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Collection on: Stigma Research and Global Health

Guest editors: Dr. Gretchen Birbeck, Dr. Virginia Bond, Dr. Valerie Earnshaw, Mr. Musah Lumumba El-Nasoor

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In this collection, BMC Medicine presents a series of articles on stigma research and global health that cut across sectors and fields with the goal of breaking down silos and improving our understanding of the role stigma plays in several disease areas, including HIV, TB, mental health disorders, cancer, substance abuse, leprosy, and neurological diseases. This collection includes expert Commentary and Opinion articles, as well as systematic reviews, all with the overarching goals to:

  • Articulate specific research gaps and opportunities that reflect evolving global disease burdens, scientific advances and social/cultural dynamics
  • Inform funders regarding key priorities for research
  • Catalyze new scientific cross-cutting approaches in health-related stigma research
  • Spur new research collaborations between scientific disciplines
  • Make stigma research more accessible to non-stigma experts to facilitate greater understanding of the health impacts of stigma and health outcomes of effective stigma reduction interventions

This BMC Medicine collection was developed in partnership with the Fogarty International Center, National Institute of Health (NIH), United States, and draws upon a 2017 workshop on stigma research and global health organized by the Center. Open access to all accepted articles was funded by the Fogarty International Center.

The responsibility for all final editorial decisions was with the Chief Editor.

  1. It is critically important to conduct research on stigmatized conditions, to include marginalized groups that experience stigma, and to develop interventions to reduce stigma. However, such research is ethical...

    Authors: Joseph Millum, Megan Campbell, Florencia Luna, Arianne Malekzadeh and Quarraisha Abdool Karim
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2019 17:84
  2. Researchers have long recognized that stigma is a global, multi-level phenomenon requiring intervention approaches that target multiple levels including individual, interpersonal, community, and structural lev...

    Authors: Deepa Rao, Ahmed Elshafei, Minh Nguyen, Mark L. Hatzenbuehler, Sarah Frey and Vivian F. Go
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2019 17:41
  3. Stigma is a well-documented barrier to health seeking behavior, engagement in care and adherence to treatment across a range of health conditions globally. In order to halt the stigmatization process and mitig...

    Authors: Anne L. Stangl, Valerie A. Earnshaw, Carmen H. Logie, Wim van Brakel, Leickness C. Simbayi, Iman Barré and John F. Dovidio
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2019 17:31
  4. Stigma in health facilities undermines diagnosis, treatment, and successful health outcomes. Addressing stigma is fundamental to delivering quality healthcare and achieving optimal health. This correspondence ...

    Authors: Laura Nyblade, Melissa A. Stockton, Kayla Giger, Virginia Bond, Maria L. Ekstrand, Roger Mc Lean, Ellen M. H. Mitchell, La Ron E. Nelson, Jaime C. Sapag, Taweesap Siraprapasiri, Janet Turan and Edwin Wouters
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2019 17:25
  5. Stigma is associated with health conditions that drive disease burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including HIV, tuberculosis, mental health problems, epilepsy, and substance use disorders. Ho...

    Authors: Jeremy C. Kane, Melissa A. Elafros, Sarah M. Murray, Ellen M. H. Mitchell, Jura L. Augustinavicius, Sara Causevic and Stefan D. Baral
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2019 17:17
  6. Many health conditions perceived to be contagious, dangerous or incurable, or resulting in clearly visible signs, share a common attribute – an association with stigma and discrimination. While the etiology of...

    Authors: Wim H. van Brakel, Janine Cataldo, Sandeep Grover, Brandon A. Kohrt, Laura Nyblade, Melissa Stockton, Edwin Wouters and Lawrence H. Yang
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2019 17:13
  7. ‘Intersectional stigma’ is a concept that has emerged to characterize the convergence of multiple stigmatized identities within a person or group, and to address their joint effects on health and wellbeing. Wh...

    Authors: Janet M. Turan, Melissa A. Elafros, Carmen H. Logie, Swagata Banik, Bulent Turan, Kaylee B. Crockett, Bernice Pescosolido and Sarah M. Murray
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2019 17:7
  8. Interventions to alleviate stigma are demonstrating effectiveness across a range of conditions, though few move beyond the pilot phase, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Implementation sc...

    Authors: Christopher G. Kemp, Brooke A. Jarrett, Churl-Su Kwon, Lanxin Song, Nathalie Jetté, Jaime C. Sapag, Judith Bass, Laura Murray, Deepa Rao and Stefan Baral
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2019 17:6