Ever since I was a trainee, and now as a practicing cardiologist, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) has played an important role in my professional life. JACC has always been my go-to journal for the latest research in cardiology. Now this includes the entire family of JACC Journals.

From clinical trials to real-world data, every issue of the journals provides relevant research and clinical pearls that help guide how we approach patient care or see where research is heading.

Two pieces of recent news made me pause to reflect on the value of the JACC Journals to ACC members. One is the current impact factor rankings and the other is the announcement of new additions to the family of journals: JACC: Asia and JACC: Advances.

JACC achieved its highest impact factor yet, an amazing 24.09, in the 2020 Journal Citation Report. The four longest-publishing JACC Journals – JACC, JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging and JACC: Heart Failure – are all within the top 11 among all 142 English-language cardiovascular journals worldwide. And each with an impact factor above 11 for the first time.

The addition of JACC: Asia and JACC: Advances reflect the continuing evolution of the journals to serve members at all levels, across all subspecialties and across the globe. JACC: Asia has published its first issue, opening a door for all of us to learn from our colleagues throughout Asia. JACC: Advances launches in 2022 and will focus on emerging subspecialties including congenital heart disease/pediatrics, critical care cardiology, geriatrics and cerebrovascular disease.

The JACC Journals have evolved with changing times and the social-digital landscape. The growth of the journal family, paralleling the growth of the subspecialities in cardiology, began during the tenure of Anthony N. DeMaria, MD, MACC, who served as editor-in-chief from 2002 to 2014. He guided the development of JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions and JACC: Heart Failure, capturing the expanding scope of exciting research in these fields. All while upholding the highest level of quality and standards that is synonymous with JACC.

I still recall the passing of the editor-in-chief baton to Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC. Fuster and his team have continued this transformational growth of the Journals with changes clearly ahead of their time. Two outstanding tools created under his leadership are the central illustration and the audio summaries.

The concept of the central illustration was prescient given the rise in social media, allowing the core findings to be consumed and shared easily, but without compromising the integrity of scientific details. Such infographics have now become the norm and from fellows in training (FITs) to busy clinicians they are a reliable resource for being current and talking with colleagues and patients. The audio summaries parallel the popularity of podcasts and provide another convenient opportunity to learn whenever we have small amounts of time available.

Along with the two newest additions, JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology, JACC: Basic to Translational Science, JACC: CardioOncology and JACC: Case Reports were added during Fuster's tenure. Each of these journals achieved an impressive inaugural impact factor overall and among their specialty areas. The entire JACC family of journals rank among the top 28 peer-reviewed cardiovascular journals worldwide.

As a clinician-researcher, I am thrilled to have the ability to submit research for the more relevant subspecialized audiences and to learn across the breadth of subspecialities. The mission for JACC is to be "aligned with the ACC's mission to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health, the JACC Journals continuously strive to provide the best resources for cardiovascular investigators, clinicians and specialists at every professional stage."

It's easy to see this mission is being achieved. The journals provide clinicians, researchers and educators around the world the science and clinical insights they need to treat their patients and move science forward. It's an unbeatable value, at our fingertips, all of it available at JACC.org.

I am grateful for the tireless work of all the editorial teams, the dedication of the peer-reviewers and the innovative spark of the contributors. Together, they make it all happen and take us along this journey to fulfill our own professional growth and joy of learning.

This article was authored by Jamal S. Rana, MD, PhD, FACC, assistant physician-in-chief and chief of cardiology at East Bay Medical Specialties and Interventional Services, in Oakland. He is the president of the ACC California Chapter.