Introduction Africa contributes little to the biomedical literature despite its high burden of infectious diseases. Global health research partnerships aimed at addressing Africa-endemic disease may be polarised. Therefore, we assessed the contribution of researchers in Africa to research on six infectious diseases. Methods We reviewed publications on HIV and malaria (2013–2016), tuberculosis (2014–2016), salmonellosis, Ebola haemorrhagic fever and Buruli ulcer disease (1980–2016) conducted in Africa and indexed in the PubMed database using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol. Papers reporting original research done in Africa with at least one laboratory test performed on biological samples were included. We studied African author proportion and placement per study type, disease, funding, study country and lingua franca. Results We included 1182 of 2871 retrieved articles that met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 1109 (93.2%) had at least one Africa-based author, 552 (49.8%) had an African first author and 41.3% (n=458) an African last author. Papers on salmonellosis and tuberculosis had a higher proportion of African last authors (p Conclusion African researchers are under-represented in first and last authorship positions in papers published from research done in Africa. This calls for greater investment in capacity building and equitable research partnerships at every level of the global health community.

https://gh.bmj.com/content/bmjgh/4/5/e001855.full.pdf

Who is telling the story? A systematic review of authorship for infectious disease research conducted in Africa, 1980–2016

Introduction Health researchers from low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) are under-represented in the academic literature. Scientific writing and publishing interventions may help researchers publish their findings; however, we lack evidence about the prevalence and effectiveness of such interventions. This review describes interventions for researchers in LMICs aimed at strengthening capacity for writing and publishing academic journal articles. Methods We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to report literature searches in PubMed, Embase, Global Health, Scopus and ERIC. Our keywords included LMICs, low-income and middle-income countries, health research and writing/publication support interventions, with no restrictions on publication date. Our screening process consisted of title screening, abstract review and full-text review. We collected information about the content, implementation and evaluation of each intervention, if included. Results We identified 20 interventions designed to strengthen capacity for scientific writing and publishing. We summarised information from the 14 interventions that reported submitted or published papers as outcomes separately, reasoning that because they provide quantifiable metrics of success, they may offer particular insights into intervention components leading to publication. The writing and publishing components in this ‘Publications Reported’ group were an average length of 5.4 days compared with 2.5 days in the other group we refer to as ‘Other Interventions.’ Whereas all 14 Publications Reported interventions incorporated mentors, only two of five in the Other Interventions group incorporated mentors. Across interventions, leaders expressed the importance of a high ratio of mentors to participants, the need to accommodate time demands of busy researchers, and the necessity of a budget for open access fees and high-quality internet connectivity. Conclusion Writing and publishing interventions in LMICs are an underutilised opportunity for capacity strengthening. To facilitate the implementation of high-quality interventions, future writing and publishing interventions should share their experiences by publishing detailed information about the approach and effectiveness of the interventions.

https://gh.bmj.com/content/bmjgh/7/2/e008059.full.pdf

Strengthening research capacity: a systematic review of manuscript writing and publishing interventions for researchers in low-income and middle-income countries

This correspondence discusses the role of artificial intelligence (AI) like ChatGPT in education and research, focusing on developing critical thinking skills and maintaining academic integrity. AI can complement learning and research processes when used ethically and responsibly. Integrating specific teaching methods in education and research can help develop better critical thinking skills and a deeper understanding of the contexts in which AI is used. The article emphasizes the importance of developing critical thinking skills among students and researchers to effectively use AI and distinguish accurate information from hoaxes and misinformation. In conclusion, the collaboration between AI and humans in learning and research will yield significant benefits for individuals and society as long as critical thinking skills and academic integrity remain top priorities.

No worries with ChatGPT: building bridges between artificial intelligence and education with critical thinking soft skills.

The emigration of physicians from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to high-income countries (HICs), colloquially referred to as the "brain drain", has been a topic of discussion in global health spheres for years. With the call to decolonize global health in mind, and considering that West Africa, as a region, is a main source of physicians emigrating to HICs, this rapid review aims to synthesize the reasons for, and implications of, the brain drain, as well as recommendations to mitigate physician emigration from West African countries to HICs.A literature search was conducted on PubMed, EMBASE and The Cochrane Library. Main inclusion criteria were the inclusion of West African trained physicians' perspectives, the reasons and implications of physician emigration, and recommendations for management. Data on the study design, reasons for the brain drain, implications of brain drain, and proposed solutions to manage physician emigration were extracted using a structured template. The Hawker Tool was used as a risk of bias assessment tool to evaluate the included articles.A total of 17 articles were included in the final review. Reasons for physician emigration include poor working conditions and remuneration, limited career opportunities, low standards of living, and sociopolitical unrest. Implications of physician emigration include exacerbation of low physician to population ratios, and weakened healthcare systems. Recommendations include development of international policies that limit HICs' recruitment from LMICs, avenues for HICs to compensate LMICs, collaborations investing in mutual medical education, and incorporation of virtual or short-term consultation services for physicians working in HICs to provide care for patients in LMICs.The medical brain drain is a global health equity issue requiring the collaboration of LMICs and HICs in implementing possible solutions. Future studies should examine policies and innovative methods to involve both HICs and LMICs to manage the brain drain. 

