Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

What Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene does

The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH) is a London-based registered charity and company limited by guarantee, founded in 1907 and operating as the oldest established professional society dedicated to tropical medicine and global health. RSTMH's core activities centre on three peer-reviewed journals (Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, International Health, and the newly launched Artificial Intelligence in Global Health), an Early Career Grants Programme that has funded over 570 researchers, an Annual Meeting held at the Wellcome Collection, Research in Progress events in London and Tanzania, and a portfolio of prestigious medals and awards administered jointly with LSHTM, LSTM, and ASTMH. The organisation also operates a job and opportunities platform called 'grow' and runs a Member Area providing exclusive content and governance participation.

RSTMH generates revenue through a diversified mix of membership subscriptions, journal publishing (subscription and open access article processing charges via Oxford University Press), grants programme management fees funded by institutional partners (NIHR, Wellcome Trust, CIFF, International Trachoma Initiative, IACS, JCPET, Hamish Ogston Foundation), and ancillary income from boardroom rental at its 21 John Street headquarters. Income has grown to approximately £1.7m, though it does not yet cover operating costs; the society reports a 75 percent reduction in the income-cost gap during the prior strategy period. The current 2023-2028 strategy builds on these foundations, supported by a global infrastructure of Country Ambassadors, Student Ambassadors, and Global Assessors, alongside a doubled network of members and Fellows.

The organisation is led by Chief Executive Tamar Ghosh (in role since November 2016), supported by Managing Editor Tom Pinfield (joined November 2022) and a small London team of approximately 8 staff. RSTMH serves researchers, clinicians, students, and Honorary Fellows active in tropical medicine, parasitology, entomology, virology, epidemiology, public health, and now AI in global health, with a particularly strong focus on early career researchers from low- and middle-income countries.

Name

Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Legal name

Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Website

https://rstmh.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

RSTMH is a London-based professional society, founded in 1907, that supports the global tropical medicine and global health community through peer-reviewed journals, an Early Career Grants Programme, annual events, and prestigious medals and awards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Medical Society / Global Health Membership Association

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAJAKAN

Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Global Health & Development Agencies (NGOs/Multilaterals)

SECONDARYBPAGAKAL

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYHLAJAOAM

Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Global Health Initiatives & Partnerships

SECONDARYHLAJAMAC

Public Health Financing, Budgeting & Grants Management

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Public Health Policy & Administration

Keywords

• Tropical medicine society
• Global health research
• Peer-reviewed scientific journals
• Early career grants programme
• Professional membership association

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: RSTMH generates revenue through membership subscriptions that provide access to journals, networking, grants, and events.
2. Journal publishing: Revenue from publishing Transactions and International Health journals, including open access fees.
3. Boardroom rental: Rental of meeting facilities at their London office to external parties for revenue generation.
4. Grants programme management: RSTMH administers grants programmes funded by partners including NIHR, Wellcome Trust, CIFF, and others. While grants go to researchers, RSTMH benefits through programme management fees and expanded membership engagement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

RSTMH is a professional society that delivers membership benefits, peer-reviewed scientific journals (Transactions, International Health, and the new AI in Global Health journal), an Early Career Grants Programme, scientific meetings and conferences, a medals and awards portfolio, and the grow careers platform to support researchers, clinicians and professionals in tropical medicine and global health. Revenue is generated through membership subscriptions, journal subscription and open access publishing fees, grants programme administration funded by partners such as NIHR and Wellcome Trust, and ancillary meeting-room rentals at the London office.

