Drs. Connor Brenna and Akash Goel appointed as Editorial Fellows with the British Journal of Anaesthesia
Pain Medicine, Research
Drs. Connor Brenna (left) and Akash Goel (right)
Drs. Connor Brenna and Akash Goel have been accepted into the British Journal of Anaesthesia (BJA) Editorial Fellowship Program, a highly competitive international initiative supporting early-career researchers.
The Editorial Fellowship is a flagship program of the BJA, the top-ranked and most-cited journal in its field. It helps fellows understand the peer-review process and develop skills in publishing, knowledge translation and research dissemination. Over 18 months, fellows receive mentorship from BJA editors and gain hands-on experience reviewing and editing manuscripts, contributing to editorial strategy, writing invited editorials, participating in workshops and online events, and training in social media, visual abstracts and multimedia communication.
Dr. Connor Brenna
Dr. Connor Brenna, a resident in the Anesthesia Program, is completing his PhD through the Clinician Investigator Program in the Orser Lab. His research focuses on the sustained neuropsychiatric effects of anesthetic drugs and perioperative neurocognitive disorders, and he recently co-authored a scoping review in BJA examining the impact of ketamine on postoperative cognitive outcomes.
“When I applied, I was thinking about the adage ‘if you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room,’” Dr. Brenna said. “Looking at the BJA’s editorial staff and the cohort of editorial fellows that I am very grateful to be joining, I think this fellowship certainly puts me in the right room.”
Dr. Brenna said he hopes to gain a better understanding of the peer-review and editorial process, which he sees as essential for his growth as a researcher. “A big part of the BJA fellowship role will be developing new skillsets in triaging and peer-reviewing scientific articles,” he said. “These processes will be very important to me as an author. I expect that experience in peer-reviewing will help me to sharpen my own writing and hopefully also to have more humility in my own work.”
He also hopes the fellowship will deepen his engagement with the academic community and improve his abilities as a reviewer and scientist.
Dr. Akash Goel
Dr. Akash Goel, an assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine and an interventional pain medicine specialist at St. Michael’s Hospital, is an emerging early-career investigator leading innovative research in chronic pain. He is currently leading a CIHR-funded multi-center pilot trial evaluating MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for severe chronic neuropathic pain.
“For me, this is about building connections beyond Toronto and understanding what the editorial process actually looks like,” Dr. Goel said. “Understanding what makes a good study, what the pitfalls are, and what kinds of questions journals like the BJA are interested in can really strengthen how we design and frame our research.”
Dr. Goel also sees the fellowship’s emphasis on knowledge translation as particularly valuable. “Understanding how journals communicate new science and being part of that is incredibly important, not just for me, but for supporting researchers at our institution as well,” he said.
The BJA Editorial Fellowship will provide Drs. Brenna and Goel the invaluable opportunity to learn from international leaders, contribute to the peer-review process and connect with a global network of researchers. With many past fellows now serving on the BJA and BJA Open editorial boards, the program offers valuable collaboration opportunities and positions our department to continue making meaningful contributions to the field.
