Dear Readers,

We are living in an era of rapid health development unseen in previous generations. Innovations in pharmaceuticals, medical technologies, and health care delivery have impacted millions of lives for the better, and are increasing at an astounding rate as public interest in medical care remains strong. Such measures seem especially amplified in the developing world, where governments and social entrepreneurs are increasingly attempting to implement modern medical advances in areas without an existing infrastructure.

Despite the exciting hopefulness of such changes, we must be aware of the fact that outside forces, especially political aims and business interests, can often undermine both the efficiency of health resource provision and the general welfare of the public. Indeed, most of us are not strangers to this reality, as this past year exposed us to a number of controversial issues in health, from tainted farm products and Chinese drug counterfeiting to the use of steroids in American professional baseball.

You will notice that this issue is shorter than our usual magazine. This is actually due to the fact that we have decided to run a special companion issue about the state of health care in the New Orleans area several years after Hurricane Katrina. We encourage all our readers to peruse these articles on our web site at www.yaleph.com in addition to those which will appear in print. We appreciate the endless patience of our readers in dealing with several administrative issues this volume and are excited to be continuing our academic dialogue with you this year.