The gatekeepers of global health knowledge: A systematic review of diversity in editorial boards.

Salma El-Gamal, Aidan Desjardins, Sarah A Savić Kallesøe, Blanca Paniello-Castillo, Salman F Khan, Hoda K Hassan, Razan Othman, Arthur Wyns, Galiya Chenault, Ahmad Abbadi, Bailey Atkinson, Fajembola Azeezat, Awwalu Baba Usman, Katrina C Ceballos, Andrew Chan, Shubham Gupta, Parnian Khorsand, Jiaqi Li, Rugma M, Sherifath Mama Chabi, Poorvaprabha Patil, Manon Pigeolet, Charlotte Rendina, Mehr Muhammad Adeel Riaz, Ander Santamarta-Zamorano, Pratishtha Singh, Lambed Tatah, Meelan Thondoo, Ahmed S I Oudah, Kai-Ti Wu, Sara Dada, Kim R van Daalen

Journal: Global public health 2025;20(1):2602342

PMID: 41399003

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Abstract

Editorial boards (EBs) can shape global health research by determining what is published, which methods are legitimised, and whose knowledge is prioritised. The persistent underrepresentation of scholars from minoritised backgrounds raises concerns about which researchers and types of knowledge may be systemically disregarded. This review consolidates all evidence on EB diversity, highlighting how power and representation are distributed in global health publishing. Five databases were searched from inception to 30 July 2025, with no language restrictions. Eligible studies included primary, peer-reviewed, quantitative studies examining diversity among EB members in global health journals. Of the 266,669 records screened, 226 specifically addressed EBs, analysing a median of 15 (IQR: 5.0, 41.0) journals and 859 (IQR: 374.0, 2754.0) editors. Most studies examined gender (n = 213) and geographic representation (n = 53), with limited assessment of race and ethnicity (n = 16), academic rank (n = 12), sexual orientation (n = 3), and disability (n = 1). Despite incremental gains, EB members and editors-in-chief were predominantly men based in high-income countries, particularly the US. A supplementary analysis of 603 studies on global health authorship found similar patterns. The composition of EBs reflects and may perpetuate systemic epistemic inequities. Addressing this requires structural reform beyond improving representation to ensure meaningful inclusion, accountability, and equitable governance.

Address: International Labour Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.; School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.; Ethox Centre, Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.; ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain.; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.; Jindal School of Public Health and Human Development, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, India.; ReAct Asia Pacific, Global Institute of Public Health, Ananthapuri Hospitals and Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.; Independent Public Health Consultant, Cairo, Egypt.; ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain.; Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain.; The National Ribat University, Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan.; Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.; Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, NC, US.; Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.; MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, Scotland, UK.; Women in Global Health, Abuja, Nigeria.; Department of Public health, Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Program, Ministry of Health, Adamawa State, Yola, Nigeria.; Planetary Health Philippines, Manila, Philippines.; University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, Chichester, UK.; Health, Nutrition and Population, The World Bank, New Delhi, India.; Period Futures, Wish for Wash, Atlanta, GA, US.; Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, US.; Independent Researcher, India Health Policy and System Research, New Delhi, India.; Independent Researcher, Public Health Nutrition, Health System Research, Cotonou, Benin.; Department of Ophthalmology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.; Children, Cities and Climate Action Lab, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, London, UK.; World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Emergency, Critical and Operative Care, Program for Global Surgery & Trauma, The George Institute for Global Health, New Delhi, India.; The Program in Global Surgery and Social Change, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, US.; Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.; London School of Economics and Political Sciences, London, United Kingdom.; The Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.; Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.; The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.; MRC Epidemiology Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.; Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.; Department of Geography, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; European Citizen Science Association, Berlin, Germany.; School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.; School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.; Department of Public Health and Primary Care, British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.; Heart and Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2025.2602342

MeSH Terms: Global Health, Humans, Editorial Policies, Periodicals as Topic