It is my honor and privilege to join the Journal of the International Society of Providers of AIDS Care (JIAPAC) as Editor in Chief. I wish to take this opportunity to thank Umair Shafique for being the Editor in Chief of JIAPAC for the past four years and I follow in the footsteps of three distinguished emeritus editors, Jose Zuniga, John Bartlett and Peter Mugyeni.
I bring to the journal a background in primary health care as a GP in Sydney, clinical trials at the Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Center, public health at the World Health Organization in Geneva and in philanthropy at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Currently, I serve as the Chief Medical Officer at IAPAC.
We in the scientific community are dedicated to the generation, synthesis and publication of evidence as the basis of everything we do. As a peer-reviewed, open access journal, JIAPAC is committed to publishing global original research, reviews, case studies, and clinical perspectives on the treatment of HIV and the related co-morbid and syndemic conditions of sexually transmitted diseases, viral hepatitis, tuberculosis and non-communicable diseases. As a core value, JIAPAC promotes the translation of evidence into policy and practice with the goal of maximizing both individual and broader public health outcomes.
In addition to evidence, there are other drivers of health policy and practice. Social determinants of health, the social and economic environments that influence health status, also drive disease outcomes and mortality risk. These include economic stability, housing, food security, education and equitable access to healthcare. Recognizing that the scientific and social environments shape human health, JIAPAC will continue to publish research from both the social and natural sciences.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us many things. Among them is that widespread health inequities, and stigma and discrimination persist, no matter the geography. The pandemic also taught us how science can be politized and how powerful the misinformation and the misinformers can be in shaping individual and society responses to a public health crises.
We have heard from our public health leaders many times during the pandemic that we must follow the science. JIAPAC is committed to publishing the science in timely, relevant, original articles that address all aspects of equity and access to health in HIV care and the syndemics of viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis and non-communicable diseases.
As incoming Editor in Chief, I am committed to working with the editorial board to strengthen JIAPAC‘s impact through an efficient and expanded manuscript solicitation and review process, and timely communication with submitting authors.
As mentioned by our CEO, Jose M, Zuniga, when he took over the reigns as Editor in Chief in 2008, JIAPAC is committed to providing opportunities for colleagues in resource limited settings to publish their research and implementation experiences as access to care and treatment expands beyond the 37.6 million people living with HIV who are currently receiving antiretroviral therapy globally.
At JIAPAC, diversity is central everything we do, from the composition of our editorial board to the acceptance and publication of papers embracing the physical, social and implementation sciences from all over the world.
Finally, I wish to express my gratitude to all the authors who have contributed to our journal in the past over the past 19 years and I look forward fulfilling our goal of being a key information resource for practitioners and researchers in both well-resourced and resource-limited settings.