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Call for papers: Lessons from the response to health and humanitarian crises in Lebanon
Lebanon has faced a complex humanitarian and health crisis in recent years, driven by escalating conflict, population displacement, and economic collapse. Since October 2023, hostilities in the country have caused widespread damage to health infrastructure, disrupted the provision of essential services and increased humanitarian needs. Generating relevant, current evidence and documenting lessons learned from responding to the crises is essential to inform future preparedness and evidence-informed decision-making in the country and across the region.
The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean is proposing a special issue of the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal (EMHJ) on the response to the health and humanitarian crises in Lebanon.
Types of manuscripts expected
Manuscripts for this special issue can be developed and submitted as original research articles, short research communication, reviews, reports, commentaries, letters to the editor, and policy briefs addressing the impact of the crises in Lebanon on healthcare. Among others, manuscripts should focus on any of the following priority areas:
- Health systems preparedness, emergency response and resilience, including health sector coordination and governance, emergency operations, sustaining essential health services, workforce capacity and protection, surveillance, and early warning and outbreak preparedness.
- Humanitarian health service delivery, including immunisation and vaccine delivery, primary health care access for displaced populations and host communities, mental health and psychosocial support, and equitable access for vulnerable populations.
- Community engagement and public health interventions, including risk communication, trust-building, use of operational research and real-time data, and translating lessons into policy and
- Health financing, logistics and supply chain management and health system sustainability for continuity of care under crisis conditions.
Submission information
- Interested authors should submit their manuscripts through the Editorial Manager at: https://www2.cloud.editorialmanager.com/emhj/.
- Manuscripts must comply with the “Information for authors” available at: https://www.emro.who.int/emh-journal/authors/
- Manuscripts should focus on public health issues and offer system-level, policy-relevant work, and should not be clinical.
- Please indicate in your submission that the manuscript is for consideration for the special issue on LESSONS FROM THE RESPONSE TO HEALTH AND HUMANITARIAN CRISES IN LEBANON
Call for papers: Special issue on surgical care delivery: global innovation, priorities and financing
The Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) faces various public health burdens that strain the surgical systems.
Trauma-related fatalities are on the increase in some countries due to political instability, conflicts, and natural and
climate-related disasters. These factors compromise access to basic health care services, the impact of which is reflected in metrics such as the high maternal mortality ratios in the EMR. In addition, cancer is a major threat to public health, and mortality is predicted to double by 2045, while access to palliative and reconstructive services remains limited.
EMR countries are diverse politically, socially, economically, and in infrastructural development, and this diversity greatly impacts availability and access to health care at all levels. Despite these inequalities, tremendous progress has been made towards achieving the health-related Sustainable Development Goals. Maternal mortality ratio in the region decreased from 231 to 196 deaths per 100 000 livebirths between 2010 and 2015, then to 179 per 100 000 by 2020. Implementation of the Regional Cervical Cancer Elimination Strategy, including introducing hepatitis and human papillomavirus vaccination, early detection, screening, and treatment of cervical and other preventable or treatable cancers, is also notable. Enhancing access to surgical services in the region will further advance these significant achievements and move EMR countries closer to achieving Universal Health Coverage.
The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, in collaboration with the Program in Global Surgery and Social Change at Harvard Medical School, is proposing a special issue of the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal (EMHJ) on SURGICAL CARE DELIVERY: GLOBAL INNOVATION, PRIORITIES AND FINANCING. The aim is to document high-impact research work on surgical care globally, including the challenges and innovations, and provide a comprehensive compendium of critical multisectoral solutions that can be applied to improve surgical care in the EMR. This special issue will support efforts to address the noncommunicable disease crisis in the region through the advancement of surgical care research and practice.
Types of manuscripts expected
Manuscripts for this special issue can be submitted as commentaries, letters to the editor, original research articles, short research communication, reviews, reports, and policy briefs. Among others, manuscripts should focus on any of the following priority areas:
- Surgical care delivery [e.g. innovations in blood transfusion systems, access to surgical care, palliative care]•
- Financing mechanisms and health economics of surgical services
- Surgical care in migration and displacement settings
- Surgical care and climate change
- Surgical care in disaster and conflict settings [e.g. trauma care systems, neurotrauma]
- Surgical care policy [e.g. regional, national, and sub-national surgical planning, national cancer plans]
- Surgical oncology, especially breast and cervical cancer
Manuscript submission information
- Interested authors should submit their manuscripts through the Editorial Manager at: https://www2.cloud.editorialmanager.com/emhj/.
Manuscripts must comply with the “Information for authors” available at:
https://www.emro.who.int/emh-journal/authors/ - Manuscripts should focus on public health issues and offer system-level, policy-relevant work, and should not be clinical
- Please indicate in your submission that the manuscript is for consideration for the special issue on SURGICAL CARE DELIVERY: GLOBAL INNOVATION, PRIORITIES AND FINANCING
Call for papers: Special issue of EMHJ on the contribution of national public health institutes to emergency preparedness and response
The Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) has experienced a series of natural and humanitarian emergencies that have elevated the importance of health system and multisectoral preparedness to respond to emergencies. Available literature indicates the need for functioning and resilient health systems that can deliver emergency services to affected populations as needed.
National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) provide public health services, surveillance and research and evidence for proactive interventions at all levels. They invest in advanced diagnostic tools and infrastructure that will ensure quick and accurate detection of public health threats. Most NPHIs in the EMR operate robust surveillance systems that enable real-time detection and response, and some of them have coordination hubs to streamline emergency response. Publishing the research outputs of NPHIs is essential and will make them available for use by relevant stakeholders.
To facilitate the publication of such research work, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean is calling for papers for a special issue of the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal (EMHJ) on the contribution of national public health institutes to emergency preparedness and response. This special issue aims to document the contributions of, and support advocacy efforts by, NPHIs to strengthening health systems in the EMR for better response to health emergencies and to provide more evidence for policymaking.
Types of manuscripts expected
Manuscripts for this special issue can be submitted as commentary, letter to the editor, original research article, short research communication, review, report, and policy brief on any of the following priority areas:
- Health systems preparedness and resilience, including surveillance and early warning systems, emergency planning, policy development, capacity building, workforce training, laboratory preparedness and biosafety, hazard identification and risk assessment, and environmental and climate-related health risk analysis.
- Emergency medical and public health response, including mass casualty management, incident management, logistics and supply chain management, infection prevention and control, emergency financing and resource mobilization, and digital health.
- Community preparedness, including risk communication and mental health and psychosocial support.
- Humanitarian response and relief operations, including post-disaster recovery and rehabilitation.
- Health information systems and data management.
- International Health Regulations implementation.
Manuscript submission information
- Interested authors should submit their manuscripts through the EMHJ platform on Editorial Manager (https://www2.cloud.editorialmanager.com/emhj/) on or before 31 May 2026.
- Manuscripts must comply with the “Information for authors” available at: https://emro.who.int/emh-journal/authors/
- Please indicate in your submission that the manuscript is for consideration for the special issue on the contribution of national public health institutes to emergency preparedness and response.
