Brian Mitzman, MD, MSCI, Named Inaugural Executive Editor for World's Leading Cardiothoracic Surgery Journal

Brian Mitzman, MD, MSCI, has been named the inaugural Executive Editor for General Thoracic Surgery for The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, the world's leading cardiothoracic surgery journal. Dr. Mitzman is an associate professor in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Utah, Medical Director of Robotic Surgery at University of Utah Health, and a Huntsman Cancer Institute Investigator.

The newly created role places Dr. Mitzman in a key leadership position for one of the most influential publications in the specialty. As Executive Editor, he will oversee all general thoracic surgery submissions, help shape editorial strategy, and guide the research that reaches surgeons around the world.

"This is the biggest academic honor of my career so far," Dr. Mitzman said. "It's a privilege to help determine which research has the potential to change how we care for patients."

The appointment comes at a time when The Annals of Thoracic Surgery has reached new heights. The official journal of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is now ranked the No. 1 cardiothoracic surgery journal in the world by both citations and impact factor. In 2025 alone, its articles were cited more than 34,000 times by researchers worldwide. Although it is a subspecialty journal, it is also ranked No. 13 among all surgery journals, out of 597 ranked publications, according to Scopus CiteScore. Each year, the journal receives approximately 3,000 manuscript submissions, yet only about 8% are accepted for publication.

Dr. Mitzman's appointment follows years of volunteer service with the journal. After beginning as a manuscript reviewer early in his career, he joined the editorial board in 2020 and was promoted to Senior Editor in 2022, an achievement that came much earlier in his career than is typical. Over the past four years alone, he has personally evaluated approximately 750 scientific manuscripts, helping determine which studies were ready for publication while providing detailed feedback to authors and peer reviewers.

Now, less than a decade into practice, Dr. Mitzman has been selected as the first physician to serve in this new executive role for general thoracic surgery. Rather than managing only manuscripts assigned to him, he will now oversee the entire general thoracic editorial process, making the initial decisions on submissions and helping guide the journal's long-term direction.

For patients, the appointment is about more than academic recognition.

"Our patients benefit because we're not just following advances in the field. We're helping shape them," Dr. Mitzman said. "I have the opportunity to see emerging research before it's published and help ensure the strongest science reaches physicians who are making decisions about patient care."

The appointment also reflects the growing national and international recognition of the expertise at University of Utah Health and Huntsman Cancer Institute.

"We're not simply applying what others discover," Dr. Mitzman said. "We're helping determine where the specialty goes and how patient care continues to improve."

In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Mitzman serves as co-physician lead for thoracic clinical trials at Huntsman Cancer Institute and is completing an Executive MBA at the University of Utah, bringing additional leadership and operational experience to the journal as it continues to grow.

For Dr. Mitzman, the new role represents years of dedication behind the scenes, reading, evaluating, and improving scientific research with one goal in mind: "Every paper we publish should help physicians provide better care for their patients," he said.