JMIR Publications is the new publisher of the Journal of Participatory Medicine (JoPM)

(Toronto/Boston, Dec 6th, 2017)  The Society for Participatory Medicine (SPM, https://participatorymedicine.org) and JMIR Publications (http://jmirpublications.com) today announced a partnership to publish the Journal of Participatory Medicine (http://jopm.jmir.org), the official journal of the Society, on the platform and under the umbrella of JMIR Publications.

Since 2009, the Journal of Participatory Medicine (JoPM) has served as pioneering peer-reviewed journal on articles pertaining to participatory medicine, a movement in which patients and health professionals actively collaborate and encourage one another as full partners in care. Under the leadership of former Editors Charlie Smith, Joe Graedon and Terry Graedon, JoPM has published essays and research papers on the SPM website. Authors include luminaries such as Esther Dyson and George Lundberg, and thought leaders Jessie Gruman, Kurt Stange and Kate Lorig, as well as many SPM pioneers and patient advocates.

The Society believes that more research on participatory medicine is critically needed to improve healthcare and the care experience. The Journal is now available and open for submissions on the JMIR platform at jopm.jmir.org. JoPM will publish articles that are ready to be submitted to PubMed Central and PubMed. JoPM has a unique open access model where any article is available without a paywall. JoPM articles will include research papers and commentaries; articles from non-academics or those without institutional funding support will be published free of charge. Research papers from academics who have research funding will be asked to provide article processing fees.

"JMIR Publications has been at the forefront in publishing papers and journals on the topic of technology's impact on the patient," says Dr. Danny Sands, chairman and co-founder of the Society, "Having JMIR publish the Journal of Participatory Medicine is therefore a natural fit for both parties and the synergy will benefit the field." Current Chief Editors of JoPM Terry Graedon and Susan Woods are excited about the SPM-JMIR partnership and believe that the reach and credibility of JMIR offer unprecedented opportunity to bring the patient and family voice into a health-related publication.

Dr. Gunther Eysenbach, publisher at JMIR Publications, also points out the synergies by this partnership. “The mission of the Society for Participatory Medicine is uniquely aligned with our own mission, as technology plays a critical part in patient/consumer empowerment, and much of the research we have published in JMIR and our other journals actually deals with participatory approaches to increase the healthcare experience for consumers and to empower them to live healthier, happier lives”. says Gunther Eysenbach. “We are proud to publish JoPM for the society and to bring it to new heights. Apart from that, we can also learn from the society’s network and bring patients into the editorial boards and into the conversation loop at the other JMIR journals. As such, the partnership with SPM goes beyond the mere publication of their society journal, but also positions JMIR Publications and its journals as a leader in incorporating participatory approaches in research ”.

JMIR Publications now has a portfolio of over 25 journals, but JoPM is the first society journal.

jopm homepage

Image: The homepage of JoPM, http://jopm.jmir.org (cc-by JMIR Publications, free to use)

About JMIR Publications

JMIR Publications is a rapidly growing innovative academic publisher based in Toronto, Canada. It builds on the success of JMIR (Journal of Medical Internet Research), which is the top ranked journal in health informatics, by impact factor (Clarivate, 2017). With now over 25 sister journals, such as JMIR mHealth and uHealth (which is now the #2 ranked journal), and over 1000 articles published every year, JMIR Publications is the leading ehealth publisher, advancing progress in the health, engineering and social sciences to ultimately help people to live happier and healthier lives using technology.

Contact: support@jmir.org

About the Society for Participatory Medicine

The Society for Participatory Medicine (SPM, https://participatorymedicine.org) is a US-based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization devoted to promoting the concept of participatory medicine, a movement in which networked patients shift from being mere passengers to responsible drivers of their health, and in which providers encourage and value them as full partners.The Society seeks to bring together all of the stakeholders in healthcare (patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, payers, and others) to encourage collaboration, communication and cooperation that will foster provider/patient engagement, patient empowerment and education.

Contact: editors@jopm.org