[COMPLETE] Call for Papers: WPSAR Special Edition on Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) in the WHO Western Pacific Region

25-05-2023

Article submission deadline: 15/09/2023

Established by WHO in April 2000, the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) is a mechanism for technical partners and networks around the world to coordinate and assist WHO Member States to respond to public health emergencies.

The core function of GOARN is to support the timely deployment of trained resources to support outbreak response in an effort to improve global health security. GOARN have responded to more than 100 public health events over the past 23 years. Seventy-one organizations located in the Western Pacific Region are GOARN partners, representing universities, colleges, hospitals, public health and technical institutions and networks, and governmental departments and agencies. Since the establishment of GOARN until mid-2023, partners within the Western Pacific Region have provided a total of 299 experts in support of 36 global operations including disease outbreaks of leptospirosis, cholera, SARS-CoV, human infection with avian influenza, measles and COVID-19. Additionally, 389 technical experts from the region have participated in the GOARN training programme to upskill the Region’s health emergency workforce capacity to respond to public health events.

To document the scope, activities and deployments in public health emergency response in the Region, as well as the lessons identified to improve future public health emergency response actions, the Western Pacific Surveillance and Response (WPSAR) journal, the official journal of WHO’s Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO), invites articles on GOARN deployments, training, activities and partner engagement in the Western Pacific.

Potential articles may include, but are not limited to:

  • Lessons from the field on response actions and activities from GOARN deployments to assist national response operations, including around integration with local coordination health systems/responders;
  • Case studies related to GOARN coordination activities;
  • Innovative approaches used for deployments;
  • Reports on GOARN trainings, including content development; documenting capabilities/skills acquired and/or readiness for deployment; and approaches used to train, including simulation and scenario-based exercises;
  • Perspectives or lessons on any issue to do with GOARN deployment, activities, training or operations;
  • Examples and experiences of improved coordination of alert, risk assessment and response activities;
  • Reports on responses to Public Health Rapid Response Capacity – coordination, training or deployment of rapid response capacity;
  • Reports on operational research and tools development.

Articles must relate to GOARN deployments, activities, partner engagement or emergency coordination. Ethical approvals should also be sought, where required.

Submissions may follow any format accepted by WPSAR. Acceptable article types and submission criteria may be found here: https://ojs.wpro.who.int/ojs/index.php/wpsar/about/submissions

If you are unsure of whether your proposed article would fit the scope of WPSAR, please email us an outline, abstract or draft, and the editorial team will provide pre-submission feedback: wpsar@who.int

For inquiries related to article content, please email the focal points for this Special Edition:

Dr Sharon Salmon, Technical Officer, Global Outbreak and Response Network (GOARN): salmons@who.int

Dr Amy Parry, Deputy Director, Australian Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP), Department of Applied Epidemiology, National Centre for Epidemiology & Population Health, The Australian National University: amy.parry@anu.edu.au