BMJ Global Health

BMJ Global Health
Title	BMJ Global Health
Discipline	Global health
Publisher	BMJ
Country	United Kingdom
Frequency	Continuous
History	2016–present

BMJ Global Health BMJ Global Health is an open‑access, peer‑reviewed medical journal focusing on World Health Organization priorities, United Nations sustainable development agendas, and research relevant to low-income countries and middle-income countries. The journal publishes original research, systematic reviews, policy analyses, and commentary that intersect with UNICEF programs, Gavi initiatives, The Global Fund strategies, and responses to outbreaks such as Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa and COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to bridge academia, Médecins Sans Frontières, World Bank health financing, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded implementation studies.

History

BMJ Global Health was launched in 2016 by BMJ amid growing global interest following events like the 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa and the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals. Its founding context included debates from the Lancet Commission on Investing in Health and responses to calls from World Health Assembly delegates. Early editorial discussions referenced frameworks from Alma-Ata Declaration advocates and inputs from institutions such as London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and University of Oxford. The journal evolved alongside initiatives including the International Health Regulations (2005) revisions, the scale-up of antiretroviral therapy through PEPFAR, and policy discourse from Global Health Security Agenda partners.

Scope and Aims

The journal covers clinical, epidemiological, health systems, and implementation research relevant to global health priorities set by World Health Organization regions and the United Nations system. It solicits studies on infectious threats like HIV/AIDS pandemic, tuberculosis, and vector-borne diseases such as malaria, as well as noncommunicable disease strategies highlighted by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases. BMJ Global Health emphasizes translational research connected to programs run by Gavi, The Global Fund, UNAIDS, and national ministries such as India Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Brazilian Ministry of Health. It prioritizes equity issues raised by advocates from Amnesty International, Oxfam, and the Campaign for Maternal Health.

Editorial Board and Governance

The editorial structure draws on expertise from scholars affiliated with institutions including Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, University of Cape Town, Karolinska Institutet, Imperial College London, and McGill University. Governance practices reflect standards promoted by organizations such as the Committee on Publication Ethics and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Editors and advisors have held roles in agencies like CDC, ECDC, and Médecins Sans Frontières. The board has included contributors tied to initiatives like the Global Burden of Disease study, the Coefficients of Variation work at Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, and policy fora such as World Health Assembly hearings.

Publication Model and Policies

BMJ Global Health operates an open access model with article processing charges consistent with policies used by publishers like Elsevier and Springer Nature. Peer review standards align with practices advocated by COPE and preprint considerations echo debates involving bioRxiv and medRxiv. Data sharing and transparency policies reference guidelines from Transparency International advocates, and methodological standards reference checklists from the Equator Network such as CONSORT and PRISMA. Policies on conflicts of interest and funding disclosure align with recommendations from entities like Wellcome Trust and the National Institutes of Health.

Indexing and Impact

The journal is indexed in major bibliographic databases comparable to indexing pathways used by journals in Scopus and Web of Science, and its articles contribute to citation metrics tracked by services such as Clarivate Analytics and Google Scholar. Impact considerations connect to broader measurement debates exemplified by the DORA and alternatives promoted by the H-index critiques. BMJ Global Health engages in outreach through platforms used by ResearchGate, ORCID, and CrossRef.

Notable Publications and Contributions

Notable contributions include analyses of COVID-19 pandemic responses in Italy, Brazil, and South Africa, evaluations of immunization strategies relevant to Gavi and WHO recommendations, and health systems research influencing programs in Kenya, Uganda, and Bangladesh. The journal has published pieces relevant to modeling efforts associated with Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team outputs, policy debate around antimicrobial resistance framed by the WHO Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance, and studies that informed humanitarian responses coordinated by OCHA and Médecins Sans Frontières. Influential articles have cited datasets and methods linked to the Global Burden of Disease consortium, and commentary from leaders with backgrounds in World Health Organization leadership, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and national public health institutes such as Public Health England.

Category:Medical journals