Bolstering Health Equity Research for Practice: The Impact of Dr. Lloyd Novick’s Editorial Vision

Introduction Health equity has increasingly become a top priority in public health practice and policy, as a result of a growing commitment to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to achieve their optimal level of health.1,2 Defined as "the attainment of the highest level of health for all people," health equity underscores the necessity of addressing upstream social determinants of health (SDoH) and institutional barriers that unfairly impact downstream health outcomes of vulnerable populations.2 The importance of SDoH, community engagement, and structural racism in influencing health outcomes has been increasingly acknowledged in public health discourse during the last 20 years.3 The purpose of this commentary is to highlight the critical role played by the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice (JPHMP), especially under the editorial leadership of Dr. Lloyd Novick, in promoting health equity research and policy discussions. Dr. Novick proactively solicited and published practice-based research to advance health equity through special supplements of the journal, triggering progress toward health equity. By carefully examining the journal's output between 1995 and 2024, we investigate how Dr. Novick's goal of advancing fairness as a fundamental tenet in public health research and practice evolved. Recent research in the JPHMP demonstrates that health equity has become a practical principle in public health with articles focusing on community engagement, organizational leadership, and workforce development, with an emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion.4-6 Equity-centric public health practice is also implemented across other domains, encompassing survivor assistance in emergencies, as well as the utilization of data systems and geospatial tools to facilitate equitable resource distribution.7-9 Additional areas of application include redistribution informed by social determinants, reinforcing maternal health competencies, advocating for cannabis social equity policies, and facilitating cross-sector collaboration for systemic transformation.10-12 Equity approaches are evident in data and measurement innovations, as well as social equity initiatives that rectify historical injustices through criminal justice reform and community reinvestment.13 These examples collectively highlight research showcasing extensive integration of health equity into public health practice and policy. Foundational Editorial Vision and Increasing Focus on Health Equity Under Dr. Novick's Leadership Since its inaugural volume under the editorial guidance of Dr. Lloyd Novick, the founding editor-in-chief, the JPHMP has consistently exhibited a forward-looking vision that integrates health equity as a key construct in its articles, commentaries, and editorials. A 1995 paper from the inaugural volume of the JPHMP highlighted health equity as a key concept. This research concluded that "… the public health community should develop a collaborative and inclusive vision of public health … to ensure a stronger system that can meet the health and health equity challenges ahead."14 This commitment of the journal intensified over subsequent decades and became particularly apparent in special supplements. The January/February 2016 Health Equity Supplement (Volume 22, Supplement 1) featured significant contributions aimed at enhancing the science and practice of health equity, including equity-centric measurement methodologies, policy approaches, and community-driven models to address racism and structural obstacles. A year prior, a supplement was dedicated to healthy kids, healthy communities (May/June 2015), featuring research on location-specific disparities, community health, and social variables affecting child health. Four additional supplements were dedicated to health equity or/and SDoH research after that, including the supplement on public health interventions to address health disparities associated with structural racism (Jan/Feb 2022), Healthy People 2030: Advancing Health, Well-being and Health Equity for All (Nov/Dec 2021), Tribal Epidemiology (Sep/Oct 2019) that focused on Indigenous health, sovereignty, and culturally relevant approaches to equity and SDoH (JPHMP Supplements, https://journals.lww.com/jphmp/Pages/Supplements.aspx). The number of equity-related publications in the JPHMP has consistently increased, indicating the journal's proactive intent to promote health equity-focused research and the field's evolving principles, such as Public Health 3.0. For instance, in the early 2000s, only a few articles focusing on health equity were published each year, but from 2015, the output rose to double digits, peaking at 19 articles in 2016, 45 in 2022, and 44 in 2024 (Figure 1). In total, PubMed indexing reveals 243 publications that include "health equity" in the title or abstract, and 205 articles with "equity" as a search term. This trend underscores Dr. Novick's fundamental editorial vision: cultivating an inclusive platform that promotes underrepresented subjects and authors, focuses on the SDoH, and establishes equality as essential to public health administration and practice. Figures 1 and 1-S (Supplemental Digital Content, available at https://links.lww.com/JPHMP/B593) illustrate the trends indicating the journal's growing emphasis on health equity, with a