“You can’t use an old map to explore a new world.”
-Albert Einstein
A year ago, we paused at the close of a tumultuous and unpredictable year to honour the lives and legacies of Northerners lost too soon in the wake of a devastating and unpredictable pandemic. A year later, we are all just beginning to see the other side of this wild river crossing, and so we write with deep gratitude for the inspiring efforts of so many Arctic neighbours who did everything they could to keep themselves and others safe and well in very challenging times, and for the development and distribution of safe and effective vaccines and treatment strategies that continue to save lives every day. We are not yet through this terrifying ride, but we can see its end ahead. A new world awaits us. How will we use the tough lessons learned?
In June 2020, key Arctic leaders prepared an expert briefing about the unique risks and benefits of this unique time for Senior Arctic Officials that highlighted the following themes:
The value of enhancing international collaborations to support research and policy actions for current and future pandemic realities
The necessity of ensuring that Arctic peoples lead efforts to define and respond to their communities’ needs
The impact of fragile, sub-standard or absent critical physical and social infrastructure (healthcare, water and sewage, housing, telecommunications, education, energy, transportation)
The unique health and social needs and circumstances of Arctic inhabitants, including the value and relevance of Indigenous traditional practices
The importance of data consistency, information sharing, observation and research across the Arctic with particular attention to strengthening local involvement and capacity
The need to foster and contribute to the resilience of Arctic communities (economic diversification, cultural integrity, social viability and environmental sustainability)
Decisive action and community leadership
These initially identified and familiar issues remain, if anything, even more relevant, as we shape a post-pandemic world together. We know the burdens and benefits of this global crisis were unevenly distributed, and in many cases, existing disparities and inequities were exacerbated. It is in this context and understanding that we pause to reflect a bit on the state and progress of our shared Journal in this past year.
An attentive reader is likely to encounter every one of these important themes applied and/or addressed in the papers included in our 2021 Issue. Despite extraordinary challenges and uncommon competing demands, diverse authors and research teams submitted almost 100 manuscripts for review this year, and our talented and dedicated all-volunteer Reviewers continued to provide essential and helpful perspective to further strengthen the strongest submissions prior to publication. I encourage you all to explore these informative papers and to benefit from the insights gained.
The impact of these articles beyond our network and pages continues to grow. Our Thompson Impact Factor (IF) has increased from .707 in 2015 to 1.180 in 2018 to 1.228 in 2020, and our 5 year IF in 2020 is 1.663.
We pause once again to express our thanks to all our authors and readers, and all those who laboured behind the scenes and in often difficult circumstances to co-produce our Journal this year. You may recognise your own name and perhaps several of your colleagues in the searchable index on our website and/or Reviewer list below; we owe you all a debt of gratitude.
Thanks, too, to our gifted and steadfast Editorial Team who often share their expertise and perspectives on short notice and help us continue to build on the excellent work of others. Warm thanks to all who have built and sustain the solid foundations for our always evolving circumpolar health community, and to all who bring our shared vision of arctic health and well-being to life in their everyday work. We are grateful for your dedicated efforts and collaborative energy! We look forward to navigating and co-creating this new world with all of you.
Deputy Editors
Tracey Galloway – University of Toronto, Canada
Anders Koch – Statens Serum Institut, Denmark
Associate Editors
Andrej M. Grjibovski – Northern State Medical University Arkhangelsk, Russia
Marit Jorgensen – Steno Diabetes Centre Copenhagen, Denmark
Juhani Leppäluoto – University of Oulu, Finland
Jon Øyvind Odland – University of Tromsø, Norway
Pamela Orr – University of Manitoba, Canada
Past Editors-in-Chief
Kue Young (2012–2015)
Tiina Ikäheimo (2009–2011)
Juhani Hassi (2001–2008)