As Editor-in-Chief (EIC) of the Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease (JLGTD), I wish to announce several changes designed to strengthen the journal and hopefully enhance readership interest.

The January 2022 issue of the JLGTD will feature a special section devoted to the female lower genital tract microbiome. This section will provide an in-depth review of the microbiome in 5 publications. We are honored that Dr Jack Sobel, a distinguished clinical authority in lower genital tract microbiology, has agreed to provide additional clinical perspectives on the 5 reports. The project is supported by the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease, a JLGTD affiliate.

We are grateful for the wide subscriber participation in our 2021 Readership Survey. Based on review of survey data, several journal modifications are planned. These include enhanced acceptance of credit-worthy case reports, increased subject diversity of articles, and the further development of special issues on topics of importance to the field.

In January 2022, the JLGTD will initiate a new double-blind peer review process. This peer review modification is intended to reduce chance of peer-review bias based on recognized authors and/or institutions in manuscripts.1 The instructions to authors (https://edmgr.ovid.com/jlgtd/accounts/ifauth.htm) will provide a detailed explanation of the double-blind peer review process.

Finally, I wish to announce my decision to step down from my journal leadership role after a 5-year term as EIC. This has been a fun and creative experience but feel that it is important to bring in new ideas from EIC leadership for JLGTD enhancement. Dr Jacob Bornstein, a friend and colleague, has accepted the position of Journal EIC. Dr Bornstein's exemplary credentials make him an excellent choice for editorial leadership. My thanks to the JLGTD Associate Editors, Members of the Editorial Board, peer reviewers, as well as American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology and Wolters Kluwer staff for their dedication to assuring the quality of articles published and their efforts to meet publication deadlines.

David C. Foster

EIC, JLGTD

1. Tomkins A, Zhang M, Heavlin WD. Reviewer bias in single- versus double-blind peer review. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017;114:12708–13.