Letter from the Editor

Abstract

Dear Reader,

We are honored to publish The Columbia University Journal of Global Health Fall 2024 Issue. Health disparities—across communities, countries, and continents—persist, undermining livelihoods and shortening lives. With this in mind, our journal strives to advance scholarly discourse on health inequities, both their social determinants and structural solutions, while publishing diverse perspectives from researchers and practitioners. This issue critically explores present challenges to the well-being of vulnerable communities: the rise of antibiotic resistance in low- and middle-income countries and the prevalence of tropical disease infections among mobile populations, among others. The studies in this issue examine and propose community-led interventions, intentionally positioning disadvantaged communities as active architects of their public health systems rather than passive recipients of care. 

This year, we have continued to engage experts through educational events.  In the face of global health crises in Sudan, Palestine, and Somalia, our journal co-hosted the “Frontlines in Focus” panel, welcoming Dr. Unni Karunakara, the former International President of Médecins Sans Frontières, and other scholars to discuss the emerging challenges of humanitarian aid delivery in conflict zones. Titled “Publishing Playbook,” our most-recent event brought together student leaders of peer journals—the Columbia Medical Review, Gyneca, and the Columbia Undergraduate Science Journal. The gathering became a space for academic publications to reflect on and renew established commitments to open access and author diversity.

In keeping with our long-standing tradition of centering student voices, we have once again expanded opportunities for staff to share their perspectives on public health. On our blog, we published a staff article written in English and translated to Spanish, “Honoring Hispanic Heritage: Prioritizing Mental Health in Our Communities.”  We welcomed the first cohort of our high school fellowship program, an opportunity for local students to publish pieces with our journal. With guidance from our staff, students from across New York have begun literature reviews on global health topics and drafted their blog posts.

The past year has also come with exciting developments for our journal: our published manuscripts received over 16,000 downloads and were accessed by 8,500 site users from most countries in the world. True to the “Global” in our name, our journal is proud to publish scholarship with such a broad readership.

This Fall 2024 issue is an accomplishment we will cherish with our staff members, whose dedication made this publication possible. The mentorship of our faculty advisors, Dr. Julianna A. Bol, PhD, and Dr. Ana Navas-Acien, MD, PhD, MPH, ensured a smooth editorial process, and for their guidance, our journal is incredibly grateful. To the authors, who submitted rigorous manuscripts, and the peer reviewers, whose insights made them all the more refined, we send our gratitude. Finally, we are indebted to our readers. You are a vital part of The Columbia University Journal of Global Health community, and we hope you find these manuscripts to be insightful and compelling. 

Sincerely,

Ann Thanh Phan & Jorge Hernandez-Perez

Co-Editors-in-Chief, The Columbia University Journal of Global Health