Stanford ranking: João Paulo Souza among the world's most cited scientists

A photo of João Paulo Souza, Director of BIREME, wearing a PAHO shirt, speaking and gesturing at a lecture.

São Paulo, 18 November 2024 (BIREME/PAHO/WHO) - João Paulo Souza, Director of BIREME/PAHO/WHO, was recently recognized among the 2% of the world’s most influential scientists in a study conducted by Stanford University and published by Elsevier. The global analysis assessed the impact of 6.8 million researchers from various fields, considering standardized metrics such as the h-index and the hm-index adjusted for co-authorship. This recognition coincides with the second year of his tenure at the head of BIREME, a period in which the institution has adopted a new strategy to intensify its mission of democratizing access to scientific health information.

João Paulo Souza’s academic career, which precedes his work at BIREME, stands out for its contribution to studies on the life cycle, with emphasis on women’s health in the period related to pregnancy, the result of research carried out with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the University of São Paulo (USP).

PAHO/WHO notes that “research is indispensable for solving public health challenges”, and the impact of João Paulo’s publications reflects this mission to raise health standards”. And in this sense, “the recognition of the Director as one of the most cited scientists in the world is a further expression of the evolution he brings to BIREME’s history as a PAHO/WHO Specialized Center in the essence of its mission,” stated Silvia de Valentin (Administrative and Project Manager at BIREME) in an internal communication to collaborators about João Paulo’s research and recognition.

PAHO actively promotes the generation and use of health research, serving policy makers, health workers and the general public. This work focuses on strengthening health policies and advancing towards universal health through knowledge dissemination, as well as establishing international standards and guidelines.

About Stanford’s “Top 2%” Scientists

Stanford University “Most Influential Scientists” ranking identifies the scientists with the greatest scientific impact of their work globally. This ranking includes the top 2% of the most cited scientists in their fields. The evaluation is based on the frequency with which their research is cited and the prestige of their publications. In its seventh edition (2024), data from 22 areas of science and 174 sub-areas were analyzed, covering 6.8 million researchers.