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PROFESSIONAL PROFILES:

Ashley Ketelhut

Editorial Coordinator, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)

Ashley KetelhutPlease tell us a bit about yourself (e.g. hometown, current locale, course of study).

I grew up in the Washington, DC area and I still reside there. I received my Bachelor’s degree in English from George Mason University and I recently graduated from George Washington University with a Master’s degree in Publishing.

Describe some of your current responsibilities, and what type of organization you belong to.

I am currently an editorial coordinator in a society. I assist authors, editors and reviewers through the peer review process of two oncology journals. I also create marketing content, coordinate weekly meetings for editors and analyze survey data to promote author centricity.

What was your first scholarly publishing role? How did you get that job? What path led to your current position?

I found my first scholarly publishing role during my undergraduate studies. I was a peer reviewer, and then Editor-in-Chief of my university’s academic journal, The George Mason Review. The experience I had with this journal led me to pursue a Master’s degree in publishing. I believe the education and networking opportunities I encountered while obtaining this degree led me to my current position.

What do you wish you knew more about?

I would love to know more about the design aspect in publishing and the different programs used (Photoshop, InDesign, etc). It’s something I haven’t been able to do in my current or previous work.

What advice would you give to people interested in a career in scholarly communications?

The scholarly publishing industry is constantly changing. Those who are interested in a career need to keep an open mind, have a sense of creativity and a willingness to learn new things.