TY - JOUR T1 - Global health journals need to address equity, diversity and inclusion JF - BMJ Global Health JO - BMJ Global Health DO - 10.1136/bmjgh-2019-002018 VL - 4 IS - 5 SP - e002018 AU - Vaidehi Nafade AU - Paulami Sen AU - Madhukar Pai Y1 - 2019/10/01 UR - http://gh.bmj.com/content/4/5/e002018.abstract N2 - Summary boxEquity, diversity and inclusion are necessary in all fields of research, but these values are particularly relevant in global health.We examined the composition of editors and editorial board members of 12 major global health journals to examine diversity and inclusion.Across all journals, 35% (195 of 551) of editors were female, and 33% (184 of 551) were based in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Only 11% (61 of 551) of all editors were women based in LMICs. Only 4% of the editors with leadership roles were women from LMICs.We make a plea for all global health journals to take a pledge for gender parity and greater inclusion of experts from the Global South.Equity is widely accepted as the central goal of all global health endeavours.1 And diversity and inclusion are critical, since all practitioners of global health will readily endorse the need to abandon colonial approaches.2In reality, even today, global health remains entrenched in colonial structures and power dynamics, where high-income country (HIC) experts and institutions are valued much more than expertise in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).3–5Most global health research funds are spent in HICs,6 and HIC experts dominate advisory boards of major funders and global health agencies.5 Data show under-representation of LMIC authors on research publications that are about LMICs,7 and parachute research continues to be a persistent concern.8Global health conferences and commissions are typically hosted in HICs,9 and their agendas are shaped by HIC speakers and chairs.5 Gender inequality is another concern, with data showing that women are underrepresented at all stages of the research and publishing process, from authorship, to peer review, to editorship.10What about editorial boards of global health journals? We examined the composition of editors and editorial … ER -