Interview with Section Editor Stefano Menini

This week we interviewed PeerJ Section Editor Prof. Stefano Menini as he steps down from the role of Section Editor for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders, as well as from his position on the editorial board after seven years of dedicated service.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Stefano for his valuable contributions both as a board member for the past seven years and for his exceptional guidance over the past three years as Section Editor. His expertise and commitment have been instrumental in maintaining the high standards of our journal.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself, and what brought you into your research?

I am an Associate Professor of Human Nutrition at the School of Medicine and Psychology, within the Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. I earned my PhD from the University of Genoa in 2000, where my research focused on the biology and pathology of aging. Since joining Sapienza University in 2005, I have expanded my research interests beyond aging and age-related diseases to encompass diabetes, initially studied as a model of accelerated aging, as well as obesity and metabolism, with a particular emphasis on their vascular and metabolic complications.

Please explain the specific area that your research focuses on.

My research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic dysfunction, nutritional imbalances, aging, and their related complications, including cancer. Recently, it has concentrated on two interrelated areas: (1) the role of carbonyl stress in the development of cardiovascular and renal complications associated with obesity and diabetes, and (2) the contribution of glucose metabolic reprogramming to the increased cardiometabolic and cancer risk observed in diabetes. These studies aim to uncover unresolved molecular pathways that drive the pathogenesis of some of the world’s leading causes of mortality.

You have been a valued member of the PeerJ Editorial Board for over eight years. What excited you about PeerJ that persuaded you to become an Academic Editor?

The editorial criteria adopted by PeerJ immediately captured my attention. I was particularly drawn to the journal’s commitment to assessing the scientific soundness of submissions, rather than focusing on perceived importance, novelty, or other subjective measures. This philosophy resonated with my belief that science should be grounded in critical thinking and open discourse, free from dogma, unquestioned authority, and both overt and hidden interests, regardless of how well-intentioned they may be. This shared vision initially led me to join PeerJ as an Academic Editor, and later as a Section Editor. Since beginning my collaboration with the journal in 2017, it has been a genuine privilege to serve the PeerJ community. Over the years, I have deeply valued the opportunity to support rigorous, open-access science and to work alongside such a dedicated, collegial editorial team.

How has your experience as an editor influenced your own research approach or academic perspective? Has it changed the way you view content creation or scholarly communication?

Given the strong alignment between my vision and PeerJ’s mission, my experience as an editor has not fundamentally altered my research approach, mindset, values, priorities, or the theoretical, methodological, and communication frameworks I uphold. Instead, it has reinforced and strengthened them.

What specific challenges or significant changes have you observed in the field of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders during your tenure as an editor?

An emerging challenge is the growing proposal to view cancer through a cardiometabolic lens, given the shared risk factors, metabolic dysregulation, and inflammatory pathways involved. Additionally, there is increasing recognition of cancer as a potential complication of diabetes. Although this perspective is still in its early stages, it demands a fundamental paradigm shift, one that depends on close collaboration among experts in diabetes, oncology, and biochemistry. However, such interdisciplinary cooperation has yet to be fully realized and continues to face significant barriers.

What have you most enjoyed about your role as Section Editor of the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorder section over the past three years?

Over the past three years, I have deeply valued the complete freedom to act in accordance with my conscience and principles, as well as the unwavering support and accessibility of the entire editorial team in shaping my final decisions. I am especially grateful to Stephen Johnson, the current Editor-in-Chief, for his professionalism and steadfast support throughout my tenure. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to Celine Gallagher, my co-section editor, whose collaboration and dedication have been truly invaluable. Finally, I want to recognize the community of reviewers, the foundation and most essential pillar of an editor’s work. In my experience, their contributions often went far beyond evaluating the quality of manuscripts; their genuine commitment to the advancement of science was both clear and inspiring.

What would you say is the ‘best’ paper you have seen as a Section Editor and why?

Among the many interesting papers I had the pleasure of handling, one that stood out for its impact was “Low-carbohydrate diets differing in carbohydrate restriction improve cardiometabolic and anthropometric markers in healthy adults: A randomized clinical trial.” This study made a significant contribution to the field by helping to identify dietary interventions that effectively balance efficacy and sustainability in the prevention and management of cardiometabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disorders.

What would you say to other members of the Editorial Board that may be considering a Section Editor role at PeerJ? Is it something you would recommend?

I highly recommend the role of Section Editor to members of the Editorial Board who wish to gain deeper insight into the peer-review process and believe they can make a more direct and meaningful contribution to the scientific community.

What future research plans or projects are you currently developing?

Given that certain antidiabetic drugs provide extraglycemic protection and offer cardiovascular and renal benefits even in non-diabetic individuals, I plan to investigate their effects on cellular glucose metabolism and the associated biochemical alterations involved in the pathogenesis of these conditions, as well as in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

Thank you for your thoughts, is there anything else you want to highlight?

I encourage the entire scientific community, including editors, reviewers, and researchers (that is, all of us), to give greater recognition to studies reporting null results, as well as to well-justified replication studies. These contributions, when grounded in a clear rationale and offering meaningful insights, add significant value to the literature. While the “wow” factor can help draw attention to scientific work, prioritizing spectacle over substance can ultimately undermine genuine progress. When science is treated more as a product to be marketed than as a method of inquiry, it risks losing both its rigor and its purpose. True advancement stems from careful, methodical investigation, not just from what makes headlines.

About PeerJ Sections

Sections are community led and exemplify a research community’s shared values, norms and interests. They provide topically curated content from PeerJ journals and are overseen by Section Editors, who oversee the articles published in their Section to ensure the journal maintains a fair peer review process and the highest standards of scientific practice in their fields.

You can sign up for alerts for content alerts for the latest research featured in the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders Section here and explore other PeerJ Sections here.

Interested in becoming a PeerJ Editorial Board Member within our Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders Section? Please check your eligibility here and apply by getting in touch with our Editorial Community Manager, Lindsay Howell (lindsay.howell@peerj.com).