Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities to address crucial healthcare problem in US

Springer has entered into an agreement with the W. Montague Cobb/National Medical Association (NMA) Health Institute to publish the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. Starting in 2014 the new society journal will be published quarterly, electronically on link.springer.com and in print.

The Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities will report on the scholarly progress of work to understand, address and ultimately eliminate health disparities based on race and ethnicity. The underlying causes of racial and ethnic health disparities, and interventions to address these disparities, will be featured. Original articles, "evolutionary" reviews presenting the state-of-the-art thinking on problems centered on health disparities, and review articles of timely interest will be published. Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Connecticut is the founding editor-in-chief.

Dr. Laurencin said, "In the United States, the elimination of health disparities has taken center stage as an essential goal of our society. We firmly believe that the new Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities will be an important instrument to help achieve this goal. The journal has a unique pedigree. It is the official journal of the W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute, an organization deeply rooted in working to address health disparities. At the same time we are proud to partner with one of the premier international publishing houses, Springer. We look forward to a very long and fruitful association."

Janice Stern, Senior Editor Health & Behavior at Springer, said, "Springer has vibrant programs in medicine, public health and the behavioral and social sciences. At the interface of these disciplines lies a critical challenge to provide affordable, high-quality health care to all members of our society. It is with great excitement that we collaborate with the Cobb/NMA Health Institute on a new journal specifically devoted to the elimination of health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities, which we believe will contribute to overall improvements in health and social justice in our nation."