We are delighted to tell you that the Impact Factor for the Journal of Tissue Viability has just been announced at 3.374, increased from the 2021 figure of 2.932. It is now ranked 13 out of 125 in the nursing category rankings (previously 15). This is a testament to the incredibly hard work from the previous editorial team led by Professor Dan Bader and an excellent platform for our new Editor in Chief, Professor Declan Patton as he takes over his new role.

Declan’s bio reads very impressively. He is currently Director of Nursing and Midwifery Research and Deputy Director of the Skin Wounds and Trauma (SWaT) Research Centre at the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. He is responsible for:

• Developing programmes of patient outcomes focused research
• Supervising research degree students to successful completion of their PhD and MSc research projects
• Driving outputs into high ranking peer reviewed health journals
• Establishing the RCSI SWaT Research Centre as a key international opinion leader in wound care education and research.

His own research interests have a strong focus on patient outcomes, patient safety and innovation in the areas of pressure ulcers, venous leg ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, and medical device research.

Declan has been appointed by the Irish Minister for Health as Deputy Chair of the first National Research Ethics Committee for Medical Device Research. He has also been appointed to the Royal Irish Academy Life and Medical Sciences Multidisciplinary Committee for 2022-2026.

He has over 100 peer reviewed publications and a career research funding total of over 4.7 million euro. He holds adjunct and honorary positions at the Department of Nursing, Fakeeh College for Medical Sciences, Jeddah, KSA; the Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health at the University of Wollongong in Australia and at Griffith University, Australia.

The Society is over the moon to have Declan on board who said:

I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to continue to drive upwards the impact that the Journal of Tissue Viability has on everyday practice, research and education. I would like to thank Prof. Dan Bader for his unwavering dedication to the Journal over the past decade. Prof. Bader has made the journal what it is today and it is now my job to continue and build upon the huge contribution he has made. I look forward to working closely with the Society of Tissue Viability as well as members of the editorial board and those who are interested in publishing in the journal.