This interview is part of the OrthoBuzz “Inside JBJS” series, where we take readers behind the scenes to meet members of the JBJS community. In this post, Chief Executive Officer Jason Miller reflects on his path to leadership, the mission-focused culture at JBJS, and what inspires him in his work. This Q&A was lightly edited for style and clarity.
You first joined JBJS in 2015, as Executive Publisher. What initially attracted you to working with JBJS? What qualities or attributes of the organization continue to be important to you?
Prior to joining JBJS, I spent 10 years leading the orthopaedics portfolio at Elsevier, so working with, or for, JBJS had, for nearly a decade, been something of a “white whale” for me. I knew a great deal about The Journal, and had observed the organization change significantly over the prior 5 to 6 years. I also led the proposal team at Elsevier after JBJS issued the RFP (request for proposal) to commercial publishers in early 2015. When Wolters Kluwer was chosen as the publishing partner for JBJS, I contacted my predecessor, Paul Sandford, to offer my assistance with the impending transition from self-publishing to a commercial relationship. As luck would have it, I was asked to join JBJS and lead the transition team. So as it turns out, no one was more fortunate than I that Elsevier had not been selected. The fact that JBJS continues to be seen as the Gold Standard by the global community—the journal authors strive to publish in, that all trainees know to follow, that every orthopaedist with any level of academic interest wants to review for, and that commercial partners trust to promote their products impartially—is incredibly important to everyone involved with the organization.
You’ve served as Chief Operating Officer and, in 2024, became Chief Executive Officer (CEO). For those unfamiliar, what are the main responsibilities of the CEO at JBJS? What do you see as the most critical aspects of your job?
My primary responsibility is leading the organization’s overall strategy and operations while ensuring that we, as a team, remain driven by the mission. At a practical level, I focus on our alignment across people, products, and business priorities. That means working closely with the Board of Trustees and the Executive Team, including our Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Mo Bhandari, and our Chief Operating Officer, Betsy Bellar, on strategic and operational planning, while making certain that everything we do is worthy of the brand. From a day-to-day perspective, it is important to “know how we’re doing,” and that requires regular conversations with the team leaders.
How has JBJS grown or changed in recent years? In your opinion, what are some of the most exciting initiatives?
How haven’t we grown? I don’t think Drs. Rogers, Winnett, Brackett et al., early Editors-in-Chief, could have conceived how the organization has evolved, from a flagship journal to a broad, multi-platform organization with 6 journals, educational programs, and a large multimedia footprint. If I had to choose, one of the most exciting changes was the 2025 relaunch of The Journal, because it combined a refreshed presentation with new article types and themed issues that make the content feel more timely and useful to the global community. That change process was also extremely important because it involved every team and nearly every individual within the organization. I think change is most impactful when it happens with both the buy-in and the participation of those directly affected.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in publishing right now?
Interestingly and perhaps obviously, I think the advent and impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) answers both parts of the question. The traditional models for authors, editors, reviewers, societies, libraries, and publishers have been altered irrevocably by the widespread impacts of large language models (LLMs) and access to those platforms, which put the world’s ever-expanding corpus of information and data literally at your fingertips. A great working example is the AI use policy JBJS has been developing for our authors, editors, and reviewers. Every time we are close to an approved output, multiple elements require updating due to changes brought about by some new function or feature available from one or more of the AI platforms.
What inspires you in your work?
Knowing that what we do matters.
What’s the best (or worst) piece of advice you’ve received in your career?
I was told early in my career that the only way to get promoted was to “get a job elsewhere.” You can imagine how demoralizing that was.
Outside of work, what are your interests and hobbies?
I am an avid tennis, and a reluctant pickleball, player. I also enjoy golf but find that the game infrequently returns the love. My wife and I are also perfect travel companions, as she enjoys planning and executing new experiences, and I am more than happy to follow instructions. We have two dogs and try our best to get them into the woods near our home most days.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I don’t often enough have the forum to say what an honor and privilege it is to be part of the JBJS team. The oftentimes remote, post-COVID work environment allows for increased work-life balance, but it doesn’t offer the day-to-day interactions that we used to experience. It is important to acknowledge how lucky we are to work for an organization that is mission driven and focused on the well-being of our entire community.
Thank you, Jason!