Call for papers: Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Global Health

About the Special Collection

AI has transformed how health care services, such as drug development, diagnostics, treatment, patient monitoring, personalised medicine, patient services, disease monitoring and surveillance, etc., are delivered. When used in a supporting role alongside trained professionals, AI has been shown to be a cost-effective method in improving the efficiency of the health care systems of many countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, China, Italy, and Germany. 

The application of AI in low-resource settings is more of a challenge due to operational and economic issues associated with the development and implementation of these technologies. However, thanks in part to meetings convened by the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), positional statements by funding bodies like The Gates Foundation, and increased access to the technologies required to facilitate and implement AI within health systems, such as computers and mobile phones, there is a growing interest in and wider commitment to, leveraging the power of AI to address healthcare issues which are unique to lower- and middle-income countries (LIMCs). 

We acknowledge that for all applications of AI, there are important ethical considerations that need to be addressed and that those working in this area need to be aware of. This is particularly true in subjects like global health where systemic inequalities around funding and capacity already exist. 

The aim of this Special Collection to collate the latest original research, reviews and opinion pieces on the development, impact, and evaluation of AI in Global Health research and implementation, with the goal of, ultimately, supporting the wider community with the long-term adoption of these technologies in LIMCs. Within this, we are particularly interested in work in the following areas:

• Research and development 
• Translation 
• Implementation 
• Surveillance 
• Policy development 
• Ethics

We, as a Society, anticipate that this topic will become more and more prominent within our work and so we are also interested in hearing from individuals and organisations already working within this space to help guide both this special issue and our work (e.g. through working groups, committees, etc.,) going forward. To be included in this Special Collection all articles must have a section which talks explicitly about how the work is applicable to low- and middle-income countries.

Key details

• Both journals have a range of article types, including original research articles, reviews, commentaries, editorials, case reports, lessons from the field, and letters. We welcome submissions in any of these formats. 
• Article Processing Charges (APCs) for papers published under an open access license will be waived (note – International Health is a fully open access journal). Accepted papers in TRSTMH will be made free to view.
• Papers will be published online on a rolling basis as soon as they have been accepted and added to a Special Collection page on the journal’s website. There will be dedicated promotion for the Special Collection when the issue is complete. 

About RSTMH

The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene is a charity and membership society that has been dedicated to improving tropical medicine and global health since 1907. Our ambition is to save lives and improve health around the world through increased access to and greater equity in global healthcare.

About TRSTMH and International Health

TRSTMH publishes authoritative and impactful research on all aspects of tropical medicine, offering a respected voice for clinicians, health-related scientists, development organisations and students. International Health is a fully Open Access journal which is published bi-monthly. The journal aims to stimulate scientific and policy debate and provide a forum for analysis and opinion sharing for individuals and organisations engaged in all areas of global health.

How to submit

• Authors should follow the Instructions for Authors regarding the manuscript format requested by TRSTMH and International Health, as described on the journal websites at https://academic.oup.com/trstmh and https://academic.oup.com/inthealth. 
• Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their manuscript through the Editorial Manager submission websites https://www.editorialmanager.com/trstmh and https://www.editorialmanager.com/inthealth. 
• Informal enquiries, and queries relating to the online submission system, should be sent to RSTMH Manging Editor, Tom Pinfield (thomas [dot] pinfield [at] rstmh [dot] org).