Students’ Den: Germán Guerra, Editor of the Young Researcher Editorials Series

We are happy to host an interview with Germán Guerra, student Editor of our Young Researcher Editorials (YRE) series! German is based the Institute of Global Health at the University of Geneva and his PhD topic is “Depressive Symptomatology among Paid Domestic Workers in Mexico”. He has an expertise on global health, social determinants of health and health equity. We look forward to your comments!

Tell us a bit about yourself!

I have worked in Social Science and Public Health research projects in diverse public and private sector institutions in Mexico since 2006. I have collaborated in several multi-centric research projects in academic and public health institutions from the Americas, Europe, and African regions. I have served at a Health Science Researcher position in the Global Health Program of the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico since 2012. My research interests focus on global health and its social determinants, health equity, and the impacts on health of employment and working conditions. Besides global public health, I enjoy all kinds of thought-provoking exchanges, and I am deeply passionate about cinema, cooking, and scuba diving.    

What is your motivation in applying/joining the team?

When I learned about the chance to join the YRE board, I did not hesitate to apply for the position. It promised an engaging experience of learning-by-doing on the intricacies of the scientific editing and publishing processes, hand to hand with other PhD candidates, and under the guidance of the Editors in Chief and Managing Editor of the International Journal of Public Health. I also felt compelled to be in the team because it would signify an important achievement, being the first scientific editorial board that I had joined in my young career as a researcher.

How has the experience helped you so far?

After almost two years in the YRE team I have become aware of the progressive improvement of my writing and analytical skills when reading and reviewing scientific manuscripts. This benefit is twofold. On the one hand, I feel more competent to critically and constructively assess other PhD. candidates’ written work. On the other hand, I have realized the strengths and pitfalls of my own capabilities to convey a solid argumentation in scientific writing and prepare a manuscript for publication. Also, my experience in the board has introduced me to never previously experienced challenges during the peer-review process, especially when confronted with manuscripts that fall outside my field of expertise, that encourage me to think and learn beyond the boundaries of my knowledge to provide a fair and helpful review. Finally, being a member of the YRE board has opened up other doors and professional opportunities in my hometown institution as a health science researcher and the scientific editorial world.

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