The AAI Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Eugene M. Oltz, Ph.D., as the next Editor-in-Chief (EIC) of The Journal of Immunology (The JI). Dr. Oltz is a Professor and Vice-Chair for Faculty Development in the Department of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis.
Dr. Oltz, an AAI member since 1995, served The JI as a Section Editor from 2007 to 2011, and as an Associate Editor from 1999 to 2003. He has also served as a member (2012-2016) and Chair (2013-2016) of the AAI Publications Committee. During this time he undertook an initiative for the addition of an open-access journal, ImmunoHorizons, as a new publication for AAI. He also served on The JI Scientific Integrity Committee, which upheld guidelines for ethical reporting in scientific publication, and was an ex officio member of the AAI Council. As a member of the Publications Committee, he has been a featured speaker in sponsored sessions at the AAI annual meetings, as well as a speaker in his field of expertise – genetic and epigenetic regulation of lymphocyte development. Dr. Oltz has served AAI in other capacities, including as an instructor for the AAI Advanced Courses, and as Chair of the Program Committee. For his consistently outstanding service and commitment to AAI, Dr. Oltz was selected by the AAI Council as the recipient of the 2017 AAI Distinguished Service Award.
Dr. Oltz holds an A.B. in Chemistry from Cornell University and received a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Columbia University. He carried out postdoctoral work at Columbia University and Harvard University in the laboratory of Dr. Fred Alt before taking a position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Vanderbilt University. At Vanderbilt, he rose to the rank of Professor before moving to Washington University School of Medicine in 2009. In addition to his teaching and research duties, Dr. Oltz has trained many doctoral and postdoctoral scientists in his lab. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including an NIH Director’s Transformative Research Grant (2010), and currently chairs the NIH CMI-B Study Section.
Dr. Oltz's research focuses on how genetic control elements communicate with epigenetic pathways to orchestrate aberrant changes in gene expression that underlie non-Hodgkin lymphoma; gene expression programs for normal development of adaptive and innate lymphoid cells; and long-range changes in chromatin required for the assembly of antigen receptor genes by V(D)J recombination.
Dr. Oltz joined an outstanding field of applicants for the EIC position. The Call for Applications for the position of EIC was announced on March 9, 2017, and applications were accepted through July 7, 2017. Deliberations and interviews were carried out by the AAI Publications Committee, which made a recommendation to the AAI Council. Upon acceptance of the position, Dr. Oltz stated, “I am very honored to have been selected for this prestigious position and have the opportunity to build on the achievements of my predecessors. As it has been for over 100 years, The JI remains a standard-bearer for rigorous research that advances our knowledge of the immune system. I look forward to serving scientists worldwide by sustaining the important traditions of The JI while also creating new strategies to serve the field.”
Dr. Oltz will serve a 5-year term from July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2023.
Founded in 1916, The JI is the most highly cited publication in the field of immunology. Its past and present Editors-in-Chief include:
Members of the AAI Council, Publications Committee, and staff congratulate Dr. Oltz on his appointment and look forward to working with him.