Empowering Communities: Patient and Public Involvement in Addressing Health Inequalities

Dear Colleagues,

Patient and public involvement (PPI) has emerged as a critical component in designing, implementing, and evaluating public health initiatives. Meaningful engagement with communities and individuals with lived experience can enhance the relevance, acceptability, and effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving population health outcomes. The aim of this Special Issue, therefore, is to advance the evidence base for community empowerment and PPI across diverse public health contexts, with particular emphasis on addressing health inequalities and promoting equity.

We invite original research articles, systematic reviews, and case studies that examine theoretical frameworks, methodological approaches, and practical applications of PPI in public health. Topics of interest include the co-production of interventions with vulnerable or marginalized populations, evaluation of community engagement strategies, the impact of socio-environmental factors on participatory approaches, implementation research involving community partnerships, and innovative methods for amplifying community voices in public health decision-making and dissemination. We particularly welcome submissions that employ mixed-methods designs, examine the role of PPI in reducing health inequalities, or explore the scalability and sustainability of community-led initiatives.

Through this Special Issue, we seek to build a comprehensive understanding of how genuine community empowerment and meaningful involvement can transform public health practice and policy, ultimately leading to more equitable health outcomes.

Dr. Dawn-Marie Walker
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.