We are pleased to announce the IHP call for correspondents 2024. Each year, the weekly International Health Policies (IHP) Newsletter & network issues a call for correspondents to contribute to the newsletter.

The weekly IHP newsletter/digest is a flagship knowledge management activity of the IHP network, funded by the Belgian Government (DGD), providing a trusted source of curated health policy news, key global health and HPSR publications and offering a platform for blogs and articles, especially for authors from LMICs.  

The network aims to boost synergies with actors and networks from across the world who share similar values, and increase the influence of scholars from the Global South on the global health policy & HPSR agenda. In times of Decolonizing Global Health and calls for a New Public Health Order   (& Global Health Order!), and given the dire (post-)pandemic, geopolitical/conflict- and planetary health times we’re facing, this has only become more urgent.

IHP has a special focus on empowering (and offering a platform to) young health policy and systems researchers (Emerging Voices for Global Health and others).  The editorial team will work with them on finetuning their editorial/blog.  For more info on IHP (network, newsletter & blogs), see the website: http://www.internationalhealthpolicies.org/

This call aims to provide more opportunities to young researchers and other change agents from different regions and continents (especially from the Global South) to write and publish blogs and editorials. In total, between 5 and 10 correspondents will be selected from across the world for the year 2024 through a competitive process, aiming also for a balance in terms of regional diversity, gender etc.

What is expected from an IHP correspondent?

IHP correspondents will be expected to contribute at least one, preferably two editorial(s) (included in the weekly newsletter) during the year 2024, either:

(1) on a health policy/system issue/reform(s) in their own country/region, or

(2) reflecting & commenting on a global health policy trend, global health governance, a recent event, buzzwords, a new report, …  from their perspective.   One event we already want to flag, is the HSR symposium in Nagasaki (November 2024), themed Building Just and Sustainable Health Systems Centring People and Protecting the Planet. We certainly welcome related viewpoints in the run-up to that symposium. But there are many other issues, trends or events (eg PMAC 2024, the 5^th People’s Health assembly in Argentina, the World Health Assembly &  World Health Summit, … ) you might want to write about.

(3) young researchers might also want to write a short article related to their (ongoing) PhD research, as long as they try to make the link with (global, regional or national) health policy.

Applicants should:

• Be an EV alumnus from a recent cohort (2020/21 or 2022) or a member of the EV TWG Google group
• Have good writing skills in English    
• Have an interest in health policy & systems research (with a general interest in global and/or planetary health)

Half of the IHP correspondents 2024 will be selected among the two most recent EV cohorts.

Interested candidates should send their 3-parts candidacy by e-mail to Min Dai ( mdai@itg.be ), as follows:

• -Their CV  (max. 2 pages),
• -A short motivation letter explaining why they want to be an IHP Correspondent  (between 200 & 400 words)  (preferably in English – though we also allow for French or Spanish, if English is too much of a barrier)
• -one (preliminary) idea/pitch for a possible contribution to IHP (max. 150 words)  (preferably in English – or in French/Spanish if too much of a barrier )

PS: Although IHP targets articles in English, correspondents who don’t feel comfortable in English but prefer to write in French or Spanish are also encouraged to apply.

We will accept applications until 15 December 2024, midnight Antwerp time.

Good luck!

The IHP editorial team