Celebrating 25 Years of the International Journal of Integrated Care
Reflections on a Movement, a Mission, and the Future of Impact in Integrated Care
At the 25th International Conference on Integrated Care (ICIC25), one of the most heartfelt and intellectually energising sessions marked a profound milestone: 25 years of the International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC). What began in 2000 as a bold idea has grown into a globally respected, peer-reviewed, open-access journal at the heart of the integrated care movement.
A History Rooted in Vision and Community
The session opened with a reflection on how the journal began—modestly, as a partnership between the University Library of Utrecht and a group of academics led by Professor Guus Schrijvers and later joined by Professor Nick Goodwin. The mission was clear from the start: to provide a scientific platform dedicated exclusively to the theory and practice of integrated care across systems and settings.
Professor Goodwin shared how a chance invitation to Almere in 1999 set him on a lifelong path as founding Editor-in-Chief. In a poignant and full-circle moment, he welcomed Professor Guus Schrijvers “the person who started it all” to join the session virtually. Now 75 years old and still teaching integrated care at Utrecht University Medical Centre, Professor Schrijvers reflected on the journal’s founding ideals, the early years of experimentation with open access publishing, and the importance of creating a “virtual community” of researchers, practitioners, and system leaders.
Their exchange highlighted the journal’s origins as both a scholarly endeavour and a social enterprise. Professor Schrijvers spoke of cycling with the wind at his back—an apt metaphor for the momentum behind integrated care in the Netherlands and beyond at the time. He recounted how the journal was built on collaboration between digital publishing innovators, a group of policy-oriented academics, and a shared belief that integration was both necessary and possible.
What followed, as Professor Goodwin noted, was the creation not only of a journal, but of a broader network and eventually the International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC), which emerged in 2011 from these foundational efforts.
Anchoring Integrated Care in Science and Practice
The session revisited the first IJIC editorial, which posed fundamental questions that remain timely: What does integrated care mean across contexts? How much integration is beneficial, and for whom? These questions framed the journal’s mission to build an evidence base that supports real-world application, not just theoretical development.
The editorial team now includes researchers, practitioners, and people with lived experience—a defining characteristic that mirrors the inclusive values of the integrated care movement itself.
Highlights from IJIC’s 25-year journey include:
- A rise in the number and diversity of submissions.
- Recognition as a leading journal in health policy, social sciences, and political science.
- Continued commitment to non-profit, values-driven publishing.
- Volunteer editorial and peer-review teams comprising global experts and innovators.
Ten-Year Review: What We Know, and What We’re Missing
To mark the anniversary, the journal commissioned a decade-long analysis of over five hundred published articles. Nick Zonneveld presented key findings that both celebrated progress and revealed ongoing gaps:
Three Trends and Gaps Identified:
- Geographic Inequity: Most articles come from high-income countries. Low- and middle-income countries remain underrepresented in authorship and case studies.
- Co-Production is Rare: Fewer than 5% of articles reported direct engagement of people with lived experience. This raises concerns about the inclusivity and relevance of research.
- Impact Remains Elusive: There is no consistent trend in how impact is measured across studies. Definitions vary, methodologies lack depth, and long-term, system-level outcomes are poorly understood.
These findings inform two key actions:
- A forthcoming IJIC special issue on impact in integrated care.
- An active call to strengthen the inclusion of people with lived experience in research design and authorship.
Exploring the Science of Impact: Insights from the Panel
Following the historical reflections and the ten-year journal review, a dynamic panel discussion brought together some of IJIC’s newest editorial leaders and contributors to explore one of the field’s most pressing challenges: how do we define and measure impact in integrated care?
Robin Miller, Joint Editor-in-Chief of IJIC and Professor of Integrated Care at the University of Birmingham, chaired the conversation, guiding a diverse panel of thought leaders.
Joining the panel was Dr Michelle Nelson, IJIC’s newest Editor-in-Chief and a researcher at Sinai Health and the University of Toronto. Her work focuses on improving outcomes for people with complex needs and leading large-scale evaluations of community and volunteer-based care transitions.
Also contributing was Esco van Damme, one of IJIC’s Editors with Lived Experience. Based in Sweden, Esco is Vice Chair of the Swedish Brain Tumour Association and a researcher with affiliations to Karolinska Institutet and the University of Gothenburg. He brought a powerful perspective on how integrated care affects not only individuals but also caregivers, families, and wider communities.
Dr Cara English, CEO of the Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies (Cummings Institute), provided insights from the front lines of behavioural health and education. Based in Portugal and the United States, Cara spoke to the importance of workforce development and real-world training in advancing integrated care models.
Nick Zonneveld, a researcher from the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL), presented key findings from IJIC’s ten-year retrospective review. He offered a critical lens on the methodological and geographic gaps in integrated care research, particularly around impact measurement and co-production.
Finally, Professor Nick Goodwin, Founding Editor-in-Chief of IJIC and co-founder of IFIC, joined the panel to reflect on the original vision of the journal and how far the science has come—while also challenging the audience to confront the enduring complexity of demonstrating real-world impact.
Together, the panel explored methodological tensions, power dynamics in research, the underrepresentation of low- and middle-income countries, and the need to rethink what counts as evidence—placing real-world outcomes, lived experience, and implementation science at the centre of future work.
Key insights included:
- Integrated care is complex and does not lend itself easily to simple cause-effect measures. Real impact occurs within dynamic systems shaped by relationships, context, and implementation.
- Process is not impact. While collaboration and trust matter, outcomes must be defined and evaluated in terms of lived experience and system transformation.
- Lived experience enhances rigor, not just relevance. Like citizen science in climate change, participatory research can improve quality, data, and societal value.
- Mismatch of motivations must be acknowledged. Policymakers may focus on cost or system metrics, while communities seek outcomes that matter—dignity, resilience, support, and time at home, not in hospital.
Honouring a Founder: Nick Goodwin Steps Down
The session closed with a heartfelt tribute to Professor Nick Goodwin, who formally stepped down as Editor-in-Chief after 25 years. Described as the journal’s "founding father," Nick was recognised for his visionary leadership and tireless efforts to bring academic credibility, organisational strategy, and human compassion together.
Dr Viktoria Stein, co-editor-in-chief, offered a fitting summary:
“None of us would be here without Nick. The journal, the foundation, and the global movement for integrated care are rooted in his belief that science should serve people.”
Nick’s own words echoed that conviction:
“It started as an academic question—but it became a mission. When you understand how systems fail the most vulnerable, you can’t ignore it. The journal has always been about putting science behind a better way.”
Looking Ahead
The IJIC editors outlined their next steps:
- Launching the special issue on measuring impact in integrated care.
- Deepening the role of people with lived experience in editorial processes.
- Expanding reach and submissions from low- and middle-income countries.
- Strengthening research capacity to drive real-world change, not just academic output.
This session was not just a look back, but a renewed call to action. As integrated care continues to evolve globally, IJIC remains a vital platform for collaboration, inquiry, and innovation. Here's to the next 25 years—anchored in values, driven by evidence, and led by community.