From Regional Roots to Global Reach:

Twenty Years of the Journal of the Foot and Ankle

Abstract

It is with great pride and satisfaction that we present the first issue of Volume 20 of the Journal of the Foot and Ankle. This milestone represents far more than the passage of time—it reflects a journey defined by purpose, resilience, and an enduring commitment to scientific excellence.

Over the past two decades, this journey has been shaped by passion, dedication, and collaboration. It has included challenges—some overcome, others not—but always guided by a shared mission: to stimulate, disseminate, and advance high-quality scientific knowledge in Foot and Ankle Medicine and Surgery.

To fully appreciate the significance of this moment, it is important to revisit our origins.

The foundation of this journey lies in two parallel initiatives that emerged almost simultaneously in Latin America. In Brazil, Dr. Antonio Egydio de Carvalho Jr. established the Revista da ABTPé, while in Argentina, Dr. Alberto Maklin Vadell founded Tobillo y Pie. Both journals played a pioneering role in fostering regional scientific production, despite facing the well-known political and economic challenges inherent to the Latin American context. Competing for the same authors, reviewers, and readership, each contributed—independently yet meaningfully—to the development of our specialty.

During their first decade, these journals collectively published nearly 400 articles. However, this divided editorial effort limited their ability to reach the critical mass required for international indexation. It became increasingly evident that a structural transformation was necessary.

A major step forward was achieved under the leadership of Dr. Jorge Mitsuo Mizusaki (Editor-in-Chief, 2016–2019), who restructured the Brazilian journal, renaming it the Scientific Journal of the Foot and Ankle and transitioning its publication language to English. This strategic evolution significantly increased annual scientific output. Nevertheless, even with this progress, the requirements for indexation remained just beyond reach.

The need for unity became clear.

The consolidation of these efforts into a single, stronger scientific platform emerged as the natural path forward—one capable of representing Latin American research with greater visibility and impact. After extensive and thoughtful discussions, this vision materialized in 2019 with the creation of the Journal of the Foot and Ankle (JFA). More than a merger, it represented the convergence of histories, experiences, and shared aspirations, preserving the editorial legacy of both journals while establishing a new and ambitious direction.

It would be impossible to acknowledge individually all those who contributed to this transformation. Colleagues from across Latin America played essential roles in shaping the discussions and decisions that led to the creation of JFA. Their collective effort made it possible to build a journal that now stands as a credible and competitive platform for high-quality scientific publication—not only within Latin America, but increasingly on the global stage.

The appointment of Dr. Alexandre Leme Godoy-Santos as the first Editor-in-Chief marked the beginning of a new phase, defined by clear strategic goals. Chief among them was achieving the standards required for indexation in major international databases—an objective pursued with consistency, discipline, and long-term vision.

By bringing together the scientific contributions of Latin America with those of Portugal and Spain, the journal has now reached the benchmarks required by SciELO, achieving an annual publication volume aligned with international standards. With this, the path toward indexation is no longer a distant aspiration, but a tangible and imminent reality.

This is what we celebrate today: not only twenty years of history, but the strength of a collective vision, the perseverance of a scientific community, and the transformation of regional roots into a platform with global reach.

The future is no longer ahead of us—it has already begun.