The gastro-esophageal malignancies in northern Iran (GEMINI) is expected to be the pioneer in the implementation and application of the methodology used in evaluating research impact.

Dear Editor, The " gastro-esophageal malignancies in northern Iran " (GEM-INI) research group's article about the impact of this study on the health research and healthcare systems in Iran, which was published in January 2013 contains valuable information on the history and vast range of researches carried out through this important project. This article introduces achievements by GEMINI, which led to the publication of 60 articles (since 2002); numerous lectures; research method development (designing valid questionnaires); creating a research infrastructure (starting the Golestan Cohort, the formation of national and international research networks , setting up new laboratories, and data collection systems); launching service delivery units (Aras and Atrak clinics) where the majority of the project's clinical actions were carried out; capacity building of human resources (participation in PhD, fellowship, and Master of Public Health programs and holding continuous medical education courses for service delivery personnel in the region under study); and launching the cancer registry. 1 According to the editorial of the July 2012 issue of this journal: " There is no valid way to measure what fraction of our research results is translated into improved healthcare services ". 2 It should be pointed out that in the narrative study (which was conducted with the support of Iran's Academy of Medical Sciences), 13 methods have been introduced for assessing the impact of health research.