Betty P. Tsao, PhD, Becomes Chair of Journal Publications Committee

Betty P. Tsao, PhD, professor of medicine and SmartState/Richard M. Silver Endowed Chair in Inflammation Research, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, brings an abundance of publication experience to her new post as chair of the ACR’s Journal Publications Committee.

Dr. Tsao

As chair, she will oversee the workings of three key journals: Arthritis & Rheumatology, Arthritis Care & Research and the online, open-access journal, ACR Open Rheumatology. Having authored 160 peer-reviewed journal articles as well as more than 40 book chapters and reviews, Dr. Tsao has several ideas about ways to improve the publication submission and review process.

“I hope to make the [publication] process faster, more transparent and user friendly, and to emphasize accessibility and inclusivity,” Dr. Tsao says. She aims to shorten the time between when an article has been accepted by the journal and when it becomes available online. In addition, Dr. Tsao envisions coupling PDF files of graphic abstracts that can be downloaded with the article rather than as separate attachments. She hopes  such improvements will entice more investigators to submit to the journals and, at the same time, improve authors’ relationships with the ACR’s journals.

In tandem with these goals, she adds, “we want to increase the visibility” of publications. For example, the journals can use more social media to reach a broader readership and “help spread the word,” she says. “We don’t just want the authors to know these findings are there.”

Editorial boards and researchers have a responsibility, she believes, to include all stakeholders, such as patient advocacy groups, in disseminating research advances. “We need to make this process more accessible and more inclusive so that we can all make greater strides,” she notes. In the spirit of inclusivity, she encourages authors to contact her directly via email if they wish to discuss their ideas.

The Intrigue of Immunology

Dr. Tsao was “always attracted to biology,” she says. She began her studies at the National Taiwan University in Taipei, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree. She furthered her education with a Master of Science  at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale,  then moved to the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania for her PhD. Immunology was a fast-evolving field at that time, she recalls, and it was intriguing to her: “The autoimmune diseases are really an enigma. They’re multifaceted, and there is so much organ system involvement, which changes patients’ quality of life.”

During her productive career, Dr. Tsao’s insights have contributed to our understanding of the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). She spent 30 years at the University of California Los Angeles and has retained professor emerita status there. Since 2015, she’s been at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), where her laboratory, with funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Lupus Research Alliance, is focused on the genetics and epigenetics of SLE.

In collaboration with MUSC colleagues Diane Leigh Kamen, MD, MSCR, professor of medicine, and James C. Oates, MD, director of the division of rheumatology, Dr. Tsao has been contributing to efforts to identify SLE biomarkers which will hopefully generate more targeted therapies.

“I’m trying to be more practical,” she says, “in order to shorten the timeframe to help patients.” She recalls two moments during her time at UCLA when she was devastated to learn of the early deaths of young women with lupus. In the face of this complex and devastating disease which cuts short young lives, she states, “We just have to work harder.”

Dr. Tsao’s work toward solving the enigma of lupus has extended beyond her research as well. A founding member of the International SLE Genetic Consortium, she believes she has benefitted from her time with organizations and with those who have put in time to volunteer. “Now, as ACR Journals Publication Committee chair, it’s my time to contribute,” she says.

Gretchen Henkel is a health and medical journalist based in California.