(Press-News.org) Background and Goal: This study examined authorship inequities for research that was conducted in low- and middle-income countries and published in family medicine journals based in high-income countries.
Study Approach: Researchers analyzed journals listed on the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) Global family doctor website that focused on low-income countries, lower-middle-income countries, and upper-middle-income countries. They selected journals with editorial offices in high-income-countries. Inclusion criteria included research conducted in low or middle income countries, available in English language, with human study participants. They summarized the proportions of first and senior authors by country income level and other publication characteristics.
Main Results: 431 of 1,030 articles met criteria for research conducted in low- or middle-income countries.
Over time, there was an increase in publication of research articles from low- and middle-income countries in the family medicine journals, with the majority of the studies conducted in upper-middle-income countries (55.9%).
The proportion of senior authors from high-income countries was highest in articles with research conducted in low-income countries (50%) compared with those reporting research done in lower-middle-income countries (37%) and upper-middle-income countries (21%).
There was a trend toward higher average citation rate for articles having high-income countries first and senior authors compared with articles having lower-middle-income countries first and senior authors.
Why It Matters: Quantifying authorship inequities highlights systemic barriers to research leadership in low- and middle-income settings.
Authorship Inequity in Global Health Research Conducted in Low- and Middle-Income Countries and Published in High-Income Country Family Medicine Journals
Alyssa Vecchio, MD, et al
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
PRE-EMBARGO LINK
PERMANENT LINK
END
Study examines authorship inequities in global health research published in family medicine journals in high-income countries
Authorship inequity in global health research conducted in low- and middle-income countries and published in high-income country family medicine journals
2025-05-27
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Tip Sheet Summaries May/June 2025
2025-05-27
Editorial
To Improve Screenings With Technology, Focus on People First
Background: This issue of Annals of Family Medicine includes four original studies that illustrate valuable concepts to consider when incorporating technology in screening to improve early detection and management of disease.
Editorial Stance: These studies highlight the importance of centering any digital health intervention on the patient’s specific clinical needs. The authors emphasize that digital tools work best when they work with, rather than replace, clinicians. Additionally, the authors stress that we must ...
Fewer Ontario family physicians provide comprehensive care
2025-05-27
Background and Goal: This study examined long‑term shifts toward focused practice among family physicians in Ontario, Canada, as well as changes in the number of comprehensive family physicians relative to population growth.
Study Approach: Researchers linked multiple Ontario health‑administrative data sets to track practice patterns for every general practitioner or family physician from fiscal years 1993/94 through 2021/22. Analyses were stratified by physician sex and years in practice.
Main Results:
The proportion of family physicians working in focused roles rose to 19.2% ...
Little free library use may improve rural mental health access
2025-05-27
Mental‑health disorders and suicide rates have risen steadily over the past 20 years, with rural areas seeing the sharpest increases. To broaden access to mental‑health resources for adults, physicians placed a little free library containing 10–15 books on anxiety, depression, post‑traumatic stress disorder, and related conditions near the entrance of a rural primary care clinic in Minnesota. A flyer with a QR code directs visitors to a community‑run webpage with additional resources. Patients who take a book are asked to complete a short survey capturing demographics, referral ...
Perfumes and lotions disrupt how body protects itself from indoor air pollutants
2025-05-27
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Fragrances and lotions don't just change the way people smell, they actively alter the indoor air chemistry around the wearer, disrupting a critical natural process the body uses to protect itself from pollution, according to an international research team that includes scientists from Penn State.
The new study, published in the journal Science Advances, revealed that personal care products like perfumes and even unscented lotions alter the chemical composition of the “human oxidation field,” a natural protective air shield around a person’s breathing zone ...
Overlooked cells might explain the human brain’s huge storage capacity
2025-05-27
CAMBRIDGE, MA -- The human brain contains about 86 billion neurons. These cells fire electrical signals that help the brain store memories and send information and commands throughout the brain and the nervous system.
The brain also contains billions of astrocytes — star-shaped cells with many long extensions that allow them to interact with millions of neurons. Although they have long been thought to be mainly supportive cells, recent studies have suggested that astrocytes may play a role in memory storage ...
Employees assigned more complex projects early in their work history had better outcomes later in their careers
2025-05-27
Employees’ early work experiences in an organization can significantly affect their socialization. Much of the research on this topic has documented how certain organization-wide practices succeed or fail in making newcomers so-called good citizens, but little is known about how different early experiences lead to varied socialization outcomes. In a new study, researchers examined the impact of early project team assignments on newcomers’ career kickoffs. They found that those assigned to more complex projects during this phase had better outcomes later in their careers.
