The
history of science has repeatedly shown that when hypotheses are proposed it is
impossible to predict which will turn out to be revolutionary and which will be
considered ridiculous
(http://medicalhypotheses.blogspot.com/2009/12/david-horrobins-inaugural-editorial.html).
Also, hypotheses that appear to be ridiculous now or even 50 years from now may
turn out to be genius 100 years later. For example, William Coley, who
pioneered the development of cancer immunotherapy in late part of the 19th
century, was not recognized for his discoveries until the end of the 20th century.
Furthermore, a large number of wonderful hypotheses have been lost due to the
inability to record them. Most of the works of Al-Farabi, the 10th century
scientist, philosopher, cosmologist, and musician who was born in modern
Kazakhstan, were not recorded during his lifetime, depriving his followers from
effectively using his ideas.
With the introduction of Internet technologies, we now have the capability to
share our most innovative ideas with the rest of the world. To speed up the
translation of science from labs to classrooms, researchers from the University
of Pittsburgh started the Global Health Network Supercourse project in the late
1990s (www.pitt.edu/~super1), where lectures are used as “nuggets of knowledge”
to be shared with scientists around the world. The new Central Asian Journal of
Global Health will be the first open access scientific journal affiliated with
the Supercourse network. This journal is a direct outgrowth of the Supercourse
effort, possible due to the large network that has been developed as a result
of the Supercourse activities.
The Central Asian Journal of Global Health is a biannual journal aimed at those
working in the fields of public health and medicine. Specifically, our aim is
to focus on a geographic region that is not sufficiently highlighted by
existing journals: Central Asia. However, this journal will not be limited to
research from Central Asia, but will be open to submissions from around the
world. In addition to the highest-quality reviews and perspectives covering the
field of health in Central Asia, each issue will include news stories and
investigations into the hottest topics and new research practices in the field
of public health, helping us fulfill our goal of uniting multiple disciplines
and cross-disciplinary research under one roof.
The Supercourse and the new journal will greatly interface with each other.
Each will rely on a similar network of over 50,000 scientists from 174
countries that utilize the Supercourse library. Furthermore, every author of an
accepted article will be strongly encouraged to submit a Supercourse lecture in
PowerPoint format to rapidly disseminate the findings.
The Central Asian Journal of Global Health is a fully peer-reviewed online open
access journal. It will provide a forum for discussion for all aspects of
public health, medicine, and global health in Central Asia and around the
world. The Central Asian Journal of Global Health is dedicated to publishing
material of the highest scholarly interest, and to this end we have assembled a
distinguished Editorial Advisory board. We welcome contributions from
established researchers, especially those working on cutting edge questions,
but we are also keen to act as a supportive environment for new investigators
and for those who have never published in English language journals before.
Our hope is that this journal will serve as a greenhouse for revolutionary
biomedical and public health ideas in Central Asia and around the world.
Please send us your papers through the journal’s website at
http://cajgh.pitt.edu.