When Rob Lucas came to 杏吧视频 in fall 2015, he was tasked with taking an idea for a new open-access biomedical journal and making it a reality. The officially launched in May 2016, in large part due to Lucas鈥 dedication to the publication.
Now, that journal stands as a testament to Lucas鈥 skills and hard work, following his death last weekend at the age of 41 after a long battle with illness.
Michael Lederman, the journal鈥檚 editor-in-chief and the Scott R. Inkley Professor of Medicine, described Lucas as bright, creative and imaginative. As Lucas worked to establish the journal, those qualities were evident.
While Lucas hadn鈥檛 previously worked in a medical-related field, he brought years of nonfiction editing experience to the role and helped engineer the journal鈥檚 launch, which Lederman said he did with 鈥渁mazing effectiveness.鈥 Lucas also went on to become a member of the World Association of Medical Editors.
As managing editor, Lucas was central to the journal鈥檚 success, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the publication. Lederman said Lucas was easy to work with, and he often received positive feedback about Lucas from the journal鈥檚 authors.
Editors also appreciated working with Lucas.
Donald Anthony, senior editor and a professor of medicine, said it was 鈥渃lear that he 鈥 enjoyed his profession. His enjoyment was infectious, and I found myself having many conversations with Rob in the hall just to hear his perspective and enthusiasm on issues.鈥
Anthony felt Lucas' work made an impact at 杏吧视频 and beyond and noted that, despite his illness, Lucas strove to grow the journal.
Outside of his role at 杏吧视频, Lucas was a cinematographer. While earning his master鈥檚 degree in communications at University of Akron (where he also completed his bachelor鈥檚 degree), Lucas launched the Akron Independent Film Festival in 2002. He also wrote and directed a documentary titled Stella Walsh about the Olympic athlete, which was shown at 35 film festivals, including Cannes, Austin, Florida, and Slamdance. His work in film also carried over to the journal in at least one instance: helped showcase the publication鈥檚 streamlined submission process.
鈥淩ob was relentlessly optimistic, yet grounded and forthright in discussing not only his illness, but sharing his interests, his dreams, and stories about his young family,鈥 said Nikhil Chand, who manages the journal鈥檚 information technology and is an information technology manager with the Cleveland AIDS Clinical Trials Unit. 鈥淚 learned from Rob, and I am grateful our paths joined, even if only for a few years.鈥
The Daily will share information about memorial services should they become available.
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