Stewardship and Vision for Psycho‐Oncology

In December 2025, I had the tremendous privilege of succeeding Dr. Billy Rosa as Editor-in-Chief of Psycho-Oncology, the official journal of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society and the British Psycho-Oncology Society. I was deeply humbled and honored to assume this role, as Psycho-Oncology stands as the premier journal in the field. Since its launch in 1992 by Drs. Jimmie C. Holland and Maggie Watson, the journal has benefited from world-class editorial leadership and the sustained commitment of its global community, including authors, reviewers, editorial board members, clinicians, researchers, patients, and caregivers. Over the past 2 years, under Dr. Billy Rosa's leadership, Psycho-Oncology has not only maintained its top position in the field but also strengthened its scholarly infrastructure through a more streamlined peer-review process and an expanded, diverse associate editor team. I am pleased to share that, by every meaningful metric, Psycho-Oncology remains the leading academic journal in the field, disseminating rigorous, innovative scholarship and advancing scientific understanding of the psychological, social, and behavioral dimensions of cancer. My vision for the journal is one of continuity and aspiration: to preserve its foundational commitment to excellence while further enhancing its scientific rigor, inclusivity, relevance, and real-world impact—ensuring that Psycho-Oncology continues not only to reflect the field's progress, but also to shape its future. I also want to express my appreciation to the journal's stellar associate editors, Cristiane Bergerot from the CETTRO Cancer Research Hospital in Brasillia, Brazil; Wendy Lam from the University of Hong Kong, China; Kelly McConnell from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, USA; and Katie Lynch from New York University, USA. This year, we welcome four new associate editors to the journal: Qiuling An from East China Normal University, China; Christina Signorelli from the University of New South Wales, Australia; Jung-won Lim from Kangnam University, South Korea; and Megan Shen from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Beyond the associate editor team, the strength and integrity of Psycho-Oncology rest firmly on the dedication and expertise of its editorial board members (Appendix 1). Their thoughtful feedback, strategic guidance, and commitment to rigorous and fair peer review are fundamental to Psycho-Oncology's continued excellence. Intervention research across the translational continuum, including randomized controlled trials, particularly large-scale trials, as well as smaller or early-phase studies when they introduce innovative interventions, novel theoretical contributions, or address critical gaps in psychosocial oncology. We also welcome pragmatic and implementation-informed intervention research that examines feasibility, acceptability, adaptation, fidelity, equity, scalability, and sustainability in real-world oncology settings, particularly those that address barriers faced by patients and clinicians outside large academic cancer centers. This includes research evaluating telehealth, digital, and hybrid care delivery models, which have demonstrated effectiveness in expanding access to high-quality psychosocial care and reducing geographic and structural disparities. Longitudinal studies, particularly population-based or cohort studies, that move beyond descriptive trajectories to examine risk and protective factors, mechanisms, and pathways shaping psychosocial and behavioral outcomes across the cancer continuum. We especially welcome theory-driven, mechanism-focused longitudinal studies that strengthen causal inference, advance conceptual models in psychosocial oncology, inform intervention development, and yield clear implications for clinical practice and policy. Thought-provoking systematic reviews and meta-analyses that synthesize evidence in ways that yield substantial clinical relevance, policy implications, or real-world impact and that help clinicians and patients in their decision making. Theoretically grounded and methodologically rigorous qualitative studies that provide critical insight into lived experience, context, and meaning-making among individuals impacted by cancer—contributions that remain essential to advancing both the science and practice of psycho-oncology. Importantly, these areas reflect particular priorities rather than boundaries. Psycho-Oncology remains firmly committed to publishing diverse forms of high-quality scholarship across methodologies and disciplines, and we continue to value innovative research that advances the field in new, meaningful, and exciting ways. Across all submissions, Psycho-Oncology is committed to advancing science that critically attends to the needs of underrepresented and historically marginalized populations and that contributes to meaningful solutions for achieving health equity. We particularly value scholarship that moves beyond documenting disparities to interrogate underlying structural, social, and contextual drivers and to inform interventions, policies, and practices that promote equitable psychosocial cancer care for all. Artificial intelligence (AI) holds significant promise for advancing the science and practice of psychosocial oncology, but realizing this potential requires more than simply adopting technologies developed for other domains. Psycho-Oncology encourages scholarship that meaningfully engages collaborators and stakeholders in transdisciplinary collaboration to rethink how AI is conceptualized, developed, delivered, and implemented across the cancer care continuum. We are particularly interested in work that leverages AI to enhance, not replace, human-centered psychosocial care; to inform the design and evaluation of interventions and service models; and to support equitable, ethical, and contextually grounded policy and practice innovations. Through such intentional engagement, AI can become a catalyst for new forms of knowledge, care delivery, and system-level change that promote the well-being of individuals and families affected by cancer. As Psycho-Oncology enters its next chapter, its strength lies not only in the rigor of the science it publishes, but in the community it convenes and the values it upholds. The journal will continue to serve as a trusted home for scholarship that is methodologically sound, theoretically grounded, ethically attentive, and deeply connected to the lived experiences of people affected by cancer. Guided by collaboration, curiosity, and a shared commitment to improving psychosocial care, Psycho-Oncology is excellently positioned to both reflect on and shape the evolving field of psychosocial oncology—advancing knowledge that matters, informing practice, and ultimately contributing to the well-being of patients and caregivers worldwide. The author has nothing to report. The author has nothing to report. Tatsuo Akechi, Japan Barbara Andersen, USA Chioma Asuzu, Nigeria Lisa Beatty, Australia Phyllis Butow, Australia Suzanne Chambers, Australia Harvey Chochinov, Canada Jayita Deodhar, India Kristine Donovan, USA Saskia Duijts, The Netherlands Jeff Dunn, Australia Jennifer Ford, USA Michelle Fortier, USA Claire Foster, UK Daisuke Fujisawa, Japan Yori Gidron, Israel Gil Goldzweig, Israel Luigi Grassi, Italy Joseph Greer, USA Su Ching Guo, Taiwan Yi He, China Melissa Henry, Canada Nicholas Hulbert-Williams, UK Paul Jacobsen, USA Yu Jiang, China Christoffer Johansen, Denmark Charles Kamen, USA Youngmee Kim, USA Alex King, UK Bogda Koczwara, Australia Mark Lazenby, USA Anja Mehnert, Germany Thomas Merluzzi, USA Phillip Odiyo, Kenya Errol Philip, USA Gwendolyn Quinn, USA Gary Rodin, Canada Billy Rosa, USA Tammy Schuler, USA Kelly Shaffer, USA Eun-Jung Shim, Korea Lara Traeger, USA Leah Walsh, USA Maggie Watson, UK/Australia Zhan Yu, China Miriam Yusufov, USA