William H. Welch founded The Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM) in 1896 at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. By 1902, Welch, who served as the first editor of the journal and who also served as the president of the Board of Scientific Directors of the Rockefeller Institute, appealed to the Institute to take over the journal. The editorial activities had become too burdensome on his time. Since 1905 the journal has been owned and published by the Rockefeller Institute.