Washington, D.C. – ASM is pleased to welcome new Editors in Chief (EiC): Romney Humphries, Ph.D., D(ABMM), for ® (JCM); Marvin Whiteley, Ph.D., for®; Ashley Shade, Ph.D., for®; and Ira Blader, Ph.D., for ®. Their terms will begin on July 1, 2025.
“The ASM Journals Committee is delighted to welcome these accomplished leaders to their new roles,” said Patrick Schloss, Ph.D., Chair of the ASM Journals Committee. “Their extensive expertise and vision will build on the success of the outgoing EiCs and support our journals in achieving the highest quality of publications.”
Romney Humphries, Ph.D., D(ABMM), who is succeeding Alexander McAdam, M.D., Ph.D., D(ABMM), is a professor in the Department of Pathology, °®¶¹´«Ã½ and Immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she also serves as the Director of Infectious Diseases Laboratories and the Director of the Division of Laboratory Medicine. Humphries has served as an Editorial Board Member and Minireview Editor for JCM and as an Editorial Board Member for Clinical °®¶¹´«Ã½ Reviews®. She is passionate about clinical microbiology and antimicrobial resistance and brings her diagnostic industry experience to JCM, which publishes research on the laboratory diagnosis of human and animal infections and the role of the laboratory in epidemiology and the management of infectious diseases.
Marvin Whiteley, Ph.D., who is succeeding Arturo Casadevall, M.D., Ph.D., is a professor of biological sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology, a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and the Bennie H. and Nelson D. Abell Chair in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Whiteley’s research examines how bacterial interactions and the infection environment influence antimicrobial tolerance and infection severity. He has held several ASM leadership and editorial roles, including President of the ASM Texas Branch, Chair of ASM Division D, a member of the ASM Publishing Committee, an ASM Branch Lecturer and editor for Infection and Immunity® (IAI) and mBio, a broad-scope open-access journal that explores the interconnected microbial world and strives to publish the best research in microbiology and allied fields.
Ashley Shade, Ph.D., who is succeeding Jack Gilbert, Ph.D., is the Director of Research at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). Her research works to understand, predict and manage microbial communities to achieve resilience to climate change and other environmental disturbances. Since its inception in 2014, Shade has been integral to mSystems, a multidisciplinary open-access journal dedicated to publishing diverse systems microbiology research, from cell metabolism to ecosystem dynamics, tools and techniques to novel synthetic microbiology. She served as an editor before joining its senior editorial board in 2022.
Ira Blader, Ph.D., who is succeeding Michael Imperiale, Ph.D., is a professor at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and Head of the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology. His lab research focuses on Toxoplasma pathogenic mechanisms, including how the parasite senses and adapts to its environment and impacts the nervous system. Blader is a reviewer for mBio, IAI, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy® and Eukaryotic Cell®. He also served as an Editorial Board Member for Eukaryotic Cell from 2015-2023. Before transitioning to EiC, he served as a Senior Editor for mSphere, a pan-microbial, multidisciplinary open-access journal that publishes high-quality, high-impact work across the microbial sciences.
The incoming EiCs have collaborated with our long-standing outgoing EiCs in various capacities, gaining consistent exposure to the many positive facets of journal leadership, and are committed to enhancing the global influence of ASM Journals. Their priorities include growing their journal communities, engaging and supporting early-career scientists through mentorship programs, expanding the promotion of journal content and authors and fostering collaborations among ASM journals and meetings to advance research on critical microbial issues. Their leadership will ensure ASM Journals remains a premier platform for publishing innovative microbiology research.
ASM thanks the outgoing EiCs for their dedication and service and extends congratulations to the new EiCs. We look forward to their leadership in advancing the microbial sciences.
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°®¶¹´«Ã½ is one of the largest professional societies dedicated to the life sciences and is composed of over 37,000 scientists and health practitioners. ASM's mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences.  
ASM advances the microbial sciences through conferences, publications, certifications, educational opportunities and advocacy efforts. It enhances laboratory capacity around the globe through training and resources. It provides a network for scientists in academia, industry and clinical settings. Additionally, ASM promotes a deeper understanding of the microbial sciences to all audiences. 
