Ralph D. Feigin was a phenomenal clinician, teacher, and writer. His prolific work as editor of Feigin and Cherry’s Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, and author of numerous publications helped to advance pediatric infectious diseases. In his memory the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (JPIDS), the official journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, has created an apprenticeship program aimed at fostering talented early career pediatric infectious diseases physicians who have an interest in contributing to publications that help to inform the field.
The award recipient will be announced during the PIDS Annual Membership Meeting held in conjunction with IDWeek 2024 with the term running from October 2024 through October 2025.
The deadline for receipt of nomination materials for 2024 has closed. If there are any questions, please contact the PIDS Headquarters office via email (pids@idsociety.org).
JPIDS publishes articles furthering research and practice in perinatal, childhood, and adolescent infectious diseases. The journal is a high-quality source of original research articles, clinical trial reports, guidelines, and topical reviews ranging from bench to bedside, with particular attention to the interests and needs of the pediatric infectious diseases community.
*This award program is made possible from the generous support of the Department of Pediatrics at the Baylor College of Medicine.
To Apply, visit: JPIDS Feigin Apprenticeship Application
“The Feigin Apprenticeship has been an incredibly rewarding experience, providing me with practical, firsthand experience as an associate editor and deepening my understanding of the process and intricacies of managing a wide variety of manuscripts. Collaborating and working closely with other editors, who are leaders within our field and each with unique insight and professional experiences, has been especially valuable. I also valued the discussions around how the journal and its editors strategize to elevate JPIDS as a premier journal in our specialty and field. This apprenticeship has been a tremendous learning experience that has enriched my own academic and scientific work and I wholeheartedly recommend it to other early-career physicians. I extend my sincere gratitude to the JPIDS editors, JPIDS, and PIDS for this invaluable opportunity and for a fulfilling experience as the Feigin apprentice.”
“My tenure as the Feigin Apprentice to the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society has been incredibly rewarding. I’ve been privileged to have a seat at the table and witness first hand the thoughtful approach the editorial team takes, shepherding high quality manuscripts toward publication. My understanding of the editorial process and appreciation for how thorough and how important that work is has enriched my own clinical and academic endeavors. I am deeply appreciative of this opportunity and highly encourage other interested early career clinicians to apply for this program.”
“The Feigin Apprenticeship program at the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society has been such a great experience for me. I have been able to work as an Associate Editor, getting a hands-on education about the complexities of the peer review and publishing process. Working with the established editorial team has allowed me to gain insight into what makes a strong and impactful research manuscript. Hearing how the other Associate Editors approach each article has helped me in my own research and scientific writing. In addition to my experiences with the editorial process, I have also been able to help identify new content areas for JPIDS. The Feigin Apprenticeship has been an incredible experience for me, and I would like to thank PIDS and JPIDS for this great opportunity.”
“I am so grateful to have been chosen as the 2020 Ralph D. Feigin Apprentice. Not only did I learn about the intricacies of academic publishing, but I was also introduced to some of the most prolific and forward-thinking minds in our field and had the opportunity to view scientific literature through their lenses. Acting as the associate editor for submitted articles helped me to better articulate what makes for a truly excellent piece of scientific writing, and preparing to discuss my and others’ articles in our weekly meetings pushed me to stay abreast of the current literature in many different subject areas. 2020 and 2021 were particularly exciting and demanding years for academic publishing; the need to balance rapid turn-around with reliable science in the setting of the burgeoning pandemic was a challenge that pushed our editorial group to constantly review our priorities. I am honored to have been given a seat at the table for these discussions, and was thrilled to participate in group editorials where we worked to communicate these goals with the broader scientific audience. This apprenticeship has been an incredible experience that has shaped me as an early-career writer, scientist, and physician. Thank you to Baylor, PIDS and JPIDS leadership, and the Society as a whole for providing me the opportunity to work in this capacity.”
“The JPIDS Feigin apprenticeship program has far exceeded my expectations and to date has been an excellent and hugely rewarding experience. I applied for the apprenticeship because I wanted to learn more about the editorial process, and by being actively involved in reviewing and discussing papers I have received excellent insight into how papers are dissected, prioritized, and considered. The editorial board is comprised of very experienced and knowledgeable faculty, and listening to them debate various features of a study is illuminating – and everyone manages to argue with each other with graciousness and respect, which is an aspect I truly appreciate. I was also able to author several papers for JPIDS, including ACIP updates and an invited review which was co-authored with an editorial board member (Gregory Storch). Finally, what I think I will treasure most about this experience is the ability now to be on a first-name basis with all the editorial board members. I have found the whole experience to be extremely gratifying, and thank Baylor, supporters of the program, and PIDS leadership for creating this excellent opportunity for junior faculty.”
“My experience thus far as the Ralph D. Feigin Apprentice of the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (JPIDS) has been greatly rewarding. Acting as an apprentice member of the JPIDS Editorial Board has given me a hands-on education that has transformed my understanding of the peer review process. The discernment on display as my colleagues evaluate potential articles has sharpened me as both an investigator and a writer. I count it a great privilege to be able to interact with and learn from such outstanding leaders in our field on a weekly basis.”
“As the Feigin Apprentice, I have learned an immeasurable amount about the inner workings of a scientific publication. One of my first experiences as the apprentice came in San Diego at IDWeek 2012. As I observed my first Editorial Board meeting, I was able to meet some of the leaders of the our field, gain an understanding of the challenges faced by publications, and ultimately benefit from the successful practices of JPIDS. Throughout the year, I have learned how to examine manuscripts more critically, and I recently began to contribute my own reviews with the guidance of the editors. With my particular interest in vaccines, I was given the opportunity to write an ACIP summary with the astute mentorship of Drs. Zaoutis, Englund, and Kimberlin. I have become a better editor, as well as a better scientific writer. I am thankful for all of the opportunities that I have been given as a Feigin Apprentice.”
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