Contributing to the Evidence in Times of Conflict
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East represents one of the most complex humanitarian and public health crises of our generation. Across the region, communities are facing displacement, overwhelmed hospitals, infrastructure collapse, infectious disease threats, and profound psychological trauma. Healthcare workers and humanitarian responders continue to deliver care under extraordinary conditions—often at great personal risk.
These realities demand more than compassion alone. They demand documentation, evidence, and shared lessons.
That is why Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness has issued a special Call for Papers focused on the health and disaster-medicine impacts of conflict in the Middle East. This special issue seeks to elevate rigorous scholarship, field reports, and operational insights that can strengthen preparedness systems worldwide and I’m honored to serve as one of the Guest Editors for this issue.
Why this matters now
In conflict settings, we see:
-
Emergency departments operating under siege
-
Mass-casualty care with scarce supplies
-
Attacks on healthcare workers and facilities
-
Disrupted maternal and pediatric services
-
Long-term mental health consequences for entire generations
-
Ethical dilemmas that most clinicians never imagined facing
Yet too often, these experiences go undocumented. The knowledge stays local. The lessons are lost.
When we publish our experiences, we:
-
Improve global readiness
-
Inform policy
-
Protect healthcare workers
-
Strengthen humanitarian systems
-
Give voice to frontline clinicians
Evidence saves lives just as surely as clinical skill does.
Topics we’re especially seeking
The journal welcomes submissions on:
-
Public health impacts of displacement and disease outbreaks
-
Emergency and trauma care during sustained conflict
-
Protection of healthcare workers and infrastructure
-
Mental and behavioral health consequences
-
Ethics, humanitarian law, and access to care
-
Emerging tools like AI, telemedicine, drones, and digital surveillance
-
Special considerations for children, older adults, refugees, and vulnerable populations
Manuscript types range from original research and systematic reviews to field reports, commentaries, and operational lessons learned.
Who should submit?
If you are:
-
A disaster or emergency nurse
-
A public health professional
-
A humanitarian responder
-
A clinician working in or supporting conflict zones
-
A researcher studying health impacts of war
-
A policy or systems leader
Your voice belongs in this issue.
Especially if you are working inside affected regions, your lived expertise is invaluable.
Key dates
-
Initial submissions open: January 26, 2026
-
Final deadline: April 30, 2026
Conflict medicine is no longer a distant specialty, it is shaping everyday emergency care, humanitarian response, and public health policy worldwide. The lessons learned in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and surrounding regions inform how we prepare for disasters everywhere.
If you have knowledge that could help protect one more nurse, strengthen one more hospital, or guide one more response team, please consider sharing it.
Your experience matters.
Your voice matters.
Your work can change outcomes.
Let’s make sure it’s documented.
#adventureswithnursejamlaConflict in the Middle East CFP