The first-ever medical journal in Bhutan, the Bhutan Health Journal (BHJ), was published and launched on November 11, 2015, in honor of the 60th birth anniversary of the Fourth Druk Gyalpo His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck. The journal serves as a platform to publish scientific articles for researchers, a learning platform for new health professionals, and a source for helping policymakers make evidence-based decisions. This year, as we prepare for the second edition of the BHJ, the second training for authors, reviewers, and editors was led by the Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan on January 4–8 for more than 30 participants.
The training provided exposure for health professionals, built capacity for potential authors, and widened the existing pool of reviewers in Bhutan. The first two days of the workshop enhanced the skills and knowledge of local authors and potential future authors. Seventeen articles were refined during this session in consultation with international editors, including Dr. Kaveh Khoshnood from the Yale School of Public Health, Dr. William McFarlan from the University of California, San Francisco, and Dr. Saiman Nundy from Ganga Ram Institute. The second half of the training focused on building capacity for peer reviewers, who will serve as future BHJ reviewers, and the last session focused on training board members of the journal for planning the way forward.
The second BHJ issue is scheduled to launch in May 2016. The BHJ is a joint initiative of the Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan (KGUMSB) and Bhutan Foundation.
