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World Health Report 2012: No Health Without Research

The World Health Report 2012, the biannual flagship report of the World Health Organization, will focus for the first time in its history on the theme of research for better health. Decisions on healthcare are still made without a solid grounding in research evidence, and an impetus is required for this state of affairs to change. Aimed at ministers of health, the report will provide new ideas, innovative thinking, and pragmatic advice on how to strengthen health research systems.

WHO and PLoS have launched an initiative to encourage researchers to complement and substantiate the key messages in World Health Report 2012 by creating a special WHO/PLoS Collection. We now invite the submission of papers to PLoS Medicine, especially from low- and middle-income countries, on topics related to strengthening of key functions and components of national health research systems. Submitted papers will be considered for PLoS Medicine or redirected to another PLoS journal as appropriate. Papers accepted for publication will then be considered by a joint WHO/PLoS panel for inclusion in this Collection.

To find out more about World Health Report 2012 and the call for papers read the joint editorial by WHO and the PLoS Medicine Editors and this post on the PLoS Medicine community blog, Speaking of Medicine, by Tikki Pang.

To submit your paper for consideration in the Collection, please send a presubmission inquiry to PLoS Medicine via our online submission site and note in your cover letter that the paper is intended for the WHO/PLoS Collection on World Health Report 2012: No Health Without Research. If you have queries about the Collection, contact the editors at whr2012@plos.org.

The World Health Report 2012 will focus on eight specific areas, discussed in the editorial, within the theme of 'No Health Without Research.' We highlight below some examples of articles previously published in PLoS journals in these specific areas of interest.

Image Credit: Public Library of Science

Editorials Top

WHO/PLoS Collection “No Health Without Research”: A Call for Papers

Tikki Pang, Robert F. Terry, The PLoS Medicine Editors

PLoS Medicine:
Published 25 Jan 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001008

Unleashing “Civilian Power”: A New American Diplomacy through Neglected Tropical Disease Control, Elimination, Research, and Development

Peter J. Hotez

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases:
Published 28 Jun 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0001134

New Antipoverty Drugs, Vaccines, and Diagnostics: A Research Agenda for the US President's Global Health Initiative (GHI)

Peter J. Hotez

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases:
Published 31 May 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0001133

The PLoS Medicine Debate Top

Are Patents Impeding Medical Care and Innovation?

E. Richard Gold, Warren Kaplan, James Orbinski, Sarah Harland-Logan, Sevil N-Marandi

PLoS Hub for Clinical Trials, PLoS Medicine:
Published 05 Jan 2010 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000208

Viewpoints Top

Clinical Research in Resource-Limited Settings: Enhancing Research Capacity and Working Together to Make Trials Less Complicated

Trudie A. Lang, Nicholas J. White, Tran Tinh Hien, Jeremy J. Farrar, Nicholas P. J. Day, Raymond Fitzpatrick, Brian J. Angus, Emmanuelle Denis, Laura Merson, Phaik Yeong Cheah, Roma Chilengi, Robert Kimutai, Kevin Marsh

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases:
Published 29 Jun 2010 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0000619

Essays Top

Scaling Up Global Health Interventions: A Proposed Framework for Success

Gavin Yamey

PLoS Medicine:
Published 28 Jun 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001049

Evidence-Based Priority Setting for Health Care and Research: Tools to Support Policy in Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health in Africa

Igor Rudan, Lydia Kapiriri, Mark Tomlinson, Manuela Balliet, Barney Cohen, Mickey Chopra

PLoS Medicine:
Published 13 Jul 2010 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000308

Improving Implementation: Building Research Capacity in Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health in Africa

James Whitworth, Nelson K. Sewankambo, Valerie A. Snewin

PLoS Hub for Clinical Trials, PLoS Medicine:
Published 06 Jul 2010 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000299

Closing the Gaps: From Science to Action in Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health in Africa

Sara Bennett, Freddie Ssengooba

PLoS Medicine:
Published 29 Jun 2010 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000298

Towards Open and Equitable Access to Research and Knowledge for Development

Leslie Chan, Barbara Kirsop, Subbiah Arunachalam

PLoS Medicine:
Published 29 Mar 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001016

The Role of Group Dynamics in Scientific Inconsistencies: A Case Study of a Research Consortium

Judith G. M. Rosmalen, Albertine J. Oldehinkel

PLoS Medicine:
Published 13 Dec 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001143

