Equity in Global Neurosurgery Publications: Breaking Down Barriers in Discourse

Abstract

As neurosurgery steps into a new era of global collaboration in clinical care and teaching, neurosurgeons' academic opportuni ties inlower resource countries lag their counterparts in higher-income countries (1). Recent efforts to quantify and bring attention to the gapin surgical care globally with the Lancet Commission have trickled into neurosurgery, demonstrating the challenges in low res ourceclinical settings and their lack of representation in the literature (2). Our focus is often and most readily drawn to these disparities incare – but that is only part of the healthcare divide. The inequities that exist in neurosurgery extend beyond the operating room andinto academia. We are confident that this inaugural issue of the Journal of Global Neurosurgery represents a meaningful step towardsimproving access to academia's traditionally rarefied world for all interested neurosurgery providers.Halting the perpetuation of this historical "north-south gap" requires a conscious effort in our community to equalize opportunities. In2020 alone, over 80 new publications were indexed on PubMed with the keyword "global neurosurgery" – twice as many as 2018 and2019. Even with a steadily increasing interest in this domain, most reports in global neurosurgery – both in terms of impact andquantity – originate from high-income countries (3). Young neurosurgeons in low- and middle-income countries have universallypointed to a lack of research opportunities as the most common personal challenge to their practices, in addition to limited access tomentors, journals, and textbooks (1). There is a growing audience for global neurosurgical literature and a documented interest amongyoung neurosurgeons for science access.