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DOTE is pleased to announce the two fellows appointed to its 2026 Editorial Fellowship Programme. The programme supports emerging talent in developing editorial expertise and contributing to the esophageal disease community.

This year's fellows are Stijn Vanstraelen and Luisa Bertin.

Stijn Vanstraelen is an attending surgeon at University Hospitals Leuven (Belgium) and a surgeon-scientist whose research centers on esophageal cancer biology, developed in part during a research fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering. His work spans copy number alterations and disease recurrence, the tumor microenvironment, and non-invasive blood- and breath-based biomarkers for early cancer detection. He serves as a reviewer for the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.

Luisa Bertin is a gastroenterologist and PhD candidate at the University of Padua, where she focuses on esophageal motility disorders and GERD pathophysiology. She serves as Young Associate Editor at Minerva Gastroenterology and has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications spanning GERD, eosinophilic esophagitis, and esophageal motility. Her work combines translational research with systematic reviews and guideline development, including contributions to the Italian GERD guidelines.

Over the course of the programme, the fellowship cohort will participate in a structured mentorship program; reviewer development and skills training; author papers and contribute to new and emerging content streams; collaborate with team members in engagement and outreach for the journal; and strengthen ties within the esophageal community.

"We are delighted to welcome Dr Bertin and Dr Vanstraelen as our inaugural Editorial Fellows. Both are outstanding early-career clinician-researchers who I know will bring great energy and ideas to the DOTE Editorial Team. The goal of the Editorial Fellowship is to allow the next generation of specialists in esophageal diseases to gain key insights into academic publishing and the editorial process behind the scenes, and help to ensure the future of our ISDE journal, which exists to support the work of our society and our community. We look forward to working with Luisa and Stijn over the coming two years, and to the fresh perspective they will bring to DOTE,” said Jessie Elliot, Associate Editor, Editorial Fellowship Programme.

Introducing the Early Career Editorial Network

The strong response to this year's Editorial Fellowship — which drew a substantial number of applications — made clear how much appetite there is among early-career clinicians and researchers to get involved in DOTE's editorial work. The Early Career Editorial Network was created in direct response to that interest.

Learn more about the DOTE Editorial Fellowship Program.