Perspective Top

The Challenge of Discharging Research Ethics Duties in Resource-Constrained Settings

Jerome Amir Singh

PLoS Medicine:
Published 15 Mar 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000421

Health in Action Top

AIDS Vaccine for Asia Network (AVAN): Expanding the Regional Role in Developing HIV Vaccines

Stephen J. Kent, David A. Cooper, Mean Chhi Vun, Yiming Shao, Linqi Zhang, Nirmal Ganguly, Budiman Bela, Hiko Tamashiro, Rossana Ditangco, Supachai Rerks-Ngarm, Punnee Pitisuttithum, Nguyen Van Kinh, Alan Bernstein, Saladin Osmanov, for the AIDS Vaccine for Asia Network investigators and supporters

PLoS Hub for Clinical Trials, PLoS Medicine:
Published 21 Sep 2010 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000331

A Field Training Guide for Human Subjects Research Ethics

Maria W. Merritt, Alain B. Labrique, Joanne Katz, Mahbubur Rashid, Keith P. West Jr., Joan Pettit

PLoS Hub for Clinical Trials, PLoS Medicine:
Published 05 Oct 2010 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000349

Developing ANDI: A Novel Approach to Health Product R&D in Africa

Solomon Nwaka, Tshinko B. Ilunga, Jorge Santos Da Silva, Emiliano Rial Verde, Doan Hackley, Raymond De Vré, Tom Mboya-Okeyo, Robert G. Ridley

PLoS Medicine:
Published 29 Jun 2010 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000293

Laboratory Capacity Building in Asia for Infectious Disease Research: Experiences from the South East Asia Infectious Disease Clinical Research Network (SEAICRN)

Heiman F. L. Wertheim, Pilaipan Puthavathana, Ngoc My Nghiem, H. Rogier van Doorn, Trung Vu Nguyen, Hung Viet Pham, Decy Subekti, Syahrial Harun, Suhud Malik, Janet Robinson, Motiur Rahman, Walter Taylor, Niklas Lindegardh, Steve Wignall, Jeremy J. Farrar, Menno D. de Jong

PLoS Hub for Clinical Trials, PLoS Medicine:
Published 06 Apr 2010 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000231

Strengthening the Informed Consent Process in International Health Research through Community Engagement: The KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme Experience

Mwanamvua Boga, Alun Davies, Dorcas Kamuya, Samson M. Kinyanjui, Ester Kivaya, Francis Kombe, Trudie Lang, Vicki Marsh, Bibi Mbete, Albert Mlamba, Sassy Molyneux, Stephen Mulupi, Salim Mwalukore

PLoS Medicine:
Published 13 Sep 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001089

Policy Platform Top

Research and Capacity Building for Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases: The Need for a Different Approach

Thomas Kariuki, Richard Phillips, Sammy Njenga, Ole F. Olesen, Paul R. Klatser, Riccardo Porro, Sarah Lock, Maria Hermínia Cabral, Martina Gliber, Detlef Hanne

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases:
Published 31 May 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0001020

Policy Forums Top

Registering New Drugs for Low-Income Countries: The African Challenge

Mary Moran, Nathalie Strub-Wourgaft, Javier Guzman, Pascale Boulet, Lindsey Wu, Bernard Pecoul

PLoS Hub for Clinical Trials, PLoS Medicine:
Published 01 Feb 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000411

Defining Research to Improve Health Systems

Jan H. F. Remme, Taghreed Adam, Francisco Becerra-Posada, Catherine D'Arcangues, Michael Devlin, Charles Gardner, Abdul Ghaffar, Joachim Hombach, Jane F. K. Kengeya, Anthony Mbewu, Michael T. Mbizvo, Zafar Mirza, Tikki Pang, Robert G. Ridley, Fabio Zicker, Robert F. Terry

PLoS Medicine:
Published 16 Nov 2010 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001000

The Global Health System: Lessons for a Stronger Institutional Framework

Suerie Moon, Nicole A. Szlezák, Catherine M. Michaud, Dean T. Jamison, Gerald T. Keusch, William C. Clark, Barry R. Bloom

PLoS Medicine:
Published 26 Jan 2010 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000193

The Global Health System: Linking Knowledge with Action—Learning from Malaria

Gerald T. Keusch, Wen L. Kilama, Suerie Moon, Nicole A. Szlezák, Catherine M. Michaud

PLoS Medicine:
Published 19 Jan 2010 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000179

