A Vision for Health Sciences Research in the Eastern Mediterranean

Abstract

A Vision for Health Sciences Research in the Eastern Mediterranean

A journal born at a historic crossroads…

It is with great pride and a deep sense of responsibility that we publish the first issue of the Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Journal of Health Sciences. This publication comes to life not merely as a new academic publishing platform, but as a commitment to making meaningful contributions to the development of health sciences knowledge rooted in one of the world’s most historically and culturally significant regions.

Founded in 1979 in Gazimağusa, Northern Cyprus, the Eastern Mediterranean University has established itself as one of the international universities of the Eastern Mediterranean basin, hosting students and academics from over 100 countries. This cosmopolitan structure is no coincidence — it is a direct reflection of the region’s role as a meeting point for people, ideas, and healing traditions for centuries. It is precisely this diversity that makes EMU the ideal home for a journal that embraces the breadth and complexity of the health sciences.

The rationale for interdisciplinary health research…

Today’s health challenges are pushing the boundaries of existing academic disciplines. The burden of non-communicable diseases, the health consequences of political, economic, and climate-driven migration, the increasing prevalence of mental health disorders, and persistent inequalities in healthcare access — all these require responses that bring together health sciences, social sciences, public policy, environmental sciences and behavioural psychology. A journal that confines itself to a single discipline cannot adequately address the challenges of our time.

For this reason, the EMU Journal of Health Sciences, hosted by the Eastern Mediterranean University Faculty of Health Sciences—which encompasses programmes in nursing, physiotherapy, nutrition and dietetics, exercise and sports sciences, and health management—has been designed as an interdisciplinary academic publishing platform. We would like to state that we look forward to publishing original research, systematic reviews, case reports and commentaries in these fields.

The Eastern Mediterranean is important from a global health perspective…

The Eastern Mediterranean region, encompassing Cyprus, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Egypt, Libya and neighbouring countries, is home to over 700 million people and occupies a strategic position in terms of global health. Possessing extraordinary biodiversity, rich hydrocarbon resources and a deep-rooted agricultural heritage, this region also faces severe water scarcity, rapid urbanisation, ongoing conflicts and significant refugee populations. 

However, research conducted in the Eastern Mediterranean and on this region remains under-represented in the global literature. Addressing this imbalance is one of our journal’s core objectives — not by retreating into regional insularity, but by advocating that knowledge grounded in local contexts holds universal significance. 

An invitation to the academic community…

EMU Journal of Health Sciences aims to be a journal dedicated to the advancement of science in this region and the health of its people. Our journal adheres to a rigorous and transparent peer-review process and upholds an open and accessible academic ethos. Our international editorial and advisory board continues to grow and diversify with each passing day. We invite all health sciences professionals, researchers, clinicians, public health specialists and social scientists to embrace this journal as a home for their work.

Dr. Mitat Koz

Editor