Click here to read the summary articles of the 2023 Presentation of the International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services, held on the 19th May 2023.

The International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services (IJSDOHS) is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal committed to deepening knowledge on how inequalities, power dynamics and structural injustices impact and shape the health of populations across the globe. The IJSDOHS publishes cutting-edge research on the social determinants of health (SDOH), including the intersectional relations of inequality, stimulating debate and furthering understanding of the most controversial issues of the day. The journal takes a transdisciplinary approach to population health and equity, publishing articles that incorporate systemic analysis, policy, and evaluation in order to develop our understanding of inequities in health, quality of life and well-being and work towards their elimination.

The IJSDOHS existed for half a century under its previous title International Journal of Health Services, which is globally recognised as a leading forum for discussion and debate on some of the most important issues in its field. The introductory note to issue 50.1 (January 2020) from the journal's Founding Editor, Vicente Navarro, celebrating 50 years of the journal’s existence, can be read here. 

Since its founding in 1971, the journal has been dedicated to pushing boundaries in the fields of public health and health policy. It has published research and sparked debate on many topics which were considered controversial at the time of their publication, but which are now widely accepted. For example, in its early years, the IJHS was a pioneer in recognizing that health is far more than the absence of disease, and is interconnected with wellbeing and quality of life. In later years, the journal was a key forum in the development of studies on the social, political, economic and cultural determinants of health, which have become a major dimension of the journal. These and many other issues have become accepted in the mainstream through the pioneering research and controversial debates published in the pages of the IJHS, which challenged the dominant paradigms of their times. 

The new title reflects the evolution and expansion of the themes covered in the journal’s pages that has occurred over the past decades, and crystallises its scope as we move into this new epoch. The reasons behind this decision, and further information regarding the changes that are occurring in the new phase of the journal's existence, are elaborated in the editorial by Drs. Joan Benach and Carles Muntaner, the journal's Co-Editors-in-Chief, entitled "A New Journal for a New Era".

Aims and Scope

The International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services is a peer-reviewed journal that delivers articles on political economy, social policy and inequalities, ecology and labor, and history and philosophy in the areas of health, quality of life and well-being. The IJSDOHS provides analysis of developments in the health and social sectors of every area of the world, including relevant scholarly articles, position papers, and stimulating debates about the most controversial issues of the day. The journal is of interest to public health professionals, researchers and practitioners, as well as social scientists, organizations and activists with an interest in population health and health equity.

According to the Journal Citation Reports, the IJSDOHS as an Impact Factor of 3.4, which is one of the highest among quarterlies. The journal has experienced a consistent Impact Factor upward trend in recent years, despite the transition to a new title, maintaining its potency and originality in a context of increasing platforms for research in health and social inequalities.

During the last 50 years, the headquarters of the IJSDOHS (then the IJHS) were in the Bloomberg School of Public Health at the Johns Hopkins University, the Sponsor of the Journal. They were recently moved to the Center at the request of Professor Navarro, founder of the Center and of the journal. The Bloomberg School of Public Health of the Johns Hopkins University continues to be the sponsor of the journal. The IJSDOHS is published by SAGE, the world’s largest academic independent publisher.

Editorial team: 

Carles Muntaner
University of Toronto, Canada
Co-Editor-in-Chief

Joan Benach
Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain
Co-Editor-in-Chief

Steffie Woolhandler
CUNY, New York, and Harvard University, USA
Associate Editor

David Himmelstein
CUNY, New York, and Harvard University, USA
Associate Editor

Vicente Navarro
Johns Hopkins University, USA, and Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain
Founding Editor

Aeve Ribbons
Chief Administrative Coordinator of the JHU-UPF Public Policy Center, Spain
Managing Editor

The International Journal of Health Services is supported by an international editorial board of experts in the fields of health policy, public health, social determinants of health, health economics, health inequalities, and the wellbeing and quality of life of populations. The list of editorial board members and consultants, as well as further information about the journal and access to previously published articles, can be found here.

Twitter: @intj_sdohs