Setting Priorities in Diarrhoeal Disease Research: Merits and Pitfalls of Expert Opinion

Correspondence and reprint requests should be addressed to: Dr. Wolf-Peter Schmidt Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT UK Email: [email protected] Fax: ++44-(0)20-7636-7843 In this issue of the Journal, Kosek and colleagues report the results of an exercise conducted by leading experts in diarrhoea, ranking different topics in diarrhoea research according to their potential to contribute to a substantial reduction in diarrhoeal disease by 2015 in accordance with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (1). It is always easy to criticize the outcome of such expert panels. Inevitably, some researchers may feel that the merits of their particular research field were not sufficiently appreciated. It can be argued, however, that such exercises are useful if the results are interpreted appropriately.