GLOBAL JOURNAL OF MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH 1 www.gjmedph.org Vol. 4, No. 5 2015 ISSN#- 2277-9604 GJMEDPH as an initiative and official publication of the Regional Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Kashmir, India S M Kadri * The Global J of Medicine and Public Health (GJMEDPH) is now entering its fourth year as a regular bimonthly publication. Without a doubt, there have been unexpected challenges in launching this entry into a globally competitive environment that is sometimes unwelcoming to the open access model especially when offered from a lesser-known part of the world. We have certainly gone through a steep learning curve, in refining our approach to indexing and developing appropriate guidelines for authors; and to be fair, these are all still “works in progress”. Nonetheless, at this stage, we can state that the potential foreseen in the inaugural editorial (Jan-Feb 2012) is being steadily realized, as GJMEDPH has been warmly welcomed by many readers and authors across all world regions. For those readers who wish to verify our inclusion on the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), all issues can be located at the following site: https://doaj.org/toc/2277-9604 Articles in GJMEDPH are downloadable as PDF documents; in addition to their inclusion in the journal website and DOAJ, journal policy supports self-archiving by authors in repositories of their choice e.g., ResearchGate, arXiv, others. With an emphasis on development settings, the journal is designed as a globally accessible platform for medical and public health investigators striving to advance knowledge, as well as practitioners who wish to keep abreast of evidence-based, and operationally relevant experiences that are applicable to the health of populations especially in low and middle income countries. Peer review and relevant revision of articles is essential for the quality of articles accepted and to the eventual reputation of our journal. While we strive to make our process as efficient as possible, articles typically take 5-6 months to be processed: each is reviewed by an editorial board member, then by two independent referees. Through this process, and with guidance from a globally experienced editorial board, we are striving to deliver an evidence-based publication that is relevant and competent. In launching the present issue, readers will note a change in our banner, taking note that GJMEDPH is a project of the Regional Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Kashmir. The Regional Institute was established under the India Population Project VII (IPP) with assistance from the World Bank, and is meant to serve as an apex institution for the continuing education of in-service health professionals and of staff from non-profit, non- governmental, organizations involved in health activities. The Institute is located at Dhobiwan (literally, the washer-man’s forest), north of Srinagar banking the road leading to the world famous resort of Gulmarg GJMEDPH 2015; Vol. 4, issue 5 *Corresponding Author: S M Kadri Editor in Chief Global Journal of Medicine and Public Health