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

Editorial boards influence global health research by deciding what gets published, and whose knowledge is prioritized. The ongoing underrepresentation of scholars from minoritized backgrounds raises concerns about the systematic exclusion of certain researchers and perspectives. The review examines the composition of editorial boards by analyzing authors’ names and institutional affiliations, and categorizing countries according to World Bank regions and income groups. Across the 226 studies, editorial boards were predominantly composed of men from high-income countries—especially the United States—with even greater imbalance among Editors-in-Chief. Although there has been some progress in gender and geographic diversity, major disparities remain, particularly in senior roles.

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Glob Public Health. 2025 Dec 31;20(1):2602342

Recommended on behalf of EASE by Silvia Maina, Italy

Written by: El-Gamal S, Desjardins A, Kallesøe SAS, et al.

Glob Public Health