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CUAJ Report

Robert Siemens
CUAJ Editor-in-Chief
Kingston, ON

Thank you for the opportunity to serve
I ’d like to take advantage of this instalment of our newsletter to briefly reflect on my time over the last decade or so

assisting the editorial leadership of our journal. In these strange times, negotiating impacts of a global pandemic, it
forces one to consider the more important aspects of our personal and work lives. Beyond our family, friends, and patients
(obviously front and center), I’d consider my association with the like-minded volunteers that make up the CUA — and
subsequent accomplishments furthering the impact of our specialty in Canada — as central.
Secondary to the hard work and vision of our Associate Editors and all Editorial Board members over the years, we have
seen the journal grow in scope and importance, including:
– A substantial increase in the number of annual submissions
– Heightened quality of the type of submissions received and published, including a large number of practice-
supporting guidelines
– Publishing more urology-based meeting abstracts (NSAUA, QUA, USTRS, CUOS, and, of course CUA) to facilitate
your conference experience
– Publishing CUA-supported orphan topic supplements
– Increasing the number of peer-reviewers and making the process much quicker and more efficient
– Diversification in the means by which the journal is viewed to cater to a variety of reading habits (digital flip for
easy viewing from any device for “on-the-go” readers, electronic table of contents to over 5000 subscribers
monthly, and continued print and web-based publication)
– Inclusion of a more representative Editorial Board, with an appointed Community Section Editor, as well as several
junior members and increasing female presence
– Creation of numerous new journal sections — Residents’ Room, Community Perspectives, Research Letter, Business
of Urology, Images in Urology, Urology Techniques, Rapid Communication, and more — to ensure relevance for all
members of the urological community
– Incorporating CPD accreditation for journal articles; as of 2017, readers have had the opportunity to obtain
18 Section 3 CPD credits annually
– Converting to an ahead-of-print model, shortening the time to article availability and giving our readers more
flexibility in the way they engage with our content
– Updating our website for a streamlined, contemporary look that is very user-friendly, allows viewing of information
in English and French, and is responsive by default, meaning it is mobile-friendly
– Increasing social media presence with the introduction of the monthly Twitter-based CUA Journal Club, now with
Section 1 credit available

I would be remiss if I didn’t give a brief shout out to a few people. First, I truly would like to thank Laurie Klotz, our Editor
Emeritus, for the opportunity to carry on with his vision of a national resource that the CUAJ has become. Thank you as
well to the various volunteers who have comprised the CUA Executive Board over the past eight years for their continued
support and enthusiasm toward the journal and my leadership. Also, I am grateful to the Editorial Board members, who
have so graciously given their time and insight to ensure we always deliver the highest-quality publication. A heartfelt
thank you to all those who lend their time and expertise to the peer-review process. I truly appreciate your contribution to
the quality of work we publish. Of course, the journal could not succeed without the people in our community continuing
to do important research and sharing their outcomes and experiences with their peers through CUAJ. Thank you to our
authors. I encourage you to continue submitting your work to us; only in publishing the most timely, relevant, evidence-
based research can we continue to ensure our growth and solidify our position as an essential destination for urology-based
education. To our readers, I am grateful for your unwavering support of the journal and humbled that you consider it one
of the most valuable benefits of your CUA membership. Finally, I have had the good fortune to work with two truly talented
and dedicated Managing Editors: Josephine Sciortino and Adriana Modica. As our current lead, Adriana has worked
tirelessly on behalf of the CUAJ, and with her steady guidance and our incoming Editor-in-Chief, Mike Leveridge
(a polymath and friend), the journal is in very good hands.

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