PHILADELPHIA, January 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

The editorial leadership of The American Journal of Pathology (AJP) passed to the direction of esteemed neuropathologist Kevin A. Roth, M.D., Ph.D. on January 1, 2013.

Dr. Roth holds the Robert and Ruth Anderson Endowed Chair in Pathology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).  Involved in experimental pathology research for nearly 30 years, he published his first paper in AJP while an M.D., Ph.D. student at Stanford University. Dr. Roth also possesses extensive editorial experience, having served as an Associate Editor for AJP since 2003 and as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry from 2006 to 2010.

The AJP is the leading global forum for reporting quality original research on cellular and molecular mechanisms of disease. With over 100 years of history, the Journal is widely read by the pathology community and garners over 30,000 citations to its articles each year (Source: 2011 Journal Citation Reports).  Notably, Dr. Roth is also currently serving as Special Editor of the AJP Centennial Project, a special review series to celebrate the centennial of the American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP), which owns AJP.

Dr. Roth has served as a Councilor for ASIP from 2010 to 2012, and is currently the ASIP Vice President. His term as ASIP President begins in 2014. Regarding his editorial appointment, Dr. Roth stated, "It is a special honor to be named the new Editor-in-Chief of The American Journal of Pathology in this centenary year. AJP, the official journal of this esteemed society [ASIP], has historically been one of the most prestigious and frequently cited journals in the field of pathology, and it is my intent to enhance further the quality and recognition of the Journal."

Dr. Roth completed his postdoctoral training at Washington University, where he rose to professor in the Division of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology and Immunology, and in the Department of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology. Dr. Roth moved to UAB in 2002 and served as Director of the Division of Neuropathology until his appointment as Chair of Pathology in 2008.

Dr. Roth, a renowned researcher on the molecular regulation of neuronal cell death, was the founding director of the UAB Comprehensive Neuroscience Center, an interdisciplinary collaboration for neuroscience research, clinical care, and education. The long-term goals of Dr. Roth's own research are to understand the role of cell death in normal nervous system development and its significance in neuropathological conditions including nervous system neoplasia.

AJP, published by Elsevier, is owned by and is the official journal of ASIP. ASIP's Executive Officer, Mark E. Sobel, M.D., Ph.D., summarized ASIP's selection of Dr. Roth by saying, "Dr. Roth is well recognized within the academic pathology community as well as the broad discipline of experimental biology, from which AJP draws its authors.  Dr. Roth has chosen ASIP Past President and fellow AJP Associate Editor Martha Furie, Ph.D., Professor in the Center for Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook University, as his Senior Associate Editor. With the appointments of Drs. Roth and Furie, the Society leadership looks forward with excitement to what this team will bring to the editorial direction of ASIP's flagship journal, AJP, ensuring a synergistic relationship between the Journal and the Society."

Jay M. McDonald, M.D., himself former UAB Chair of Pathology (1990 to 2008) and Editor-in-Chief of AJP (2003 to 2008), praised ASIP's choice: "Dr. Roth is an outstanding academic pathologist, excelling in research, service, and teaching. He will be an outstanding Editor-in-Chief for AJP."  

About The American Society for Investigative Pathology

The American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP) is a society of biomedical scientists who investigate mechanisms of disease. Investigative pathology is an integrative discipline that links the presentation of disease in the whole organism to its fundamental cellular and molecular mechanisms. It uses a variety of structural, functional, and genetic techniques and ultimately applies research findings to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. ASIP advocates for the practice of investigative pathology and fosters the professional career development and education of its members. (http://www.asip.org)

About The American Journal of Pathology

The American Journal of Pathology (http://ajp.amjpathol.org), official journal of the American Society for Investigative Pathology, seeks to publish high-quality, original papers on the cellular and molecular biology of disease. The editors accept manuscripts that advance basic and translational knowledge of the pathogenesis, classification, diagnosis, and mechanisms of disease, without preference for a specific analytic method. High priority is given to studies on human disease and relevant experimental models using cellular, molecular, animal, biological, chemical, and immunological approaches in conjunction with morphology.

The leading global forum for reporting quality original research on cellular and molecular mechanisms of disease, The American Journal of Pathology is the most highly cited journal in Pathology - over 38,000 cites in 2011 - with an Impact Factor of 4.890 according to 2011 Journal Citation Reports^® Thomson Reuters.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include ScienceDirect, Scopus, Reaxys, ClinicalKey and Mosby's Nursing Suite, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai's Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

For more information on Dr. Roth, please contact Meghan Davis, Media Specialist, University of Alabama at Birmingham. Phone: +1-205-934-3884; e-mail: meghancd@uab.edu.

For more information on The American Journal of Pathology or the American Society for Investigative Pathology, please contact Dr. Audra E. Cox, Managing Editor, The American Journal of Pathology, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda MD  20814.  Phone: +1-301-634-7409; Fax: +1-301-634-7961; Email: acox@asip.org

Media contact
David Sampson
Elsevier
+1-215-239-3171
d.sampson@elsevier.com