steady increase in publications over time that mirrors the field's broader prioritization of equity in public health practice.FIGURE 1: Number of Publications in the JPHMP With Equity as a PubMed Search Term in Title or Abstract Impactful Scholarship Several publications in the JPHMP have received the highest number of citations per Google Scholar (as of August 31, 2025), highlighting the journal's crucial role in advancing public health scholarship focused on equity. The paper by Penman-Aguilar et al on measurement of health disparities, inequities, and socioeconomic determinants of health received 379 citations, making it the most impactful article.14 This article provided a framework that was widely used for promoting equity measurement. Research by Gómez et al, cited 341 times, articulated strategies for embedding equity and SDoH into national objectives.15 Pronk and colleagues' work, published in 2021, was cited 124 times, emphasizing well-being and equity as public health priorities for the coming decade.16 The Gómez et al and Pronk et al articles were linked to Healthy People 2030 and had a significant influence in the field. The paper by Shah et al discussed the harmful consequences of COVID-19 on health equity and the socioeconomic determinants of health.17 The authors drew attention to the structural imbalances that were exposed as a result of the pandemic. Plough et al, with 98 citations, examined lessons from the H1N1 response in Los Angeles County, providing 1 of the initial JPHMP analyses of pandemics from an equity perspective.18 These works, when considered as a whole, demonstrate the significant impact of just the top 5 cited articles published in JPHMP under Dr. Novick's editorial vision on large-scale practice and policy discussions, as evidenced by the high citation impact of these pieces. These papers highlight JPHMP's alignment with national priorities and their role in bridging evidence, policy, and practice. State and Local Health Departments' Capacity-Building Through Proactive Editorial Practices Under Dr. Novick's editorial leadership, the JPHMP became a trusted platform for practice-based research evidence that supports equity-guided public health practice. All accepted submissions were required to include a section covering "Implications for Policy & Practice," a JPHMP innovation under Dr. Novick. To promote the use of practice-relevant research in real-world applications, the journal required authors to summarize their work's direct relevance to public health policy and practice in 100 to 200 words. These practice and policy implications, presented as bulleted points at the end of the discussion and conclusions, ensured that each contribution provided actionable insights in jargon-free language for practitioners and policymakers and discouraged speculation and overgeneralization of the findings. By including practice-based research in its publication strategy, JPHMP strengthened its role as a catalyst for evidence-based practice and policy. Community health evaluations, accreditation, and performance improvement frameworks were used to operationalize equity. The authors often established these frameworks with NACCHO, ASTHO, and academic-public health partners. Public health agencies learned how to incorporate equity into strategic planning and workforce development from these contributions. Health Equity During Crises and Beyond COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated structural inequities, prompting the JPHMP to publish equity-focused commentaries and research that emphasized the disproportionate effects on vulnerable populations.17 Two particularly noteworthy supplements published during the COVID-19 crisis attracted national attention to the intersection of crises and equity priorities. These supplements included "Healthy People 2030: Advancing Health, Well-being, and Health Equity for All" (Nov/Dec 2021) and "Public Health Interventions to Address Health Disparities Associated with Structural Racism" (Jan/Feb 2022). Articles in these issues emphasized strategies that encompassed the development of community-informed COVID-19 testing models and the integration of equity into state health improvement plans. This rapid dissemination was indicative of a culture of urgency surrounding social justice in public health emergencies, which was fostered by Novick's editorial vision. This vision ascertained that equity remained a central concern even during the crisis response. Conclusions By publishing research that informs practice and policy, Dr. Novick's editorial vision has helped shape the national health equity discourse. The journal has bridged the study to public health decision making through supplements, practice-based reports, and new editing standards, including the introduction of the "Implications for Policy & Practice" section. Dr. Lloyd Novick's editorial leadership played a crucial role in establishing health equity as a key concept before it became a national priority. His dedication to minority voices, addressing structural inequities, and understanding the SDoH has shaped public health practice. Researchers, practitioners, and policymakers must utilize JPHMP to advance equity-driven research, as public health inequities persist and emerge. This will honor Dr. Novick and keep the journal a catalyst for evidence-informed change, supporting the next generation of practice and policy innovations needed to achieve health equity for everyone.