Editor in chief of The BMJ appointed honorary professor at CaRe research school

On 1 November, Maastricht University has appointed Dr Fiona Godlee, editor in chief of The BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal), as honorary professor on behalf of national research school CaRe (Netherlands School for Primary Care Research). “This is a unique situation because CaRe consists of a cooperation of four institutes in the Netherlands,” says Professor Dr Onno van Schayck, scientific director of CaRe.

Dr Godlee has been appointed at Maastricht University because its research institute CAPHRI (Care and Public Health Research Institute) hosts the secretariat of the CaRe research school.  CaRe’s mission is national research collaboration as well as support and coaching of promising young researchers in the field of public health and primary care. Dr Fiona Godlee is editor in chief of The BMJ, which is leading in the research field of CaRe.  

Dr Godlee will coach PhD students on the four CaRe locations – Amsterdam, Utrecht, Nijmegen and Maastricht – in positioning their research. She will teach the PhD students to write their research in such a way that it catches the interest of top journals.  “Dr Godlee will also address integrity issues in scientific publications, obviously an issue that needs more attention,” says Professor Dr André Knottnerus, chair of CaRe.

Dr Godlee said: “I am honoured and delighted by this appointment, which I take as a tribute to the work of the whole of The BMJ team over the past decade to champion high quality research in primary care and public health and promote integrity in the evidence base for healthcare practice and policy. The Netherlands has become a global leader in research into primary care and population health. I very much look forward to working with new colleagues across these Dutch universities and to helping to nurture international links.”

Fiona Godlee has been The BMJ’s editor in chief since 2005.  She qualified as a doctor in 1985, trained as a general physician in Cambridge and London, and is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. Since joining The BMJ in 1990 she has written on a broad range of issues, including the impact of environmental degradation on health, the future of the World Health Organization, and scientific integrity. Dr Godlee is well-known for her great expertise and impressive talent for education. 

Research school CaRe is a collaboration of the RIHS (Radboud Institute for Health Sciences) of the Radboud university medical center in Nijmegen, EMGO+ (Institute for Health and Care Research) of the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam, NIVEL (Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research) in Utrecht, and CAPHRI of Maastricht University.