Assessing and Strengthening African Universities' Capacity for Doctoral Programmes

Imelda Bates, Richard Phillips, Ruby Martin-Peprah, Gibson Kibiki, Oumar Gaye, Kamija Phiri, Harry Tagbor, Sue Purnell

PLoS Medicine:
Published 13 Sep 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001068

Building the Field of Health Policy and Systems Research: An Agenda for Action

Sara Bennett, Irene Akua Agyepong, Kabir Sheikh, Kara Hanson, Freddie Ssengooba, Lucy Gilson

PLoS Medicine:
Published 30 Aug 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001081

Building the Field of Health Policy and Systems Research: Social Science Matters

Lucy Gilson, Kara Hanson, Kabir Sheikh, Irene Akua Agyepong, Freddie Ssengooba, Sara Bennett

PLoS Medicine:
Published 23 Aug 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001079

Building the Field of Health Policy and Systems Research: Framing the Questions

Kabir Sheikh, Lucy Gilson, Irene Akua Agyepong, Kara Hanson, Freddie Ssengooba, Sara Bennett

PLoS Medicine:
Published 16 Aug 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001073

Priorities for Research on Equity and Health: Towards an Equity-Focused Health Research Agenda

Piroska Östlin, Ted Schrecker, Ritu Sadana, Josiane Bonnefoy, Lucy Gilson, Clyde Hertzman, Michael P. Kelly, Tord Kjellstrom, Ronald Labonté, Olle Lundberg, Carles Muntaner, Jennie Popay, Gita Sen, Ziba Vaghri

PLoS Medicine:
Published 01 Nov 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001115

What Research Is Needed to Stop TB? Introducing the TB Research Movement

Christian Lienhardt, Marcos Espinal, Madhukar Pai, Dermot Maher, Mario C. Raviglione

PLoS Medicine:
Published 29 Nov 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001135

Responsible Governance for Mental Health Research in Low Resource Countries

M. Taghi Yasamy, Pallab K. Maulik, Mark Tomlinson, Crick Lund, Mark Van Ommeren, Shekhar Saxena

PLoS Medicine:
Published 22 Nov 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001126

Guidance for Evidence-Informed Policies about Health Systems: Linking Guidance Development to Policy Development

John N. Lavis, John-Arne Røttingen, Xavier Bosch-Capblanch, Rifat Atun, Fadi El-Jardali, Lucy Gilson, Simon Lewin, Sandy Oliver, Pierre Ongolo-Zogo, Andy Haines

PLoS Medicine:
Published 13 Mar 2012 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001186

Guidance for Evidence-Informed Policies about Health Systems: Rationale for and Challenges of Guidance Development

Xavier Bosch-Capblanch, John N. Lavis, Simon Lewin, Rifat Atun, John-Arne Røttingen, Daniel Dröschel, Lise Beck, Edgardo Abalos, Fadi El-Jardali, Lucy Gilson, Sandy Oliver, Kaspar Wyss, Peter Tugwell, Regina Kulier, Tikki Pang, Andy Haines

PLoS Medicine:
Published 06 Mar 2012 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001185

Guidelines and Guidance Top

Setting Research Priorities to Reduce Almost One Million Deaths from Birth Asphyxia by 2015

Joy E. Lawn, Rajiv Bahl, Staffan Bergstrom, Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Gary L. Darmstadt, Matthew Ellis, Mike English, Jennifer J. Kurinczuk, Anne C. C. Lee, Mario Merialdi, Mohamed Mohamed, David Osrin, Robert Pattinson, Vinod Paul, Siddarth Ramji, Ola D. Saugstad, Lyn Sibley, Nalini Singhal, Steven N. Wall, Dave Woods, John Wyatt, Kit Yee Chan, Igor Rudan

PLoS Medicine:
Published 11 Jan 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000389

Setting Implementation Research Priorities to Reduce Preterm Births and Stillbirths at the Community Level

Asha George, Mark Young, Abhay Bang, Kit Yee Chan, Igor Rudan, Cesar G. Victora, Mickey Chopra, Craig Rubens, and the GAPPS expert group on community based strategies and constraints

PLoS Medicine:
Published 04 Jan 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000380

Research Priorities for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Humanitarian Settings

Wietse A. Tol, Vikram Patel, Mark Tomlinson, Florence Baingana, Ananda Galappatti, Catherine Panter-Brick, Derrick Silove, Egbert Sondorp, Michael Wessells, Mark van Ommeren

