Journal History

In winter 1991, the International Society on Hypertension in Blacks (ISHIB) published its first issue of Ethnicity & Disease under the guidance of Editor-in-Chief Richard S. Cooper, MD and a 21-member editorial board. In his introductory editorial, Cooper defined the purpose of the journal as an attempt to answer two fundamental questions related to health status among particular ethnic groups: "What are the causes of the variation in health status and what do these differences tell us about health and disease in our species as a whole?"

Now in its 32nd year of continuous publication, Ethnicity & Disease continues to seek well-researched answers to these questions in an organized fashion to further the body of knowledge important to understanding health disparities and the multidimensional interactions (eg, social, cultural, behavior, environment,and more) that drive health outcomes. The journal continues to publish quarterly issues and supplements reflecting research in focus areas including: cardiovascular disease and its risk factors, obesity, diabetes, mental health, public health and other timely topics as they arise.

In 2018, ISHIB merged most of its assets, with the exclusion of the journal Ethnicity & Disease, with the American Heart Association (AHA).

Ethnicity & Disease, Inc. was incorporated in May 2018 in the state of Maryland as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation. The sole purpose of the corporation is the production and publication of the journal Ethnicity & Disease. In September 2018, the journal was transferrerd from ISHIB to Ethnicity & Disease, Inc.

Past Editors-in-Chief and Affiliations at Time of Service

1991-1996

Founding Editor-in-Chief
Richard S. Cooper, MD
Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology
Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine
Chicago, Illinois

1997

Editor-in-Chief
Warren Lockette, MD
Wayne State University School of Medicine
Detroit, Michigan

1998

Editor-in-Chief
Zafar H. Israili, PhD
Emory University School of Medicine
Atlanta, Georgia

1999 - 2001

Acting Editor-in-Chief
James W. Reed, MD
Morehouse School of Medicine
Atlanta, Georgia

2001 – 2016

Editor-in-Chief
Keith C. Norris, MD, PhD
UCLA Geffen School of Medicine
Los Angeles, California

2016 - Current

Roland J. Thorpe, Jr., PhD
Editor-in-Chief
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Baltimore, Maryland