Dear Reader,

Welcome to PH.com, The Yale Journal of Public Health's online domain.

The foundation of PH marked the beginning of a new college-based discussion of public health that arose at Yale, but which we hope continues at campuses around the country. When the topic of starting a magazine first surfaced, were aware of a huge interest demonstrated through student activism in undergraduate and graduate organizations both in New Haven and across the United States, but we found few forums in the undergraduate community devoted to the discussion of public health and its related issues. In 2003 we decided to change that by embarking on the PH project, and now, after months of work with our founding editorial board, advisers, and financial supporters, we have shaped our vision into a reality.

One of our foremost goals was to convince readers of how far-reaching the public health arena is, not only in its presence around the globe but also in its range of involved disciplines: medicine, politics, economics, and more. In PH's pages, we hope you discover that public health is not limited to disease containment or to the politics of health, but is a dynamic and broad topic that includes the social consequences of diseased teachers and parents, the health impact of environmental issues, and the relationship between global health and economic development.

We hope you enjoy the contents of PH.com, and that it may inspire you to consider public health's many aspects, and bring its topics of debate to your own college or university.

Sincerely,


    
David Steinberg         Matthew Wilson