We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Fabrizio Bert has been appointed Section Editor-in-Chief of the Section “Digital Health” in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH, ISSN 1660-4601, IF 4.614). 

Prof. Dr. Fabrizio Bert is an associate professor of public health at the Department of Public Health and Pediatrics Sciences at the University of Turin, Italy. He graduated in Medicine and Surgery and then specialized in Public Health at the University of Turin. He is involved in many international and national projects, research initiatives, and networks. His main research focuses are on digital health, mental health, vaccinology, and healthcare organization.

He has published more than 120 scientific original articles and reviews. His teaching activity includes courses on epidemiology, hygiene, health promotion, and public health for the School of Medicine in Turin, where he is the vice president of the Degree in Medicine and Surgery. He is a member of the International Scientific Committee of the main international conferences in the public health field. 

The following is a short Q&A with Prof. Dr. Fabrizio Bert, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views of the research area and open access publishing:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take the role as its Editor-in-Chief?

In recent years, the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health has proved to be an open space for the scientific community involved in many topics related to public health. The efficient peer-reviewing and editorial process offers a fast and favorable publication path and allows many researchers to be continuously updated. The digital health field is innovative, characterized by a forward-looking approach and it is naturally subject to constant novelties. Considering the good experience as Guest Editor of a Special Issue and the potential of the digital health topic, I decided to give my personal contribution to the journal’s aims as Editor-in-Chief of this specific Section.

2. What is your vision for the journal?

In my vision, the journal will benefit from high-quality research papers and reviews with a growing excellent standard of peer review and the publication process. It will be a home for several top researchers and scientists and a platform for the dissemination of their findings. The “Digital Health” Section with its Special Issues will give a strong contribution to the scientific community’s knowledge. 

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?

Digital health is a very promising research field. The combination of informatic science, ICT, and medicine is the present and the future of health services provision. The investigation of these phenomena is important for the current society’s goals. We will surely approach them further with new innovations, technological developments, and opportunities through digital solutions for health professionals. It is an exciting field of research in constant evolution, and it will be great to be part of it.

4. What do you think of the development of open access in the publishing field?

The open access format is important to make research findings available to the whole community. It is a big step forward in the path leading to greater transparency and accountability of scientists' work. In the future, I sincerely hope for equal opportunities for all researchers to disseminate their research findings, and the same possibilities should be guaranteed to all of them. For this reason, some improvements to overcome the issue of open access costs for those researchers with funding issues can still be achieved. 

We wish Prof. Dr. Fabrizio Bert every success in his new position, and we look forward to his contributions to the journal.