RESYST's co-research director, Lucy Gilson, has written an editorial for the Experiences of African health system leadership and its development supplement published by Health Policy and Planning in July 2018.

The editorial provides an overview of the six papers included in the supplement, which together provide evidence of leadership in public hospital settings and of initiatives to strengthen leadership development.

The papers demonstrate that current leadership practices often impact negatively on staff motivation and patient care, and that contextual factors underpin poor leadership. They also provide, however, evidence of the positive potential of new forms of participatory leadership, together with ideas about what forms of leadership development intervention can nurture new forms of leadership. Finally, the papers prompt reflection on the research needed to support the implementation of such interventions.