With this issue, Footwear Science begins its 16th year of publication. As your Editor-in-Chief since the journal’s inception I have been witness to, and humbled by, the diligence and hard work of so many members of our community. Recently, this collective effort culminated in Footwear Science being awarded an Impact Factor of 3.0. We are also experiencing record numbers of downloads of articles as a further indication of our growing influence.
I’m pleased to announce that beginning with this issue, Dr John William “Bill” Wannop will join me as Editor-in-Chief. Dr. Wannop stands out among our cadre of contributors and supporters as a prime driver of this success. For more than ten years he has contributed to the journal’s development and increasing influence.
Besides being a frequent reviewer and contributor since the earliest days of Footwear Science. He has served as an associate editor beginning in 2019, and more recently took on added responsibilities as our Deputy Editor-in-Chief during the crucial and challenging recent years of the journal. He has also been a guest editor of the Fourteenth Footwear Biomechanics Symposium proceedings in 2019 and two special issues as well as being the brains behind two key special collections that have gone a long way to extending the journal’s reach beyond the footwear biomechanics realm. I would be remiss not to also mention his largely unattributed behind-the-scenes contributions to the last three FBS Proceedings and his steady effort as leader of the journal’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) efforts.
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Wannop as our co-Editor-in-Chief and congratulating him on his appointment by Taylor & Francis. We are so fortunate that he is willing to take on this elevated level of commitment as we strive to further the success of our journal in 2024 and beyond.