Research pointing at the role of environmental and lifestyle risk factors towards increased burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) is fragmented in consideration of the large span of risk factors. Some of them are largely studied, e.g. air pollution, tobacco smoking, alcohol use, whereas other are less extensively studied: for example, exposure to noise, or some dietary risks (e.g. low consumption of nuts and seeds, low intake of omega-3 fatty acids). Moreover, many analyses focus on one-to-one associations between risk factors and NCDs. The overall effect of this is that a global picture of the effects of environmental and lifestyle risk factors is difficult to gather, with very few exceptions (e.g. smoking or high blood pressure). In addition to this, the “targets” of risk factors are not evenly addressed, and include risk factors for disease onset, risk factors for mortality and risk factors for disease progression (each with its own definition of progression).

This collection is aimed to provide an overview on the main risk factors for NCDs. Submissions are mostly welcome in the format of literature reviews, either systematic or narrative, that provide an appreciation of the impact that risk factors have on mortality and morbidity of selected NCDs. Contribution might be either disease-oriented (e.g. exploring the risk factors for stroke), or risk oriented (e.g. exploring which diseases are associated to low physical activity).

The specific requirements are:

1) to compare the results gathered in the contribution against the most recent estimates that can be produced by the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, thus showing what the manuscript adds to the state of knowledge in a GBD perspective;

2) to specifically link the results to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), thus showing the potential impact of implementing policies towards risk reduction or elimination in light of global health improvement.

This article collection will welcome research or review articles authored by Early Career Researchers (PhD/PostDoc or Resident) on any topic covered by the journal.

Applications can be made by the submission of a Research or Review article (as the corresponding or co-corresponding author), within the scope of SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine, to the article collection "Talent Honors Program 2026". Applicants should include a declaration of their eligibility in the cover letter alongside their submitted article.

15 articles will be published under this program and, if not published under an OA license (please check SN OA agreements for eligibility), they will be granted Free Temporary Access (FTA) for 4 months. FTA will be granted to 15 applicants on a first-come, first-served basis, upon acceptance and publication of their submitted article after peer review.

All submitted articles will be sent for an initial round of peer-review, regardless of novelty, provided they are in scope and sufficiently sound. Articles will follow the journal's standard peer-review process, with the collection edited and overseen by the Editor-in-Chief.

The program will close to submissions October 31st, 2026, or once the total number of published articles has been reached.

Successful applicants will also be considered for the role of guest editor for a new collection planned for 2027. To apply, they will need to submit a proposal for a prospective article collection, in which they would serve as junior guest editor under the guidance of a senior member of the editorial board. All proposals will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief, and only one or two projects will be selected for implementation each year.

Additionally, successful applicants will be invited to join the Editorial Board of the journal as Junior members.