As Editor-in-Chief ofColombia Médica, Professor Mauricio Palacios Gómez has led for more than a decade a sustained process of editorial, technical, and scientific strengthening in one of the most influential biomedical journals in Latin America. Through timely, strategically structured, and conceptually solid editorials, he has charted a path of critical reflection and global projection on the role of scientific journals in contexts of academic, technological, and political transition.

One of his most recent contributions,"The Art of Validating Science: Four Centuries of Peer Review"¹, clearly and elegantly synthesizes the historical trajectory of peer review and analyzes current challenges regarding quality, transparency, and equity in scientific publishing. This editorial continues a line of thought initiated a decade earlier with"Agreement to Build Better Scientific Journals in Colombia"², which represented a clear institutional stance by endorsing the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), advocating for a fairer and more qualitative way of evaluating scientific output.

In"How to Organize Scientific and Technological Information in Latin America?"³, published in 2016, Professor Palacios proposed an integrative regional vision that emphasizes collaborative networks and open science as pillars of a new knowledge infrastructure. In 2018, his editorial"The Uncertainty of Colombian Scientific Journals with Publindex"⁴ issued a critical warning about systemic weaknesses in the national indexing model and became a key text for understanding the sustainability challenges faced by Colombian scientific journals.

A year later, in"Editorial Advances of the Journal Colombia Médica"⁵, he documented the journal’s evolution, including its digital transformation, growing international visibility, and consolidation as a regional benchmark in public health, clinical medicine, and biomedical sciences. In"What does Colombia require to earn a Nobel Prize in Medicine?"⁶, he offered a reflective critique on the excessive use of bibliometric indicators and advocated for more balanced and contextualized scientific evaluations.

These contributions not only articulate an editorial agenda centered on open access, scientific quality, and responsible assessment but also reflect a deep understanding of the Latin American scientific ecosystem and an ethical commitment to its strengthening. His leadership has promoted principles such as editorial equity, transparency in peer review, and respect for academic diversity in contexts of institutional vulnerability.

This period of editorial advancement cannot be understood without the institutional milestone that preceded it. In 2009, the Faculty of Health at Universidad del Valle assumed editorial responsibility forColombia Médicaand formally structured an editorial team. This institutional transformation marked a turning point in the journal’s development by professionalizing its workflows and aligning its practices with international standards. As a result of these efforts, the journal was indexed in MEDLINE and published its first article in PubMed Central (PMC) in 2014, opening the door to wider circulation and global recognition.

Since then, Professor Palacios has strengthened and consolidated this process, promoting an editorial vision that combines technical excellence, strategic foresight, and regional impact. A particularly noteworthy achievement was the journal’sinternationalization: following its inclusion in PubMed Central, researchers from various countries - including from Asia - began submitting their manuscripts toColombia Médica, elevating its resonance and prestige beyond that of other local journals in the region. This was complemented bya rigorous editorial standard: under his leadership, there were no exceptions regarding ethical and scientific requirements for manuscripts under evaluation, helping to consolidate a culture of high standards and transparency recognized by authors, reviewers, and readers alike.

At this moment of editorial maturity, it is the responsibility of new generations to take on the challenge of preserving what has been built and projecting it into the future. Consolidating an editorial culture based on transparency, responsible evaluation, open access, and regional collaboration will be key to ensuring the sustainability and influence of Latin American scientific journals. Although institutional regulations may limit the duration of certain academic positions, editorial leadership can be maintained from various roles. In this regard, the continued presence of Professor Mauricio Palacios Gómez as Associate Editor ensures the continuity of a strategic vision that has been fundamental to the transformation ofColombia Médica. His experience and commitment will continue to support a renewed editorial team, which now includes scholars from other universities and countries, consolidating a diverse editorial community with international projection and a strong commitment to training new generations in the decades to come.