Washington DC, May 17, 2022 (PAHO) – With the support and participation of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), the special supplement of BMJ innovations was launched, which brings together a selection of works that study social innovations in health that are examples of cases that have had a significant impact on the health outcomes of communities.
BMJ Innovations is an online, peer-reviewed journal that focuses on emerging health innovations and champions high-quality original research, early-stage innovation reporting, and narrative and systemic reviews.
“With the launch of the BMJ Innovations special supplement, we celebrate a milestone reached by the international collaboration established to promote social innovations for health,” PAHO Assistant Director, Jarbas Barbosa during the opening remarks.
Social innovations in health are inclusive solutions that meet people's needs through community-engaged processes to address local health challenges. These solutions can often match and even exceed the impact of high-tech innovations and work in synergy.
“At PAHO, we promote universal health, equity in health, quality of care, and resilient health systems, so is why we support grassroots initiatives that promote them. In this special supplement, we will find evidence of the impact and research have on social innovations, sustainability, and exposure”, added Barbosa.
The works gathered in this special supplement demonstrate how social innovations can positively impact health outcomes and promote resilient health systems, strengthening the involvement of communities and the advance toward universal health.
During the launch, the organizer mentioned three manuscripts: Institutionalizing Social Innovations in Health: The Philippine Gelia Castillo Award; Building the ecosystem of social innovation for health in Latin America: experiences and learning from SIHI-LAC and Crowdsourcing to identify innovations that increase universal health coverage in Nigeria.
PAHO and TDR supported this call of papers, the Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, co-sponsored by UNICEF, UNDP, the World Bank, and WHO. The Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI) and the Social Entrepreneurship to Spur Health (SESH) made the call.
Read the BMJ innovations special supplement here.
