Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (JAD) Expands Outreach to Underrepresented Researchers from Africa and South America

By Rutger Buhrs, IOS Press, Amsterdam, NL

In December 2020, IOS Press became a signatory of the SDG Publishers Compact, an initiative encouraging publishers to promote sustainability during the “Decade of Action” (2020–2030). Signatories support this goal by fostering the dissemination of content that aligns with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

As an SDG Publishers Compact signatory, IOS Press is actively promoting and acquiring content that advocates for themes represented by the SDGs, such as equality, sustainability, justice and safeguarding and strengthening the environment.

Traditionally, the majority of JAD’s Editorial Board members have been located in North America, Europe, and Asia, with only a few members representing African and South American countries. JAD has taken positive steps to increase representation from these regions both within its Editorial Board and contributing author base. 

Regional Editors of JAD play an important role in advancing this initiative. They assist Editor-in-Chief George Perry, PhD (University of Texas at San Antonio, USA), and Co-Editor-in-Chief Paula Moreira, PhD (University of Coimbra, Portugal) to evaluate the scientific rigor of articles from their regions as well as solicit new submissions to the journal. Regional Editors also help identify studies that focus on regional issues, e.g., longitudinal, cultural, genetics, etc., related to Alzheimer's disease. JAD’s recent actions reflect these values and deserve recognition. 

JAD’s Representation in Africa

JAD has welcomed two new Regional Editors for Africa: 

Christine Musyimi, PhD, a Research Scientist at the Africa Institute of Mental and Brain Health (AFRIMEB) in Kenya and a Collaborating Faculty Member at the Columbia-WHO Center for Global Mental Health

Jean Ikanga, PhD, MPH, an Instructor at Emory University, and Assistant Professor at the University of Kinshasa and the Catholic University of Congo.

From 2020 to 2022, only 0.3% of published articles in JAD were from African researchers. However, recent publications from Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Tunisia reflect the growing representation from the continent. JAD is actively encouraging submissions from additional countries, such as Benin, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda. Many of these contributions are eligible for Article Processing Charge (APC) waivers.

Dr. Perry explains, "We launched the African initiative to gain representation from this critical region. Africa is the origin of humankind and can offer novel insights into scientific and social solutions for Alzheimer's disease. JAD's efforts are directed to promoting African scientists and Africa-specific issues regarding Alzheimer's disease."

JAD’s Representation in South America 

IOS Press would also like to recognize the ongoing efforts of JAD’s Regional Editors in South America. Thanks to JAD's previous APC waiver program for papers with a South American corresponding author, more submissions have been coming in from Brazil, Chile, and Colombia. Authorship from the continent has increased to 2.8% (2020-2022). The rise in articles from South American researchers is driven by the efforts of the Regional Editors, who are helping to solicit high quality research papers from this region. 

Therefore, IOS Press/JAD would like to acknowledge the accomplishments of Regional Editors: 

Gloria Patricia Cardona-Gomez, PhD (University of Antioquia, Colombia)

Sergio Ferreira, PhD (Institute of Biophysics of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), 

Ricardo Maccioni, PhD (Faculties of Medicine and Sciences of the University of Chile; International Center for Biomedicine, Santiago, Chile).

Dr. Perry emphasizes: "We can and must do more to enhance the position of underrepresented 

researchers. With the appointment of Dr. Musyimi and Dr. Ikanga as Regional Editors for Africa, the efforts of our South American Regional Editors, and through our APC waiver programs, we are confident that we can amplify the contributions of African and South American scholars in our community."

IOS Press is appreciative of these efforts made by JAD and is proud to call it one of their flagship journals.

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