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Global Health Matters

September - October 2007  |  Volume 6, Issue 5

Fogarty Organizes NIH Event to Launch Global Theme Issue

 Fogarty Director Dr. Roger I. Glass
 welcomed guests to the CSE
 Global Theme Issue Launch Event.

In an effort to focus attention on global health, Fogarty joined with the Council of Science Editors (CSE) on Oct. 22 to promote its 2007 international theme issue on poverty and human development. Fogarty, in conjunction with the National Library of Medicine (NLM), hosted the launch event on the NIH campus, to coincide with the simultaneous publication of related research by more than 235 scientific journals in 37 countries. At least 1,000 articles were disseminated, representing research projects taking place in 85 nations.

“Without access to medical literature, without state-of-the-art knowledge, the practice of medicine and public health becomes woefully out-of-date,” said Fogarty Director Dr. Roger I. Glass, during his opening remarks. “Having access to the most current knowledge can be lifesaving.”

As part of the initiative, Dr. Glass co-authored an essay in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) titled, "Bridging the Coverage Gap in Global Health."

Seven of the most outstanding articles from these journals addressing critical issues of global health research and policy were selected by a review committee of NIH and CSE experts for presentation at the conference. Two panels of international scientists presented new research examining interventions and projects to improve health and reduce health-care inequities among the poor. Subject areas included: childbirth safety, HIV/AIDS, malaria treatment, food insufficiency and sexual behavior, interventions to improve child survival, physician brain drain from the developing world, and influenza's impact on children.

The scientific presentations were moderated by Catherine DeAngelis, M.D., Editor-in-chief, JAMA and Fiona Godlee, M.D., Editor-in-chief, British Medical Journal (BMJ), with both prestigious journals also publishing global theme issues.

"There was really a marvelous effort that CSE put in to mobilize the global community of researchers to study the issue of poverty as the greatest threat to human health and development worldwide," said CSE President Ana Marusic, M.D., who is also Editor-in-chief of the Croatian Medical Journal.

 CSE President Dr. Ana Marusic spoke of
 efforts to mobilize the global community
 of researchers to study the issue of
 global poverty.

Two previous global theme issues have been organized by the editors of JAMA. In January 1996, more than 200 articles on emerging and reemerging global microbial threats were published by 36 journals from 21 countries. In 1997, just under 100 journals in 31 countries published on the theme of aging.

"It is gratifying that the number of journals participating in the 2007 Global Health theme issue is more than double the number involved in a similar effort a decade ago," said Betsy Humphreys, MLS, NLM deputy director. "This reflects progress in scientific journal publishing in the developing world, as well as increased recognition that global health disparities affect the well-being of all of us."

A webcast of the symposium was archived.

The Council of Science Editors reports more than 235 journals participated.