https://ghrp.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s41256-023-00307-0

Down the brain drain: a rapid review exploring physician emigration from West Africa

The University of Toronto Interprofessional Education Curriculum (IPE) is an exemplar of advancing interprofessional education with a focus on preparing students for practice in healthcare settings. Our paper begins with a detailed overview of the University of Toronto’s IPE program including the range of participating faculties, an overview of the curriculum including examples of learning activities, and the social work specific expectations that are embedded in the core and elective components. Following, is a discussion on mitigating the challenges and engaging opportunities associated with integrating social work in a healthcare-focused IPE program at a major Canadian University. Our exploration of mitigating challenges and engaging opportunities will span five key areas: a) Creating meaningful learning experiences for social work students; b) Implementing mandatory or elective IPE participation; c) Scheduling of IPE activities; d) The role of social work faculty in driving student involvement in IPE; and e) Strengthening social work professional leadership for IPE.

/pdf/integrating-social-work-into-interprofessional-education-a-24xx8bzwkv.pdf

Integrating Social Work Into Interprofessional Education: A Review of One University’s Curriculum to Prepare Students for Collaborative Practice in Healthcare

The contextual knowledge and local expertise that researchers from low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) contribute to studies in these settings enrich the research process and subsequent publications. However, health researchers from LMICs are under-represented in the scientific literature. Distally, power imbalances between LMICs and high-income countries, which provide funding and set priorities for research in LMICs, create structural inequities that inhibit these authors from publishing. More proximally, researchers from LMICs often lack formal training in research project management and in publishing peer-reviewed research. Though academic journals may value research from LMICs conducted by local researchers, they have limited time and financial resources to support writing, causing them to reject manuscripts with promising results if they lack development. Pre-Publication Support Service (PREPSS) is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation that works to meet this need. PREPSS provides onsite training, peer-review and copy editing services to researchers in LMICs who wish to publish their health research in peer-reviewed journals. Authors are not charged for these services. After receiving PREPSS services, authors submit their manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal. The PREPSS model is one of many interventions necessary to restructure global health research to better support health researchers in LMICs and reduce current power imbalances.

https://gh.bmj.com/content/bmjgh/5/2/e002323.full.pdf

Addressing power imbalances in global health: Pre-Publication Support Services (PREPSS) for authors in low-income and middle-income countries

Student learning interactions and a sense of belonging are imperative to academic success within distance education settings. In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, students who intended to be educated through in-person learning environments had to shift to remote learning suddenly. In public health, a field that emphasizes experiential and interactive learning, instructors and graduate students enrolled in residential in-person programs transitioned to remote learning with limited knowledge of how this transition would impact student learning interactions and a sense of belonging. To address these gaps, we examined how remote learning impacted Master of Public Health students’ learning interactions with peers, instructors, course content, as well as their sense of belonging in an overall sample and stratified by program year. We found that students perceived challenges interacting with peers, content, and instructors, such as a lack of community and an inability to interact with instructors during course discussions. Students reported not feeling a sense of belonging when engaging with peers and instructors. Findings from this study shed light on the challenges that emerged after students transitioned to remote learning, namely disrupted student learning interactions and a decreased sense of belonging. The study provides recommendations for future remote teaching, which may be of utility to university instructors and administrators tasked with creating and implementing an interactive remote learning curriculum that provides students with a community to foster learning.

Impact of Transitioning to Remote Learning on Student Learning Interactions and Sense of Belonging Among Public Health Graduate Students

Visuals are an important means through which public health data can be communicated to diverse audiences, yet many public health students are not trained to develop effective visuals. We evaluated ...

Are we teaching our students visual communication? Evaluation of writing assignments in public health.

/pdf/using-writing-assignments-to-promote-critical-thinking-14qhog1h40.pdf

Using writing assignments to promote critical thinking, learning and professional identity: The Epidemiology Workplace Writing Repository

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