OU-COM professor transforms national publication

New peer-reviewed medical journal a first for osteopathic family physicians

By Matt Bates

Dec. 7, 2009

The 2009 May/June issue of the Osteopathic Family Physician News was a tabloid-sized newsletter featuring updates on the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians
(ACOFP), news on medical policy and patient care, and one scientific article.

The very next issue, renamed simply Osteopathic Family Physician, was a nationally peer-reviewed medical journal consisting mainly of scholarly articles—the first to focus exclusively on osteopathic family practice research. 

Jay Shubrook, D.O. (’96), took on the role of editor-in-chief of the Osteopathic Family Physician, the official publication of the ACOFP, in March 2009. During his first few months as editor, he oversaw the nine-year-old newsletter’s transformation to a scholarly medical journal, a work begun by previous editor Joel Kase, D.O., M.P.H.

“(This publication) represents the best of osteopathic family medicine within our profession, including topics like preventive medicine, managed care, osteopathic principles, public health, medical education and practice management,” Shubrook said.

Shubrook explains that before the transition, the only journal for osteopathic family practice research was the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association and allopathic (M.D.) journals. With the change from newsletter to journal, osteopathic family physicians now have a new avenue for publication. 

ACOFP teamed up with Dutch publisher Elsevier Inc., a leading publisher worldwide of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, to transform and launch the new journal in both print and online formats.

“We welcome the opportunity to partner with a dynamic group like ACOFP and envision that Osteopathic Family Physician will become an increasingly important forum for information exchange about a wide range of topics in the field,” Elsevier Publishing Director Chris Baumle commented in a press release. 

As the official journal of the ACOFP, this new national research forum delivers information that helps osteopathic family physicians care for their patients, improve their practices and stay abreast of ACOFP activities.  The print journal is distributed to ACOFP professional members, with the online version sent to student and resident members. 

Response to the first three issues has been positive, but there are still challenges for this young publication. One lies in increasing the volume of submissions, since osteopathic family practice is a relatively small field, according to Shubrook. A greater number of submissions would allow the magazine to be more selective and would increase the diversity of the material covered, he says.

Shubrook previously has published, edited and reviewed articles for peer-reviewed journals. Recognizing what he sees as a gap in medical education, Shubrook also hopes to eventually develop a medical editing/writing rotation with OU-COM to help train students and doctors to become better writers and editors. 

“I have gained a greater appreciation of the different steps,” Shubrook said of the editing process.  His managing editor, Belinda Bombei, “does a lot of the nitty gritty,” he added. He compared her to an emergency room doctor who does the critical “clean up” on patients before sending them to other doctors. 

Shubrook is now working to develop the journal into an authoritative resource illustrating “the full breadth and scope of the field of osteopathic family medicine.”

Visit the journal online at www.osteopathicfamilyphysician.org.

The American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians is the national organization of more than 20,000 practicing osteopathic family physicians and physicians-in-training. Their mission is to promote excellence in osteopathic family medicine through quality education, visionary leadership and responsible advocacy.