Four UF Health researchers are among the most influential authors in their fields worldwide based on how often their work has been cited by their peers.
Dominick Angiolillo, M.D., Ph.D.; Steven DeKosky, M.D.; Julie Johnson, Pharm.D.; and John Wingard, M.D., have been designated 2018 Highly Cited Researchers by Clarivate Analytics, a global company that delivers digital impressions and information to universities, corporations and brands. They were joined by eight other UF researchers from fields including biology and geological sciences.
Clarivate Analytics analyzes the total number of times an author’s research is cited over an 11-year period. The top 1 percent of researchers who have their papers cited the most appear on the Highly Cited researchers list. To qualify for this year’s designation, the researchers have each published a large number of papers that rank in the top 1 percent most-cited works in their field between 2006 and 2016.
“Such consistent production of highly cited reports indicates that the work of these researchers has been repeatedly judged by their peers to be of notable significance and utility,” Clarivate Analytics stated in a release.
Angiolillo, a professor in the department of medicine at UF Health Jacksonville, has appeared on the Highly Cited Researchers list for the past five years. Angiolillo’s work measuring patients’ responses to antiplatelet drugs set the stage for strategies for personalized treatment for patients treated with coronary stents.
“I’m incredibly honored to be a part of this list again because research is such an important part of what I do each and every day,” said Angiolillo. “The breakthroughs we discover through research are passed along to our patients, and as caregivers, that’s our motivation. Bettering their lives is always the goal of me and my colleagues.”
Johnson, dean and distinguished professor in the UF College of Pharmacy, made the list this year in a new cross-field category, which identifies researchers with substantial influence across several fields during the past decade. This is the fourth consecutive year she has appeared on the Highly Cited Researchers list. Johnson is recognized internationally as one of the leading researchers in the field of pharmacogenomics and precision medicine.
“Being highly cited brings great satisfaction that the work we are doing is important and is impacting the field. It is a gratifying source of validation of the impact of our work,” said Johnson. “I am most passionate about the fact that my work may improve the lives of patients, as it relates to their drug therapy outcomes.”
Wingard, deputy director of the UF Health Cancer Center and director of the UF Bone Marrow Transplant Program, conducts clinical trials in blood and marrow transplant and studies novel strategies to control infectious complications in patients with hematologic malignancies and blood and marrow transplantation.
“It is a great honor to be recognized by one’s peers for the quality of your research. I have been very fortunate over the years to work with outstanding collaborators, to have great mentors through my career and to assist young investigators to encourage their creativity,” said Wingard.
DeKosky is the Aerts-Cosper professor of Alzheimer’s research at the UF College of Medicine and the deputy director of the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Florida. His research focuses on changes in the aging human brain and diagnosis and treatment of dementia, as well as the effects of traumatic brain injury.
“I was a little surprised the first time I was selected, because I know the people on this list are extraordinarily accomplished, but I’m very honored to be included. I’m happy people have cited my work and continue to build upon it,” said DeKosky.