Kuan-Teh Jeang was one of BioMed Central’s first academic Editors-in-Chief, launching Retrovirology on our platform in 2004. From the very beginning, his level of enthusiasm and energy was extraordinary, and the results he achieved in developing Retrovirology showed he was just as much of a dynamo as an Editor as he was in the laboratory.
Teh was a friend and close colleague to many at BioMed Central, past and present. His passing at such a young age caused shock and great sadness. He was simultaneously one of our most solid friends and supporters, while also being a tireless force driving change and improvement, reminding us not to sit on our laurels, and always ready with forthright but constructive criticism when he thought we needed to do better.
Teh took a “24x7” approach, and he encouraged those he worked with at BioMed Central to do the same. In return, he was generous with praise and each Christmas he would recognize the BioMed Central team which supported Retrovirology with thanks and gifts. Teh’s determination to make Retrovirology the leading journal in its field was striking, and his journal’s continuing progress up the impact factor rankings gave him huge satisfaction and pride, culminating in June 2012 when Retrovirology overtook Journal of Virology.
Teh recognized that, for open access to the results of scientific research to become a reality, a viable business model was crucial, and so he was always supportive of BioMed Central’s growth as a publisher. Introductions made by Teh helped BioMed Central to build its journal portfolio, especially in Asia, with Journal of Biomedical Science and Cell and Bioscience.
The success of Retrovirology demonstrated that a strong Editor-in-Chief could build a scientific community around an open access journal. Teh encouraged BioMed Central to take this community-building into the physical realm by arranging a scientific conference in association with the journal. The 3rd Frontiers of Retrovirology conference will be held this year, and the event has provided a template for BioMed Central’s growing number of successful journal-associated conferences.
Teh was a deserved winner of our 2010 Editor of the Year award, which he celebrated in London at BioMed Central’s 10th anniversary party (Figure 2). He will be sadly missed by all of us.
Matthew Cockerill
Managing Director, BioMed Central