scholarly communications?
It’s okay if you don’t know everything. As long as you are willing to put in the work to figure out the answers you need to know, then you will go far no matter what avenue you take! I am a perfectionist and I was always scared of not knowing the answer. But being in a professional world for three years now has taught me that sometimes no one knows the answer. You just need to know where to look to figure it out.
Career Stage: Early Career (0-5 years)
Industry Area: Editorial, Publishing, Sales/Marketing
