World Association of Medical Editors - History

History

Bruce Squires and Suzanne Fletcher, two of the original founders of WAME, described the history of WAME: “The idea of a world association of medical editors germinated in the early 1990s out of concerns that the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the Vancouver group; was too small, self-serving, and exclusive and that biomedical journal editors around the world needed help in developing high-quality, peer reviewed journals. Accordingly, Suzanne and Robert Fletcher (editors of Annals of Internal Medicine at the time) spearheaded the preparation of an application to hold a conference at the Rockefeller Foundation Conference and Study Center in Bellagio, Italy, to consider the needs of medical journal editors globally and to devise a plan to meet those needs. The foundation approved the application in early 1994, and in March the following year, 22 participants from 13 countries met in Bellagio to consider the following:

• What are the common purposes of medical-journal editors and the set of skills editors need to achieve these purposes?
• What day-to-day obstacles and challenges do medical editors encounter in trying to achieve their goals?
• Is there a need for global organization of medical-journal editors? If so, how can it be established, and how can medical-journal editors create a global electronic communication network to discuss goals and needs

and share information, ideas, and solutions?

• How can medical-journal editors use their position to promote high-quality medical science, medical practice, and health in their regions and throughout the world?”

The group decided on “creation of a global organization of editors of peer-reviewed journals, to be called the World Association of Medical Editors ... to facilitate worldwide cooperation among editors of peer-reviewed medical journals to enhance the exchange of educational information; to improve editorial standards; to promote the professionalism of medical editing through education, self criticism and self-regulation; to expand the voice of and influence of medical editors; to develop mutual support; and to encourage research on the principles and practices of medical editing so as to improve the quality of medical science and practice.”

A second conference in Bellagio was held in January 2001, also funded through the Rockefeller Foundation and held at the Rockefeller Foundation Conference and Study Center, which established plans for editorial outreach including establishment of a member database, a listserve, and expansion of the WAME Web site.