Dear Readers,

Next year will be the fifth for P.H. Many writers, editors, and publishers have contributed many long hours to the journal, devoted to our founders' mission to create a forum for the discussion of public health among students. This issue, our longest and most ambitious, marks the end of one generation of undergraduates. We are proud to build on the work of the past and transition P.H. into a new era.

Urban epidemiology is the historical origin of public health. When John Snow identified a polluted well as the source of the cholera epidemic in London, our understanding of disease changed forever. In some ways, public health has given rise to the city as well; without sanitation, vaccines, quarantines, and other measures the modern city could not exist. Yet contemporary urban environments present a host of new and old problems alike. Mihan Lee discusses the accessibility of quality food in Washington D.C., while Tari Owi and Kristian Henderson investigate the racial disparities of healthcare. Stephanie Paige Ogburn discusses environmental toxins in the context of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, a controversial rare disease that causes allergic reactions to many agents. Urban health is relevant in this country and abroad; Avani Dholakia interviews a former sex worker in Connecticut, while Anup Patel examines prostitution in Calcutta. Often, urban health issues are perplexing and difficult to solve. Mia Kanak discusses the phenomenon of homeless men in Japan.

In our continued effort to present new ways of looking at public health, our issue features several articles concerning health and the arts. Richard Kim evaluates television medical dramas, while Hannah Shearer writes on the mental health of the great artist, Vincent Van Gogh. Justin Chen covers the new movement to provide humanities in medical education. Altogether, these articles show that art, media, and the humanities have an important affect on the discourse of public health in society.

On behalf of the entire staff of P.H., we would like to thank our writers, readers, and benefactors for a terrific year. We would like to particularly thank co-founder David Steinberg for his continued support and interest in the journal. We hope that the future of P.H. is long and bright, and that we continue to engage in some of the most pressing questions of our world.

Sincerely,

Andrei Nicole Dedoyco Javier Editor-in-Chief

Austin Kilaru Editor-in-Chief