PLoS Medicine:
Published 20 Sep 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001096

Setting Research Priorities to Reduce Global Mortality from Childhood Pneumonia by 2015

Igor Rudan, Shams El Arifeen, Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Robert E. Black, Abdullah Brooks, Kit Yee Chan, Mickey Chopra, Trevor Duke, David Marsh, Antonio Pio, Eric A.F. Simoes, Giorgio Tamburlini, Evropi Theodoratou, Martin W. Weber, Cynthia G. Whitney, Harry Campbell, Shamim A. Qazi, and the WHO/CHNRI Expert Group on Childhood Pneumonia

PLoS Medicine:
Published 27 Sep 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001099

Symposium Top

Franchising Rabies Vaccine Delivery: The Case of Indian Immunologicals

Hassan Masum, Hima Batavia, Natasha Bhogal, Kim Le, Peter A. Singer

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases:
Published 26 Apr 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0000946

Reviews Top

A Research Agenda to Underpin Malaria Eradication

Pedro L. Alonso, Graham Brown, Myriam Arevalo-Herrera, Fred Binka, Chetan Chitnis, Frank Collins, Ogobara K. Doumbo, Brian Greenwood, B. Fenton Hall, Myron M. Levine, Kamini Mendis, Robert D. Newman, Christopher V. Plowe, Mario Henry Rodríguez, Robert Sinden, Laurence Slutsker, Marcel Tanner

PLoS Medicine:
Published 25 Jan 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000406

The NIH-NIAID Filariasis Research Reagent Resource Center

Michelle L. Michalski, Kathryn G. Griffiths, Steven A. Williams, Ray M. Kaplan, Andrew R. Moorhead

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases:
Published 29 Nov 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0001261

Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision: Translating Research into the Rapid Expansion of Services in Kenya, 2008–2011

Zebedee Mwandi, Anne Murphy, Jason Reed, Kipruto Chesang, Emmanuel Njeuhmeli, Kawango Agot, Emma Llewellyn, Charles Kirui, Kennedy Serrem, Isaac Abuya, Mores Loolpapit, Regina Mbayaki, Ndungu Kiriro, Peter Cherutich, Nicholas Muraguri, John Motoku, Jack Kioko, Nancy Knight, Naomi Bock

PLoS Medicine:
Published 29 Nov 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001130

Research Articles Top

Reduction of Severe Acute Maternal Morbidity and Maternal Mortality in Thyolo District, Malawi: The Impact of Obstetric Audit

Thomas van den Akker, Jair van Rhenen, Beatrice Mwagomba, Kinke Lommerse, Steady Vinkhumbo, Jos van Roosmalen

PLoS ONE:
Published 03 Jun 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0020776

NIH Disease Funding Levels and Burden of Disease

Leslie A. Gillum, Christopher Gouveia, E. Ray Dorsey, Mark Pletcher, Colin D. Mathers, Charles E. McCulloch, S. Claiborne Johnston

PLoS ONE:
Published 24 Feb 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0016837

Geographical Representativeness of Published and Ongoing Randomized Controlled Trials. The Example of: Tobacco Consumption and HIV Infection

Nizar Ahmad, Isabelle Boutron, Agnes Dechartres, Pierre Durieux, Philippe Ravaud

PLoS Hub for Clinical Trials, PLoS ONE:
Published 09 Feb 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0016878

Strategies for Increasing Recruitment to Randomised Controlled Trials: Systematic Review

Patrina H. Y. Caldwell, Sana Hamilton, Alvin Tan, Jonathan C. Craig

PLoS Hub for Clinical Trials, PLoS Medicine:
Published 09 Nov 2010 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000368

Development of and Access to Products for Neglected Diseases

Joshua Cohen, Maria Staroselsky Dibner, Andrew Wilson

PLoS Hub for Clinical Trials, PLoS ONE:
Published 12 May 2010 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0010610

Relation between the Global Burden of Disease and Randomized Clinical Trials Conducted in Latin America Published in the Five Leading Medical Journals

Pablo Perel, J. Jaime Miranda, Zulma Ortiz, Juan Pablo Casas

PLoS ONE:
Published 27 Feb 2008 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0001696

Research Ethics Training in Peru: A Case Study

A. Roxana Lescano, David L. Blazes, Silvia M. Montano, Zoe Moran, Cesar Naquira, Edwin Ramirez, Reidar Lie, Gregory J. Martin, Andres G. Lescano, Joseph R. Zunt