Product overview

RSTMH is a learned society offering a portfolio of peer-reviewed journals (Transactions, International Health, and the new Artificial Intelligence in Global Health), grant programmes (Early Career Grants), professional development platforms (grow), events and conferences (Annual Meeting, Research in Progress), membership benefits, and awards. The organization serves as a central hub for the global tropical medicine and global health community, connecting researchers, clinicians, and professionals through publications, funding opportunities, networking events, and recognition programmes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Leading peer-reviewed journal covering parasitology and entomology, microbiology and virology, epidemiology, chemotherapy, and immunology, distributed via Oxford University Press to researchers, clinicians, and libraries worldwide.
• International Health Peer-reviewed journal covering the social and economic aspects of infectious and non-communicable diseases, health systems research, policy and implementation, and public health, distributed as full open access via Oxford University Press.
• Artificial Intelligence in Global Health The only journal dedicated exclusively to advancing research and discourse on artificial intelligence in global health, covering AI systems and their application across global health research, delivery, and policy making. Co-Editors-in-Chief are Dr Peiling Yap and Rohit Malpani.
• Early Career Grants Programme Annual grants programme providing funding for early career researchers and professionals worldwide to carry out their first research project in tropical medicine or global health, supported by partners including NIHR, Wellcome Trust, CIFF, IACS, ITI, JCPET and the Hamish Ogston Foundation.
• Membership International membership programme providing individuals access to RSTMH journals, networking opportunities, grants, events, mentorship, and other benefits in tropical medicine and global health.
• RSTMH Annual Meeting Annual scientific meeting bringing together members, Fellows, and supporters from around the world to share knowledge, hear about the latest research and ideas, and encourage new collaborations in tropical medicine and global health.
• Research in Progress Events for early career investigators to present their unpublished research in progress to peers and senior experts in all fields of tropical medicine and global health, held in London and online.
• Medals and Awards Series of prestigious medals and awards recognizing outstanding contributions to tropical medicine and global health, including the Sir Patrick Manson Medal, Sir Rickard Christophers Medal, Chalmers Medal, George Macdonald Medal, Donald Mackay Medal, Hemingway Award, and Emerging Leaders Award.
• RSTMH Meeting Room and Private Workspace Rental Rental of the RSTMH London meeting room (2-16 people) at £30/hour, £100/half-day, £220/day and £200/evening, plus a private Koplus Duo soundproof booth for 1-2 people at £15 for two hours or £50 per day. Used to generate supplementary revenue at the headquarters.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 570 early career researchers funded through grants programme
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Tropical DataminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 May 2024Partnership for RSTMH journal International Health to publish editorial on history of Tropical Data consortium that helps countries carry out surveys towards trachoma elimination.
• SightsaverscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2021Three-year partnership to highlight research and progress on tackling NTDs. RSTMH uses its journals and communications channels to disseminate key outputs from Sightsavers' programmes including Ascend and Accelerate.
• Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Joint award of the Hemingway Award between RSTMH and LSTM recognizing successful delivery or encouragement of translational science.
• London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Joint George Macdonald Medal awarded between RSTMH and LSHTM for outstanding research leading to improvements of health in the tropics.
• American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (ASTMH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Joint Donald Mackay Medal awarded in alternating years by RSTMH and ASTMH for outstanding work in tropical health.
• Students for Global HealthminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 November 2020Third year of partnership working together on projects and supporting each other's work. Students for Global Health has over 30 branches in UK universities.
• Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 October 2020Partnership to jointly promote each other's work with shared goal of supporting African researchers, especially those early in their careers. AREF has trained and mentored over 200 researchers from 30 African countries.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• World Health Organization (WHO): The leading global public health agency whose mission (tropical disease control, health equity, research dissemination) overlaps RSTMH's at scale. RSTMH's policy and advocacy work and journal content often engage WHO priorities and audiences.
• Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM): The world's first school of tropical medicine and RSTMH's joint partner on the Hemingway Award. LSTM is a larger academic and research institution but operates in the same tropical medicine ecosystem and shares overlapping researcher audiences.
• London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM): A leading global health academic institution that jointly awards the George Macdonald Medal with RSTMH. LSHTM operates at much larger scale (research, teaching, degree programmes) but overlaps RSTMH on tropical medicine research dissemination and community building.
• Royal Society: The UK's national academy of sciences. While not focused exclusively on tropical medicine, the Royal Society is a comparable UK learned society structure (fellowships, journals, grants, policy influence) that RSTMH's organizational model parallels.

Direct peers

• American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (ASTMH): The US counterpart learned society for tropical medicine. RSTMH and ASTMH jointly administer the Donald Mackay Medal and serve overlapping researcher/clinical audiences in tropical medicine and hygiene, making them direct peer societies.
• BMJ Global Health: An open-access journal covering global health research and policy. Directly competes with RSTMH's International Health journal for the same author and reader pool in global health, and represents a larger-publisher competitive threat.

Emerging players

• Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF): A charity that has trained and mentored over 200 African researchers. RSTMH and AREF formally partner to support early-career African health researchers, making AREF a directly adjacent peer in the early-career grants niche.
• Sightsavers: An international NGO focused on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that partners with RSTMH to disseminate research outputs through RSTMH's journals. Shares overlapping NTD research community and programme audiences.

Others

• Wellcome Trust: A major global health research funder that channels funding to RSTMH's Early Career Grants Programme (snakebite envenoming research). While not a learned society, Wellcome is a critical counterparty in the same global health ecosystem RSTMH serves.
• Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF): A major philanthropic funder that three-year partners with RSTMH to support at least 75 early career researchers working in NTDs across Africa. A core financial counterparty rather than a competing society.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/royal-society-of-tropical-medicine-and-hygiene

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene