Springing into the Future

With Experimental Biology 2021 behind us, the APS staff is shifting focus to a host of new programs and initiatives now underway. Driven by our 2020 strategic plan (www.physiology.org/strategicplan), these efforts will benefit nearly every part of the physiology community. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s to come:

APS Career Gateway

In late fall, we will introduce the APS Career Gateway—a suite of curated, high-quality tools and courses focused on helping you better navigate career transitions and refine your professional skill set. Components will include resources and content that address critical issues affecting physiologists at every career stage, with resources focusing on topics such as leadership development, personal branding, career advancement, team-building and personnel management.

Center for Physiology Education

Physiology educators are central to APS and the future of the discipline. In 2022, APS will launch the Center for Physiology Education—a dynamic new home within the Society for undergraduate and postgraduate physiology educators. APS members and staff are collaborating with the wider physiology educator community to create and curate resources and learning experiences that will inform and support the vital work of this community.

Greater Outreach to International Physiologists

With nearly 25% of our members living and working outside the U.S., APS is, unquestionably, an international society. We are committed to reducing barriers and expanding opportunities for our international community of members and researchers. This will be done by engaging more international physiologists in the governance of the Society, building out our virtual offerings to enable participation of overseas researchers, and strengthening partnerships and collaboration with other international physiology and related science organizations, to name just a few strategies.

An Expanded Focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in STEM

Realizing that creativity, innovation and research are better when all voices are represented, we want the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) to be weaved into the fabric of APS. We are working with leading DEI experts to help us examine the state of diversity, equity and inclusion within the Society and our broader community, and we are making changes to our processes and policies to ensure that DEI is intrinsic to the way we operate. This starts with our leadership. Voting is underway to make a bylaws change that would make the chair of our DEI Committee an ex officio member of the APS Council.

A Transition to Open Science

Over the past few years, the scientific publishing and funding landscape has moved rapidly toward increasing open science, generally, and toward open access publishing, in particular. APS has long offered open access options such as Author’s Choice, but as funder mandates continue to change across the globe, we will need a more dramatic shift. Because of this, we are increasingly likely to transition to a completely open access publishing model within the next five years. The implications of this move are great, and we are already making the necessary strategic moves to prepare us for growth in the future.

You can learn more about these and other upcoming initiatives by reading our strategic plan. As always, I invite you to share your thoughts and suggestions with me or with your colleagues on the APS Council. You are at the center of our efforts, and we truly value your feedback. Happy spring!

Scott Steen, CAE, FASAE, is executive director of the American Physiological Society.

This article was originally published in the May 2021 issue of The Physiologist Magazine.