Dear Friends and Colleagues:
While I thoroughly enjoyed my sabbatical, I am thrilled to be back here in New Orleans and at Tulane. I feel renewed vigor and enthusiasm for the tasks before us as a leading school of global public health and our mission to educate students who want to make a difference. Indeed, world events are showcasing why we need well-trained global health practitioners more than ever before.
The Ebola outbreak has obviously been capturing the time and attention of not just public health professionals, but the entire world. Our faculty and alumni have been very actively involved, as you will see in the feature spread beginning on page four. We are very proud of those who have been willing to actively respond to this global crisis and have spoken out against the travel advisories and quarantines many states, including Louisiana, have implemented.
On a more local note, we are following the lead of the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting theme by focusing on Healthography. We spotlight the work of several research teams within the school, all addressing the intersection of geography and health in very different ways.
We’re also dusting things off and trying new ideas, as evidenced by the new look you see for this issue of Global Health. Having spent the year exposed to different locations and new ways of thinking, I’m eager for change. I hope you enjoy this new issue and our new design.
Best regards,
Pierre Buekens, MD, MPH, PhD
W. H. Watkins Professor and Dean
Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
Global Health Magazine 