Over the year, many JOVS reviewers have made outstanding contributions to the peer review process. They demonstrated professional effort and enthusiasm in their reviews and provided comments that genuinely help the authors to enhance their work.

Hereby, we would like to highlight some of our outstanding reviewers, with a brief interview of their thoughts and insights as a reviewer. Allow us to express our heartfelt gratitude for their tremendous effort and valuable contributions to the scientific process.

July 2023
Amir H. Sadeghi, Erasmus University Medical Center, the Netherlands

August, 2023
Miriam Freundt, The Christ Hospital, USA

July 2023

Amir H. Sadeghi

Amir H. Sadeghi is a final year resident in Cardiothoracic Surgery, affiliated with the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Erasmus University Medical Center, the Netherlands. His research focuses on integrating exponential technologies like extended reality and artificial intelligence into pre-operative planning for complex cardiothoracic surgeries, particularly in minimally invasive lung surgery. His clinical expertise extends to minimally invasive (robotic-assisted) lung and general cardiac surgery. Dr. Sadeghi's work redefines surgical precision, enhancing patient outcomes. His scholarly contributions, global presentations, and commitment to innovative, patient-centered care present his dedication to state-of-the-art surgical practice. Connect with Dr. Sadeghi on LinkedIn.

Dr. Sadeghi thinks peer review plays an integral role in the realm of science. He firmly believes that peer review is not only essential for maintaining the rigor and quality of research but also serves as a cornerstone for critical thinking and advancing open science. “This evaluation process by experts in the field also ensures that research methodologies, findings, and conclusions are subjected to thorough scrutiny, enhancing the reliability and validity of scientific work,” he shares, “In addition, peer review fosters a culture of knowledge dissemination and collaboration, enabling researchers to contribute to the collective pool of human understanding.”

Dr. Sadeghi further points out that reviewers can play a very crucial role in the peer-review process by considering important aspects such as the research methodology, the ethics and integrity, the innovativeness, and the clarity of language and presentation. In addition, he finds it very important that reviewers provide constructive criticism and feedback to help the researchers improve their work. Most importantly, he thinks that reviewers should be respectful and present their feedback with a professional tone.

Speaking of research data sharing in scientific writing, Dr. Sadeghi opts for the idea that authors should be willing to share their data to promote transparency and progress of the research in the field. He explains, “Sharing data will allow others to build upon the work of your research, which will significantly accelerate scientific progress. It also encourages interdisciplinary collaboration, since data sets can be used by a broader audience. Moreover, open science and data sharing will help ensure the integrity of research, which is important to support ethical practices.”

(by Masaki Lo, Brad Li)

August, 2023

Miriam Freundt

Dr. Miriam Freundt completed training in cardiac surgery, internal medicine and cardiology in Germany and the United States and currently serves as the Director of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Her main area of interest involves cardiogenic shock, mechanical circulatory support, and perioperative care of durable cardiac replacement therapies. She is actively involved in preclinical and clinical research to develop a new total artificial heart and temporary and durable left ventricular assist devices.

Dr. Freundt indicates that peer review ensures a high standard of science is published by helping authors to improve their work and help editors make decisions. Peer reviewers should write constructive comments to the authors that are clear and specific. They should support their comments with evidence and the goal should be to help improve the work.

“Everyone is so busy with clinical work but also bringing their own projects forward, making sure results get analyzed, written up and presented,” says Dr. Freundt. She thinks that to take time out of one’s schedule to sit down and read articles that are unpolished and just not ready is difficult. It takes a lot of motivation to help the greater good to do that.

Reviewing abstracts and manuscripts from around the world reminds Dr. Freundt of the days when they were children and looking for just the one perfect seashell at the beach. “You never knew, what you would find, until you turned that shell over and wiped of the sand. The same goes for articles – you may read something you have never heard before; new ideas and concepts and you get to help those bright authors to make the article better for the rest of the world to read it,” adds she.

(by Lareina Lim, Brad Li)