Call for papers - Strategies for reducing cross-border health challenges

Guest Editors

Christian J.P.A. Hoebe, MD, PhD, Maastricht University, the Netherlands
Alena Kamenshchikova, PhD, Maastricht University, the Netherlands

Submission Status: Open | Submission Deadline: 29 December 2025

BMC Global and Public Health is calling for submissions to our Collection on strategies for reducing cross-border health challenges. This Collection explores innovative approaches to managing health issues that transcend borders, including infectious disease control, migrant health disparities, and the effects of climate change.

New Content Item This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, SDG 5: Gender Equality, and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.

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Meet the Guest Editors

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Christian J.P.A. Hoebe, MD, PhD, Maastricht University, the Netherlands

Prof. Dr. Christian Hoebe has 30 years of experience in public health research. He is a full professor in Social Medicine at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Additionally, he leads the Living Lab Public Health Mosa, an academic collaboration between the Public Health Service and the university. Prof. Hoebe is chair of the WHO Collaborative Centre Regions for Health and Cross-Border Public Health. He has co-authored over 300 international peer-reviewed publications. He actively translates scientific knowledge into societal impact through his participation in national policy bodies like the Dutch Health Council and National Outbreak Management Team during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alena Kamenshchikova, PhD, Maastricht University, the Netherlands

Dr. Alena Kamenshchikova, Assistant Professor in Medical Sociology at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Her work focuses on infectious disease control practices among both communities and health professionals, with a specific focus on cross-border infectious disease control and migrant health. She works with diverse transdisciplinary methods, including qualitative and visual methods, to engage with diverse participants and translate her research insights into practices around infectious disease control.

About the Collection

BMC Global and Public Health is calling for submissions to our Collection on strategies for reducing cross-border health challenges. This Collection aims to address the pressing need for innovative, collaborative solutions to health issues that transcend national boundaries, such as infectious disease outbreaks, migration-related health disparities, and the global impact of climate change on health systems.

The aim of this Collection is to explore the multifaceted nature of cross-border health challenges and to identify actionable strategies that promote health equity and resilience. Potential topics include the role of international partnerships, data sharing, and policy harmonization in managing health crises. Submissions addressing technological innovations, public health interventions, or socio-political frameworks to tackle these global issues are highly encouraged.

Our goal is to foster a deeper understanding of how interconnected health systems and collaborative actions can reduce the burden of cross-border health challenges. We invite submissions on the following subtopics:

Strengthening health system resilience in response to transnational disease outbreaks.
Addressing health disparities among migrant and refugee populations.
The impact of climate change on cross-border health challenges.
Leveraging technology and big data to enhance global health surveillance and response.
Policy frameworks for improving international health collaboration.
Case studies of successful cross-border public health initiatives.

By focusing on scalable and sustainable solutions, this Collection seeks to advance knowledge and inform practice in tackling health challenges that require coordinated global action.

We encourage work from local, regional, national, and global partnerships and collaboration among multidisciplinary scientists using multiple methodologies. We ask that authors be careful to use non-stigmatizing/preferred language in their manuscripts as outlined in relevant language guidelines for their respective fields.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, SDG 5: Gender Equality, and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer-review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.

There are currently no articles in this collection.

Submission Guidelines

This Collection welcomes submissions of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, SNAPP. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Strategies for reducing cross-border health challenges" from the dropdown menu.

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.