Call for paper - Effect of climate change on inequities in healthcare and on (vulnerable) health systems

Guest Editor

Michael Tong, MBBS, MPH, PhD, Australian National University, Australia

Submission Status: Open | Submission Deadline: 27 June 2025

BMC Health Services Research is calling for submissions to our Collection on Effect of climate change on inequities in healthcare and on (vulnerable) health systems.

Climate change is intensifying global health disparities, especially among marginalized populations and vulnerable healthcare systems. This collection invites original research, systematic reviews, and scoping reviews on the health impacts of climate change, with a focus on healthcare inequities and system resilience. Topics include health disparities, access to care, resilience in low-income regions, environmental determinants, adaptation strategies, policy interventions, technology’s role, and case studies on climate change and health equity. Contribute your research to address this critical issue.

New Content Item This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, and SDG 13: Climate Action.

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Meet the Guest Editor

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Michael Tong, MBBS, MPH, PhD, Australian National University, Australia

Dr Michael Tong is a Senior Research Fellow in Environment, Climate and Health Group at the ANU National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health. Dr Tong is an experienced medical science and public health researcher with a strong background in environmental health, climate change, epidemiology, risk assessment, healthcare cost evaluation, public and community health promotion, and vulnerable population health research. Dr Tong's research focus on addressing the challenges of climate change on population health, the Burden of Disease Assessment and National Environmental Health Risk Assessment including health impacts of extreme heat, bushfires, droughts, floods, cyclones, and rising sea levels, and community health promotion for climate change adaptations.

About the Collection

BMC Health Services Research is calling for submissions to our Collection on Effect of climate change on inequities in healthcare and on (vulnerable) health systems.

Climate change poses a significant threat to global health, exacerbating existing disparities and overwhelming vulnerable healthcare systems. The effects of climate change disproportionately impact marginalized populations, deepening health inequities and challenging healthcare infrastructure. This collection aims to explore the multifaceted impacts of climate change on healthcare inequities and the resilience of vulnerable health systems. It seeks to address how environmental changes exacerbate existing disparities in healthcare access and quality, particularly for marginalized populations.

This Collection invites original research articles, systematic reviews, and scoping reviews that investigate the direct and indirect health effects of climate change, the preparedness and adaptability of health systems, and policy responses to mitigate these challenges. Topics include but are not limited to:

Impact of climate change on health disparities
Climate change affecting access to healthcare for marginalized communities
Resilience of health systems in low-income regions to climate change
Environmental determinants of health and healthcare inequities
Adaptation strategies for healthcare systems facing climate change
Policy interventions to address climate-induced health inequities
The role of technology in mitigating the health impacts of climate change
Case studies on climate change and health equity
Impact of climate change on mental health of vulnerable populations
Collaborative approaches to strengthen health system resilience to climate change

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, and SDG 13: Climate Action.

There are currently no articles in this collection.

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Effect of climate change on inequities in healthcare and on (vulnerable) health systems" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.