Obituary: Prof. J. Patrick Vaughan, CBE, founding editor of “Health Policy and Planning”

We are saddened to share the news of the death of Professor J. Patrick Vaughan, CBE, who founded “Health Policy and Planning” and was its first editor, together with Professor Gill Walt. Forty years ago Patrick conceived of this journal, with a specific focus on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), to meet the “need for an international forum in which issues in health policy and planning, management and evaluation can be openly discussed” (Vaughan et al. 1986: 3). Establishing the journal in 1986, through a joint venture between the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Oxford University Press, reflects Patrick’s vision and prescience. A medical doctor and epidemiologist by training, Patrick realized the importance of multidisciplinary work in understanding health and development issues, and this was from the start an important focus of the journal—indeed until 2014 its strapline was “A Journal on Health in Development.” Patrick was also firm in his belief that the journal should publish a balance of theoretical and practical pieces, as well as support critical appraisals both of existing policies and of dominant methodological approaches. With experience of working within countries across continents, in Papua New Guinea, Tanzania, Bangladesh, and the UK, as well as working with international agencies, he brought a huge breadth of experience to the role of editor and a special commitment to supporting authors from LMICs. As a journal, we have sought to maintain these foundational principles over the years. This journal is itself also an indicator of Patrick’s seminal contribution to LSHTM’s work in the field of what is now called global health. Initially leading the Tropical Epidemiology Unit (now the International Statistics and Epidemiology Group), Patrick went on to establish the Evaluation and Planning Centre for Primary Health Care (EPC). It became a global leader in multidisciplinary research addressing health and health care needs in LMICs that emphasized the importance of building up locally accessible and equitable health services. This journal reflected and sought to support the work of those who, like the EPC, emphasized the centrality of politics, economics, and other social sciences in guiding action to address health problems. It nurtured the development of the evidence base on health policy, services, and systems, to the extent that this is now the strapline of the journal—“The Journal on Health Policy and Systems Research.” Patrick later established the Department, now Faculty, of Public Health and Policy, which remains the LSHTM home of the journal. Beyond research, Patrick was a mentor and friend to many, generous and kind in his approach to leadership and collaboration. He was a role model of engaged scholarship, and supported colleagues and PhD students across the world to develop applied, multidisciplinary health research groups that engaged practically with real-life challenges. His students and mentees have gone on to make seminal contributions to both scholarship and research capacity. As the current co-editors of “Health Policy and Planning” we seek to maintain the legacy of Patrick’s commitments to multidisciplinary, applied health policy and health systems research in LMICs, as we continue to adapt and adjust to a changing world. No ethical approval was required for this study. None declared. No new data were generated or analysed in support of thisresearch.

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