In its inaugural episode, the JCP Podcast features a foundational conversation with Dr. Marlene Freeman, Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, in which she discusses the journal's core mission to empower busy mental health professionals with cutting-edge, evidence-based research. Providing insights into academic publishing, from the peer review process to the journal's vision for psychiatric education, today’s discussion offers essential listening for those at the intersection of clinical practice and scientific discovery.

Dr. Freeman details her professional journey into women's mental health and perinatal psychiatry, and goes on to explore how the journal balances scientific rigor with clinical relevance to support shared decision-making in patient care. Navigating the complex publication landscape, the episode addresses industry-sponsored studies, the importance of diverse voices, and emerging trends like digital therapeutics, biomarkers, and the potential impact of artificial intelligence on psychiatric research.

Episode Highlights:

00:00 - JCP Podcast Mission for Busy Clinicians

00:37 - Introducing Dr. Marlene Freeman, Editor-in-Chief

02:36 - Choosing Psychiatry for Patient-Centered Impact

04:19 - JCP’s Purpose: Clinician-Ready, Evidence-Based Guidance

08:03 - Faster Access to Research: Summaries, Email TOCs, Podcasts, Specialty Sections

11:33 - Shared Decision-Making in Practice & ASCP Corner Quick Reviews

15:11 - What JCP Publishes & How Peer Review Ensures Clinical Quality

25:11 - Promoting Diversity, Inclusion, and Ethical Publication Standards

27:00 - Emerging Priorities: Novel Treatments, TRD, and Real-World Effectiveness

30:24 - Digital Therapeutics & Biomarkers Must Prove Clinical Utility

36:02 - AI in Publishing: Verify References and Read Full Papers

40:00 - Clinician-First Perspective: Practice Informs Editing & Research

42:03 - Editorial Impact and Evolving Ethical Responsibilities

45:18 - Reflections on Leadership, Legacy, and Lifelong Learning

Key Takeaways:

"I really want to emphasize that a rejection of a paper doesn't mean it isn't high quality."

"We want to be user-friendly to authors. We want to save them time. So if we're not a good fit for their paper, I'm very comfortable looking at whatever people want to send me in advance."

"We want to make sure that we're making collaborative decisions with patients, but we have to make sure that we're offering good choices."

"The work could not be done without peer reviewers."

"You get so much out of reading the full paper. The introduction section is like a mini review of that topic and gives you so much more information."

"We want to make sure that what we're putting out there is not a result of the financial investment that a company has made. We want it to be based purely on the research and what it has to add for patients."

"We want to make sure that we are providing treatments that everyone can access."

"I think that all the roles inform each other, but at the heart of it, I'm a clinician."

Links:

• Full transcript and show notes: psychiatrist.com/jcp/ep1-mission-jcp-marlene-freeman
• Journal of Clinical Psychiatry: psychiatrist.com/jcp/
• Interested in becoming a peer reviewer? psychiatrist.com/jcp/reviewers/