The Albanian Journal of Medical and Health Sciences (AJMHS) is an International official journal of the University of Medicine, Tirana, (Universiteti i Mjekësisë, Tiranë - UMT) in the Republic of Albania. AJMHS is a peer-reviewed open-access scientific journal, published three times a year. It publishes articles from a variety of methodologies and approaches of high scientific standard in the full spectrum of medical and health sciences.
The journal, whose history goes back to 1961, has been previously published as "Buletini i Shkencave Mjekësore i Fakultetit të Mjekësisë, Universiteti i Tiranës" (Bulletin of Medical Sciences-Faculty of Medicine, University of Tirana) and the articles were in both Albanian and English languages. In 2012, the journal, for the first time, was only published in English Language as "Bulletin of Medical Sciences". In 2014, the journal was promoted as university journal and become the official journal of the University of Medicine, Tirana, changing its previous title to "Albanian Journal of Medical and Health Sciences".
AJMHS is established to encourage scholarly publications by national and international authors and applies a rigorous peer-review system. It offers original manuscripts that provide theoretically informed empirical analyses of issues in clinical and experimental research, as well as original theoretical or conceptual analyses, in all fields of medicine, interesting case reports and clinical images, invited reviews, editorials, letters, comments and letters to the Editor including reports on publication and research ethics. The primary aim of the journal is to publish original articles with high scientific and ethical quality and serve as a good example of medical publications in the Balkans as well as in the World.
Key title: Albanian Journal of Medical and Health Sciences
Frequency: Three times a year
PRINT ISSN 2412-6373
ONLINE ISSN 2413-3892
Abbreviated key title: Alban. j. med. health sci.
Current volume/issue: 2016; 47 (2/3)
A history of the Albanian Journal of Medical and Health Sciences
The history of the Albanian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences stretches back more than a half-century. The roots of the Journal are in publication of the Bulletin of Medical Sciences, the official Journal of the Faculty of Medicine of the State University of Tirana (Buletini i Universitetit Shteteror te Tiranes, Seria e Shkencave Mjekesore: "Bulletin of the State University of Tirana, Medical Science Series"). It is thus the first published Albanian scientific medical journal and became the most prestigious scientific tribune of medical sciences in Albania. The first issue of the Journal was published in the first quarter of 1961. The first editorial board was: Fadil Spahiu (Chief Editor), Prof. Josif Adhami (Deputy Chief Editor), Prof. Selaudin Bekteshi, Petrit Gace, Bajram Preza, Dr. Përparim Tepelena, Ylli Xhagjika (members), Aleko Rapo (secretary). In addition to the Executive Editorial Board, an Editorial Scientific Board was created that consisted mainly of the members of the Scientific Council of the Faculty of Medicine. From 1961 to 1978, the “Bulletin of Medical Sciences” was published four times a year with an average of 150 pages for each number and provided an English summary of its papers. The main sections were: 1) Clinical studies, 2) Experimental studies, 3) Review papers, 4) Criticism and bibliography, 5) Life sciences and 6) Scientific News. From 1961 to 1962 the Bulletin was also indexed at PubMed, the US based directory of medical scientific journals. In 1964, Fadil Spahiu left the Editorial Board and the Journal was run for one year from the Deputy Chief Editor. In the second half of 1965 Dr. Hiqmet Dibra, while acting as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, was also appointed as Editor in Chief. At that time, the Bulletin was published with 2000 copies for each number. Starting from the number 1 of the year 1978, beside the summaries in English, abstracts in French were made available for each paper as well.In 1969 the Bulletin was run for three consecutive years from Prof. Josif Adhami, and Prof. Selaudin Bekteshi, Petrit Gace and Bajram Preza were acting as executive editorial members. In 1972, the Rector of the University of Tirana approved the new Editorial Board, with Prof. Ulvi Vehbiu as Editor in Chief and 7 members. Since 1961, the Editorial Board reviewed and published in the Bulletin also papers of foreign authors, who had submitted for publications to the Journal. Until 1974, 35 articles from 8 different countries were published. From 1975 to 1990, due to the political conservationism and closure of the Communist Party in Albania, the Bulletin was closed to submissions from foreign authors. Almost all of the editorials of the Bulletin, till 1990, had political connotations.
In 1995, Dr. Adnan Kastrati was appointed as the new Editor in Chief of the Bulletin. At that time the Bulletin appeared with an average of 3 numbers per year including both English and French summaries for each paper. In 1998, the new Editor in Chief was appointed Dr. Myftar Barbullushi. In May 2012, a new Editorial Board was created with Prof. Bashkim Resuli as Editor in Chief. In this period, the Medical Bulletin was published for the first time entirely in English. On September 2014, the Bulletin was promoted to University Journal as the Official Journal of the University of Medicine, Tirana published with a new Journal title “Albanian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences” and a new Executive and Scientific Board leaded by the Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dr. Genc Sulcebe. For the first time, in 2015, the Journal set up his own website, keeping in line with the actual standards of international peer reviewed journals. AJMHS also developed a new look and logo. The ownership and management of the Journal are held by the University of Medicine, Tirana and the Journal Executive and Scientific Board maintain its initial policy of free access and free submission. This half-century history of editorial and publishing excellence has firmly established the Albanian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences as a scientifically credible publication that is relevant to its readers. It remains committed to the aim of the Bulletin of the Medical Sciences at its foundation in the early 1961: “to build a good and useful medical journal for the progression of medical sciences”.