History, commitments, and relevance: celebrating the 30 years of Journal Ciência & Saúde ColetivaThe 30th anniversary edition of Journal Ciência & Saúde Coletiva (C&SC) of the Brazilian Association of Collective Health (Abrasco) allows us to reflect on the advances made in the field of which C&SC is the most prestigious expression. After all, C&SC has influenced and been influenced by the development of the field from which it derives its name.
When it first appeared in 1995, public health had 15 postgraduate programs in public health, eight of which also offered doctoral programs1. They were predominantly concentrated in the Southeast and varied greatly in terms of faculty qualifications, installed capacity, and influence in scientific circles2.
The C&SC emerged at a time of enthusiasm following the effective implementation of the Unified Health System (SUS) two years earlier, which increased the demand for qualified professionals in public health, which in turn spurred improvements in the training of higher education teachers and postgraduate education in Brazil.
The Journal helped shape the concept of public health as a multidisciplinary field of research, teaching, and professional practice. Together with Abrasco, it played a major role in establishing institutional frameworks for the field. After all, what else can attest to who and what is linked to the field of public health in Brazil?
At the root of the construction of this institutional framework and the emergence of the C&SC lies the leadership of Cecília Minayo, to whom, on behalf of the Abrasco Board of Directors, I express my gratitude. Between 1993 and 1995, Cecília Minayo was the first representative of the field at the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES). In 1995, she became president of Abrasco (where she remained until 1997) and founded the C&SC, also assuming its editorial direction. The successful experience of the C&SC was important for the launch of the Brazilian Journal of Epidemiology in 19981. Abrasco, as a coordinating center for academic postgraduate programs and its scientific journals, were decisive in the growth of the field of research and teaching, gaining recognition among its peers in academia and deepening the influence that the health movement exerted on the governance and management of the SUS at its three levels.
Thirty years after its inception, C&SC is the most prestigious of the 20 Brazilian scientific journals classified as being in the field of public health, which has 101 academic postgraduate programs. The journal’s scope reflects what is being produced in academia, in public and private services, and in social movements. Consequently, this special edition presents both a historical overview of the development of C&SC and bibliographic reviews of the most prominent contemporary thematic groups.
The first article is an account of the development and implementation of the C&SC editorial project by Cecília Minayo. She also leads the evaluation of what was published in the 65 thematic editions between 2020 and 2024. The edition includes reviews of various approaches, with different observation periods, on the following topics: epidemiology; nutrition; health education; mental health; pharmaceutical care; environmental health; information and communication. Finally, there is an article on the relevance of reviews in the C&SC editorial project.
This commemorative edition provides an overview of a vigorous production that sought to be in tune with the challenges of its time, with the strengthening of the SUS and with equity in health. We all have many reasons to celebrate. Abrasco congratulates everyone who has made this endeavor possible: authors, reviewers, translators, support staff, and publishers.
References
- 1 Barata RB. A Abrasco e a Pós-Graduação Stricto Sensu em Saúde Coletiva. In: Lima NT, Santana JP, Paiva CHA, organizadores. Saúde coletiva: a Abrasco em 35 anos de história. Rio de Janeiro: Editora Fiocruz; 2015. p. 169-198.
- 2 Minayo MCS. Atuação da Abrasco em relação ao ensino de pós-graduação na área de saúde coletiva. In: Lima NT, Santana JP, editores. Saúde coletiva como compromisso: a trajetória da Abrasco. Rio de Janeiro: Editora Fiocruz, Abrasco; 2006. p. 117-144.
