Karen Birmingham, PhD, BSC (hons)
Cancer Nursing Practice & Nursing Older People

Editor, Cancer Nursing Practice & Nursing Older People

Prior Editor’s Position: Senior Editor, Nature Medicine

Years as Editor: Since 2003

Years in INANE: Since 2005

Accomplishment: I feel equally proud of my time spent working on the science journal, Nature Medicine, as the Senior Editor and my role as Editor of Cancer Nursing Practice and the now retired Gastrointestinal Nursing. I set both of the latter journals up from scratch and it has been rewarding to watch them grow over time and become widely appreciated in the community.

Best: Being a bit of a control freak, I guess the best bit about being an editor is the ability to decide upon, and be ultimately responsible for, all aspects of the journal—from the editorial content selection and direction to journal presentation and representation.

Worst: In running two monthly journals, it’s hard to get away from the job because there’s always a deadline. So my biggest bug bear is not being able to take a holiday!

3 words: Bubbly, brave and determined (apparently!)

Strangest request: I do find it strange that they think their material is good enough for publishing without edit.

If not editor?: Be a fitness and diet coach.

Relax?: I jog around 20 miles per week and, separately from the jogging, enjoy socializing with my friends in as many London bars as we can cram into the week.