Health, development, and equity—call for papers

Health, development, and equity—call for papers

Richard Horton, The Lancet, London, UK
Tikki Pang, WHO Geneva, Switzerland
The Lancet, Volume 371, Number 9607, 12 January 2008

Website: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673608600860/fulltext

“……..Research can lead to more cost-effective interventions, better delivery strategies, improved management practices, rational health-system policies, and optimum ways to increase health-seeking behaviour. Research is essential to ensure that new strategies are adapted to fit local political, cultural, and economic contexts. Ultimately, the only truly sustainable way to improve health outcomes is to build local research and innovation capacity so that developing countries can continually improve the effectiveness, equity, and efficiency of their own health systems.4

To address these issues, a Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health will be held in Bamako, Mali, Nov 17–19, 2008, that will convene ministers of health, science, and technology, to discuss research and innovation with leading experts and stakeholders in the research process from around the world.

The theme “research for health” reflects a desire to link discussions on health research with the broader science and technology community, especially research on education, water, the environment, food, and agriculture sectors. Health goals cannot be seen in isolation: reducing poverty and increasing education and gender equity are tied to good health, better nutrition, and clean water.

Research on social determinants of health, new directions in e-health, implementation research and participatory research will be explored through panel discussions and debates, round-tables for in-depth participation, and networking to catalyse more effective national, regional, and global efforts in research for health.

Six partners have come together to organise the Bamako 2008 Forum: the Council on Health Research for Development, Global Forum for Health Research, Government of Mali, UNESCO, World Bank, and WHO.

The Lancet plans to produce a theme issue on research for health, development, and equity, and is inviting papers that address the core themes of the conference, which include:

Strengthening of leadership for health, development, and equity—empowering governments to develop structured and prioritised policies for research for health as part of their broader research strategies and to improve systems capacities for the implementation of those policies; and enhancing international collaboration to address global and national health-research challenges

Engagement of all relevant constituencies in research and innovation for health—ensuring inclusion of public and private actors, different sectors and disciplines, civil society, and local, national, and international organisations in both the content and process of such research in a coherent and coordinated manner to improve the governance of global health research

Increased accountability of research systems—measure outcomes and assess the impact of research for health, monitor initiatives and partnerships involved in research for health, and earn public confidence by setting standards for fair, transparent, and equitable research processes

Manuscripts should be submitted online: http://ees.elsevier.com/thelancet to The Lancet by June 2, 2008. In your covering note, please state that your submission is in response to this call for papers. The bulk of manuscripts should follow the usual journal format for original research papers, but can also include case studies and other less research-oriented submissions.

We will serve as co-editors of this themed issue in collaboration with the Steering Committee for the Bamako 2008 Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health…..”