Documento(s) 6 de 7

Dr Bruce Wilcox
Editor-in-Chief, EcoHealth Journal

"We need [the EcoHealth] journal to help articulate what ecohealth is and to encourage the growth of the community," said Dr Bruce Wilcox, the publication’s editor-in-chief.

The journal introduces projects, institutions, and people working on ecohealth approaches. Researchers collaborate on articles and on "special sections,” which showcase areas of research, for publication in EcoHealth. The journal’s title draws attention to the field and encourages new entrants to the community, Dr Wilcox said.

The journal establishes ecohealth as a serious academic field and, with the support of IDRC, makes the case for the legitimacy and importance of the approach."

Ecohealth "is still in its infancy," Dr Wilcox said. "Canada, in a sense, is pioneering this integrative and broad approach." Ecohealth is also unusual in academia because it encompasses both basic and applied science. "It is the practice of improving human health and well-being based on a broader, integrative, whole system approach."

Contrary to the trend of increasingly specialized disciplines, ecohealth transcends disciplines. Ecohealth is also participatory, engaging a range of stakeholders. Most academic scientists "don’t want to adulterate their knowledge with input from common people," Dr Wilcox said. "These things are very contrary to the way academic science is done and the reward system works." However, many of the world’s serious problems "can only be addressed using a broad approach," he said.

"Advances in our understanding of how the world works are serendipitous." They often result from informal communication among researchers, Dr Wilcox said. Partnerships are critical and EcoHealth has facilitated the strengthening of many research partnerships.  

Membership in the International Association for Ecology and Health, which publishes EcoHealth, dramatically increased at the International EcoHealth Forum (IEF 2008). This will "enable [the journal] to continue to publish and grow," Dr Wilcox said.

EcoHealth is one of the only journals in the world that addresses the topic of transdisciplinary research. In fact, td-net, a network and database of such research, has cited EcoHealth as a model transdisciplinary journal.

EcoHealth Journal
International Association for Ecology and Health
td-net

Documento(s) 6 de 7