Dear Readers,

Welcome to the fourth year of P.H.: The Yale Journal of Public Health. On behalf of the entire editorial board, we are thrilled to present our fi rst issue.

For a large part of the world, access to clean water is a constant struggle. One billion people are in need of clean water and 2.6 billion people lack access to basic sanitation. Yet it is easy for us to take water for granted. We are surrounded by sprinkler systems and bottled water brands, and few of us have qualms about taking long showers. The dialogue of water and health is a story of the haves and have-nots, but in this story the have-nots lack a fundamental requirement for life.

Our issue takes a look at a few of the many dimensions of this problem. We travel to India, China, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Nicaragua, emphasizing the truly global nature of this crisis. Hilary Frankel argues that sometimes the even the most philanthropic attempt to improve water conditions only worsens the situation. She asks us to contemplate the clear correlation between class and quality of health. Bjšrn Fredrickson shows that ChinaÕs efforts to industrialize are stripping its poorest citizens of basic rights. Are we willing to sacrifi ce rights to water and land in the name of progress? We discover in P.H.Õs interview with Ethos Water founder Peter Thum that there are people willing to share wealth and increase awareness about this problem in our society.

Regular readers of P.H. will notice the debut of a few new departments. Public health issues are often rooted in the past but complicated by modern infl uences. To discover stories that occurred before our generation, the Ôpublic health generation,Õ we are presenting a history piece in each issue of the journal. At P.H., one of our major goals is to foster discussion among undergraduates. We have included two new departments, Opinion and Refl ection, designed to pose provocative questions and promote the relationship between writer and reader. Tina Cheung asks us to weigh macroeconomic policy against our moral obligations, while the reader accompanies Ben Siegel as he awaits the coming monsoon. These articles beg the question, in a world that is comprised of 70% water why is there not enough to go around?

It is an exciting year for the journal. We look to expand our readership, attract writers from universities across the country, and continue to do the important work of public health journalism at a high level.

Sincerely,

Andrei Nicole Dedoyco Javier Editor-in-Chief

Austin Kilaru Editor-in-Chief