The International Journal of Circumpolar Health
The International Journal of Circumpolar Health is the flagship journal of the circumpolar health movement. The quarterly journal specializes in Arctic and Antarctic health issues and provides a forum for many disciplines, including the biomedical sciences, social sciences, and humanities as they relate to human health in high latitude environments. The journal has a particular interest in the health of indigenous peoples. The journal is a vehicle for dissemination and exchange of knowledge among researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and those they serve.
The publishing activity related to arctic health research was originally initiated through the Nordic Council of Ministers and its Secretariat of Arctic Medicine in 1969. The secretariat organised expert meetings, of which the summaries formed the initial series of publications. The first of these publications entitled Nordic Council for Arctic Medical Research Report appeared in 1972. The publication series was given the name Arctic Medical Research in 1984 and it was indexed in Medline in 1986. As from 1997 the journal?s name changed into International Journal of Circumpolar Health.
The responsibility for the publishing was carried out by the Institute of Arctic Medicine at the University of Oulu from 1996. The other publishers at that time were the International Union of Circumpolar Health and the Nordic Society for Arctic Medicine. In 2003 the University of Alaska Anchorage and University of Manitoba joined as publishers. A considerable change in the ownership of the journal occurred in 2004 when the International Association of Circumpolar Health Publishers (IACHP) was established. At this time a total of five members established the publishing association. Since the formation of the publishing association it has gradually expanded to include many northern universities, research networks and scientific societies. In 2012, the IACHP merged with the International Network of Circumpolar Health Researchers (INCHR) to form the Circumpolar Health Research Network (CirchNet).
In 2007 a new independent publication series entitled Circumpolar Health Supplements was formed.