PLoS ONE:
Published 26 Sep 2008 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0003274

Impact of Increasing Capacity for Generating and Using Research on Maternal and Perinatal Health Practices in South East Asia (SEA-ORCHID Project)

The SEA-ORCHID Study Group

PLoS ONE:
Published 07 Sep 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0023994

Lessons from History for Designing and Validating Epidemiological Surveillance in Uncounted Populations

Peter Byass, Osman Sankoh, Stephen M. Tollman, Ulf Högberg, Stig Wall

PLoS ONE:
Published 03 Aug 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0022897

The Use of Research Evidence in Public Health Decision Making Processes: Systematic Review

Lois Orton, Ffion Lloyd-Williams, David Taylor-Robinson, Martin O'Flaherty, Simon Capewell

PLoS ONE:
Published 26 Jul 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0021704

Who Shares? Who Doesn't? Factors Associated with Openly Archiving Raw Research Data

Heather A. Piwowar

PLoS ONE:
Published 13 Jul 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0018657

Repeated Assessments of Informed Consent Comprehension among HIV-Infected Participants of a Three-Year Clinical Trial in Botswana

Lelia H. Chaisson, Nancy E. Kass, Bafanana Chengeta, Unami Mathebula, Taraz Samandari

PLoS Hub for Clinical Trials, PLoS ONE:
Published 27 Oct 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0022696

Impact of Health Research Capacity Strengthening in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: The Case of WHO/TDR Programmes

Happiness Minja, Christian Nsanzabana, Christine Maure, Axel Hoffmann, Susan Rumisha, Olumide Ogundahunsi, Fabio Zicker, Marcel Tanner, Pascal Launois

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases:
Published 11 Oct 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0001351

Trends in Health Policy and Systems Research over the Past Decade: Still Too Little Capacity in Low-Income Countries

Taghreed Adam, Saad Ahmad, Maryam Bigdeli, Abdul Ghaffar, John-Arne Røttingen

PLoS ONE:
Published 22 Nov 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0027263

Access to Scientific Publications: The Scientist's Perspective

Yegor Voronin, Askar Myrzahmetov, Alan Bernstein

PLoS ONE:
Published 17 Nov 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0027868

A Collaboratively-Derived Science-Policy Research Agenda

William J. Sutherland, Laura Bellingan, Jim R. Bellingham, Jason J. Blackstock, Robert M. Bloomfield, Michael Bravo, Victoria M. Cadman, David D. Cleevely, Andy Clements, Anthony S. Cohen, David R. Cope, Arthur A. Daemmrich, Cristina Devecchi, Laura Diaz Anadon, Simon Denegri, Robert Doubleday, Nicholas R. Dusic, Robert J. Evans, Wai Y. Feng, H. Charles J. Godfray, Paul Harris, Sue E. Hartley, Alison J. Hester, John Holmes, Alan Hughes, Mike Hulme, Colin Irwin, Richard C. Jennings, Gary S. Kass, Peter Littlejohns, Theresa M. Marteau, Glenn McKee, Erik P. Millstone, William J. Nuttall, Susan Owens, Miles M. Parker, Sarah Pearson, Judith Petts, Richard Ploszek, Andrew S. Pullin, Graeme Reid, Keith S. Richards, John G. Robinson, Louise Shaxson, Leonor Sierra, Beck G. Smith, David J. Spiegelhalter, Jack Stilgoe, Andy Stirling, Christopher P. Tyler, David E. Winickoff, Ron L. Zimmern

PLoS ONE:
Published 09 Mar 2012 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0031824

Identifying Trustworthy Experts: How Do Policymakers Find and Assess Public Health Researchers Worth Consulting or Collaborating With?

Abby S. Haynes, Gemma E. Derrick, Sally Redman, Wayne D. Hall, James A. Gillespie, Simon Chapman, Heidi Sturk

PLoS ONE:
Published 05 Mar 2012 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0032665

Trends in Compulsory Licensing of Pharmaceuticals Since the Doha Declaration: A Database Analysis

Reed Beall, Randall Kuhn

PLoS Medicine:
Published 10 Jan 2012 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001154

The Ethics Police?: IRBs' Views Concerning Their Power

Robert Klitzman

PLoS ONE:
Published 13 Dec 2011 | info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0028773