The Lancet Global Health

The Lancet Global Health
Title	The Lancet Global Health
Discipline	Global health
Abbreviation	Lancet Glob. Health
Publisher	Elsevier
Country	United Kingdom
History	2013–present
Frequency	Monthly
Issn	2214-109X

The Lancet Global Health is a peer-reviewed medical journal focused on worldwide health research, policy, and practice. Launched in 2013, it sits alongside journals such as The Lancet family journals and engages with institutions like World Health Organization, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, National Institutes of Health, and World Bank. The journal publishes original research, reviews, commissions, and correspondence that intersect with public health priorities across regions including Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, and the Pacific Islands.

History

The journal was inaugurated in 2013 during an era shaped by events such as the 2014 West Africa Ebola epidemic, the 2015–2016 Zika virus epidemic, and the Sustainable Development Goals process led by the United Nations General Assembly. Its founding drew on editorial and institutional networks including The Lancet, Elsevier, University of Oxford, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Imperial College London, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Early editorial initiatives referenced global reports from World Health Organization, policy briefs from United Nations Children's Fund, and funding priorities from Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The title has navigated controversies and debates prominent in episodes like critiques of international responses to the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa and methodological disputes mirrored in discussions involving The BMJ and Nature Medicine.

Scope and Content

The journal covers clinical research and population health studies relevant to health systems in settings such as Nigeria, India, Brazil, China, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, and Peru. Typical topics include infectious diseases exemplified by work on HIV/AIDS pandemic, tuberculosis, and malaria, maternal and child health represented by studies tied to Every Woman Every Child, non-communicable diseases with links to research on diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, as well as health policy analyses referencing World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, International Health Regulations (2005), and financing mechanisms such as those proposed by the World Bank. The journal also publishes modelling studies connected to groups like Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team and multicountry surveys aligned with programs from Demographic and Health Surveys Program, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, and initiatives by Partners In Health.

Editorial Leadership and Peer Review

Editorial leadership has included editors drawn from institutions such as University College London, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and University of Toronto. Peer review processes involve external referees often affiliated with centers like Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and academic departments at University of Cambridge and Yale University. The journal's editorial policies interact with reporting standards from groups such as CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, and ethical frameworks reflected in documents from Declaration of Helsinki and committees like institutional review boards at universities including Columbia University and McGill University.

Impact and Reception

The journal's impact has been measured by citation indices and comparisons with titles like The Lancet, BMJ, JAMA, Nature Medicine, and PLoS Medicine. Policymakers from United Nations, researchers from World Health Organization, and funders such as Wellcome Trust and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation cite its findings in guidance and investment strategies. Coverage of high-profile crises like the 2014 West Africa Ebola epidemic, the 2015–2016 Zika virus epidemic, and the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season—as they relate to health—garnered attention from outlets including BBC News, The New York Times, and The Guardian. Academic response includes citation in systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and inclusion in curricula at institutions like Harvard University, University of Oxford, and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Access, Licensing, and Publication Model

Published by Elsevier under the Lancet family imprint, the journal follows a mixed model with open access options akin to policies promoted by Plan S advocates and funders such as Wellcome Trust and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Authors may choose gold open access under Creative Commons licensing consistent with mandates from agencies including National Institutes of Health, UK Research and Innovation, and the European Commission Horizon 2020 program. Subscription access remains available to institutions like National Health Service (England), university libraries at University of California, and consortia represented by Jisc and Trustees of Columbia University. The journal's publication timelines and article processing charges reflect market dynamics overseen by publishers including Wiley, Springer Nature, and Elsevier.

Notable Articles and Special Issues

Notable publications have addressed maternal mortality, neonatal mortality, health-system resilience after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, modelling of COVID-19 pandemic scenarios, and evaluations of interventions funded by Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Special commissions and series have involved collaborations with groups like World Health Organization, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, and academic centers at Johns Hopkins University and Karolinska Institutet. High-impact pieces have influenced policy debates on vaccine equity discussed alongside initiatives by COVAX Facility and governance reforms debated at the World Health Assembly. The journal has also published influential commentaries on ethics and research governance tied to documents such as the Declaration of Helsinki and discussions involving the Nuffield Council on Bioethics.

Category:Medical journals