The study, ...
Pioneering ADHD researcher reveals biological pathways linking genes to behavior
2025-05-27
NIJMEGEN, The Netherlands, 27 May 2025 – In a comprehensive Genomic Press interview published today, Professor Barbara Franke unveils her remarkable scientific journey from an inquisitive child fascinated by nature to becoming one of the world's most influential researchers in biological psychiatry. The molecular psychiatrist at Radboud University has fundamentally transformed our understanding of how genetic variations lead to altered behavior in neurodevelopmental conditions, particularly ...
Mitochondrial DNA mutation accumulation may not be a determining factor in aging
2025-05-27
Tsukuba, Japan—The human genome is broadly classified into the genome residing in the cell nucleus (nuclear DNA) and the genome residing in the mitochondria (mitochondrial DNA: mtDNA). Mitochondria are cell organelles that produce energy essential for life activities through oxidative phosphorylation (mitochondrial respiration), and mtDNA encodes a set of genes required for mitochondrial respiration. Previous research has led to the widely accepted hypothesis that the accumulation of multiple mutations in mtDNA with aging induces a decline in mitochondrial respiratory function, resulting in the "mitochondrial theory of aging." Nevertheless, whether the decrease in mitochondrial ...
Researchers unveil epigenetic mechanism of cold adaptation in rice
2025-05-27
Chinese researchers recently uncovered molecular evidence supporting Lamarckism—a long-debated theory from the early 19th century that acquired characteristics can be inherited.
The evidence was revealed in a new study by scientists from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which deciphered the evolutionary patterns of cold adaptation during rice's northward expansion.
The study was published on May 22 in Cell.
Led by Prof. CAO Xiaofeng, the researchers demonstrated that DNA methylation—a form of epigenetic variation ...
Hitting the right notes to play music by ear
2025-05-27
Learning to play music by ear is challenging for most musicians, but research from a team at the University of Waterloo may help musicians-in-training find the right notes.
The Waterloo team analyzed a range of YouTube videos that focused on learning music by ear and identified four simple ways music learning technology can better aid prospective musicians – helping people improve recall while listening, limiting playback to small chunks, identifying musical subsequences to memorize, and replaying notes indefinitely.
“There ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Evasive butterfly mimicry reveals a supercharged biodiversity feedback loop
Hearing angry or happy human voices is linked to changes in dogs’ balance
Microplastics are found in a third of surveyed fish off the coasts of remote Pacific Islands
De-stigmatizing self-reported data in health care research
US individuals traveling from strongly blue or red US counties may favor everyday travel to like-minded destinations
Study reveals how superionic state enables long-term water storage in Earth's interior
AI machine learning can optimize patient risk assessments
Efficacy of immunosuppressive regimens for survival of stem cell-derived grafts
Glowing bacterial sensors detect gut illness in mice before symptoms emerge
GLP-1 RAs and prior major adverse limb events in patients with diabetes
Life-course psychosocial stress and risk of dementia and stroke in middle-aged and older adults
Cells have a built-in capacity limit for copying DNA, and it could impact cancer treatment
Study finds longer hospital stays and higher readmissions for young adults with complex childhood conditions
Study maps how varied genetic forms of autism lead to common features
New chip-sized, energy-efficient optical amplifier can intensify light 100 times
New light-based platform sets the stage for future quantum supercomputers
Pesticides significantly affect soil life and biodiversity
Corals sleep like us, but their symbiosis does not rest
Huayuan biota decodes Earth’s first Phanerozoic mass extinction
Beyond Polymers: New state-of-the-art 3D micro and nanofabrication technique overcomes material limitations
New platform could develop vaccines faster than ever before
TF-rs1049296 C>T variant modifies the association between hepatic iron stores and liver fibrosis in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease
ASH publishes clinical practice guidelines on diagnosis of light chain amyloidosis
SLAS receives grant from Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to develop lab automation educational guidelines
Serum interleukin-8 for differentiating invasive pulmonary aspergillosis from bacterial pneumonia in patients with HBV-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure
CIIS and the Kinsey Institute present "Desire on the Couch," an exhibition examining psychology and sexuality
MRI scan breakthrough could spare thousands of heart patients from risky invasive tests
Kraft Center at Mass General Brigham launches 2nd Annual Kraft Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Community Health
New tool shows how to enter and change pneumocystis fungi
Applications of artificial intelligence and smart devices in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease
[Press-News.org] Study examines authorship inequities in global health research published in family medicine journals in high-income countriesAuthorship inequity in global health research conducted in low- and middle-income countries and published in high-income country family medicine journals