Author Q&A with Patience Afulani

To celebrate the launch of PLOS Global Public Health, we spoke with authors of our first published articles to find out a little bit more about them, their work, and why they chose to publish with the journal.

For this second author Q&A, we spoke with Patience Afulani, who is Assistant Professor, Epidemiology & Biostatistics at University of California, San Francisco, USA.

Read on to learn more about the published research, which factors were important when selecting PLOS Global Public Health, and the overall experience.

Tell us a little about your research.

My primary research focuses on the social and health system drivers of inequities in reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health. I have completed projects in Ghana, Kenya, India, and the United States examining sources of disparities in the use and quality of maternal health services and in birth outcomes; designing tools to measure person-centered maternal health care (PCMHC: i.e., responsive and respectful care during pregnancy and childbirth); understanding the drivers of poor PCMHC and designing and evaluating interventions to improve quality and reduce inequities in PCMHC.

I am currently the Principal Investigator of several projects, including an NICHD R00 award, on addressing provider stress and implicit bias to improve PCMHC. During this pandemic, I extended my work on the impact of healthcare workers wellbeing and motivation on PCMHC, to examining the impact of the pandemic on the wellbeing and motivation of healthcare workers. 

What are the important factors that you look for when selecting a journal for your research?

Fit with the journal’s mission, speed of peer review and publication, and impact or potential impact of publishing in that journal.

Why did you decide to publish with PLOS Global Public Health?

We thought our topic was a good fit for the journal, given the journal’s mission. Although it was a new journal with no history to assess its impact, we were excited by the mission to “amplify the voices of underrepresented and historically excluded communities and prioritize equity, diversity, and inclusion at all levels…to broaden the range and diversity of perspectives at the forefront of public health and advance the health of all humankind.”

What was your experience of the GPH publishing process?

It was one of the best experiences I have ever had with a journal. The time from submission to acceptance was great: just about 3 months which is relatively short compared to my experience with most other journals. The peer reviewers provided critical but useful and fair feedback and the editor was great in making a quick decision after we responded to the reviewer comments

What advice would you give to other authors considering publishing with PLOS GPH?

Certainly, go for it. 

Would you publish with PLOS again? Why?

Yes, I would. It is a good fit for most of my research projects and reaches my intended audience. I have also had a great experience publishing with them.

Read the article: Job satisfaction among healthcare workers in Ghana and Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic: Role of perceived preparedness, stress, and burnout

Find out more about PLOS Global Public Health from the Co-Editors-in-Chief. Thinking about submitting? Discover 6 more reasons why authors choose to publish with PLOS.