Back The International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services (IJSDOHS) begins a new journey at UPF

The International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services (IJSDOHS) begins a new journey at UPF

The revamped scientific journal, whose name has changed from the hitherto International Journal of Health Services, was presented on 19 May on the Ciutadella campus during an international conference organized by the JHU-UPF Public Policy Center. The editors-in-chief, Joan Benach (UPF), co-director of the centre, and Carles Muntaner (University of Toronto), board member, participated, along with Keshia Pollack Porter (Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health), who is also a co-director.

19.05.2023

Imatge inicial

After 53 years under the title International Journal of Health Services, the scientific journal is embarking on a new stage to adapt to the increase in health inequalities of recent times, and it does so with a name change (International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services, IJSDOHS), a broader range of the topics covered, and a cross-disciplinary approach to the health and equity of the population.

To present the Journal’s new lease of life, the JHU-UPF Public Policy Center, to which the two editors-in-chief are linked, Joan Benach (co-director of the centre, a full professor with the UPF Department of Political and Social Sciences and director of the GREDS-EMCONET research group), and Carles Muntaner (board member of the centre and a full professor of Public Health at the University of Toronto), organized an international conference which tooke place throughout the day on 19 May in the auditorium of the Ciutadella campus and in the exhibition hall of the University. The presentation will also featured professor Keshia Pollack Porter, head of the Department of Health Policy and Management at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health (journal sponsor) and co-director of the JHU-UPF Public Policy Center.

The meeting brought together experts from around the world to explore and discuss major issues and future avenues for research, policies and action on the social determinants of health and health services, in the interest of a healthier, more equitable world

The 2023 Presentation of the International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services (IJSDOHS), which brought together experts from around the world to explore and discuss major issues and future avenues for research, policies and action on the social determinants of health and health services, in the interest of a healthier, more equitable world, was open at 9 am.

Josep Lluís Martí, commissioner of the UPF Planetary Wellbeing project and a full professor of Philosophy of Law at the University, and Joan Benach and Carles Muntaner, editors-in-chief of the journal, took part in the inauguration ceremony. The conference will be presented by Dr. Guddi Singh, a visiting researcher at the JHU-UPF Public Policy Center.

Subsequently, took place the first round table, entitled “What do SDOH contribute to health equity policies?”, chaired by Joan Benach with the participation of Sir Michael Marmot (Institute of Health Equity at University College London) and Asa Cristina Laurell, an independent researcher (Mexico).

The second round table, chaired by Carles Muntaner, entitled “What kind of research is needed in the field of SDOH?”, featured Megan Reynolds (University of Utah, USA) and Onur Hamzaoğlu (Kocaeli Academy for Solidarity, Turkey).

The programme was completed by a further two round tables (“The neoliberal transformation and financialization of healthcare” and “Policies and actions for the reduction of health inequities”), a poster exhibition, talks by key figures in the field of SDOH, a conclusions session and the opportunity to network throughout the day.

Six organizations participated and supported the event: The Public Health Agency of Barcelona; Centre for Health and the Public Interest; Federation of Associations for the Defence of Public Health; International Association of Health Policy; Medicus Mundi, and the People’s Health Movement.

A revamped journal to address growing inequalities requiring urgent action

The global evolution of the last decades, such as the fall in life expectancy before and after covid-19 in many wealthy countries; the widespread ravages caused by the climate and environmental crises and wars, mostly in low-income countries; or “new pandemics” such as obesity, metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, have increased health inequalities on a local, on a national and on a global scale.

“There is an urgent need to address the injustices and inequalities caused by these phenomena, and the IJSDOHS will publish pioneering research from around the world to understand this reality and how we can work to achieve greater health equity for all”, Joan Benach asserts.

Joan Benach: “IJSDOHS will publish cutting-edge research on the social determinants of health, including intersectional relations of inequality, stimulating debate and fostering an understanding of the most controversial issues at every turn”

Thus, the meeting was kick off the new phase of the journal, which aims to expand the limits of research on how inequalities, power dynamics and structural injustices affect and shape the health of populations around the world, in addition to being a celebration of the 53 years of existence of the publication under its former title, International Journal of Health Services.

“IJSDOHS will publish cutting-edge research on the social determinants of health, including intersectional relations of inequality, stimulating debate and fostering an understanding of the most controversial issues at every turn”, Joan Benach explains. It will use a cross-disciplinary approach, with articles incorporating systemic analysis, policy and evaluation, with the ultimate goal of “developing our understanding of quality of life, well-being and health inequalities, and working towards eliminating these inequalities”, Benach assures.

The first issue of the new era of IJSDOHS opens with an article signed by the two editors-in-chief, Joan Benach and Carles Muntaner. It is the first part of an essay (the second will be published in the next issue) on the social determinants of health, as a field of scientific research and a theoretical framework, in which their historical roots, applications and the controversies that surround them are explored. The authors also explain the reasons that led them to change the title of the journal.

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