The Dictionary of Public Health is an alphabetical listing of almost 5,000 words and phrases used in public health science and practice. It offers definitions, discussion, and an occasional brief commentary on the relevance of each term to people and their health.

While we are all aware of the importance of good health, we may feel bombarded by the amount of uncurated health information that’s out there. How do you know if the information you’re referencing is accurate? The Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health, 2nd Edition is an authoritative source on public health issues. Topics focus on health crises affecting the public at large, including epidemic (local) and pandemic (widespread) diseases, chronic conditions, and social issues.

Written by medical writers and reviewed by subject matter experts, this timely, comprehensive resource is ideal for students and other readers interested in the broad field of public health. Each entry describes the origin and spread of the issue, public and government reaction and response, and treatments and preventive measures. Readers will find resources for further information, full-color illustrations and photographs, statistical tables, and “Key Terms” sidebars. The book also provides contact information for organizations and government programs, a glossary, and cross references.

This is the only survey of the US public health system to combine the perspectives of academicians and public health professionals. Replete with illuminating case studies, the text describes basic public health activities and services including the organization of our public health system, administrative and management concerns, financing, use of technology, and workforce and reform issues. The text explores and analyzes those aspects of the public health system that have successfully achieved their goals and those that have not. It addresses careers in public health and the educational requirements and skills needed to attain them, including new accreditation and certification programs. New public health initiatives are discussed including evidence-based practices, along with such critical issues as health disparities, emergency preparedness, and health care technology. The text covers the cost, financing, and outcomes of the US public health system and includes extensive references, statistics, and tables from current health reports (i.e. the CDC Healthy People 2010 objectives and IOM Report Future of Public Health). Key Features: Provides a comprehensive overview of the US public health system for public health, nursing, medical, and pharmacology students Combines the academic and practical experience of leaders in public health Includes plentiful case studies offering real-world examples Reflects the latest public health certification requirements and standards including the CHP exam Addresses critical issues such as health disparities, emergency preparedness, health care technology, and evidence-based practice

Public Health Law Research: Theory and Methods definitively explores the mechanisms, theories and models central to public health law research - a growing field dedicated to measuring and studying law as a central means for advancing public health. Editors Alexander C. Wagenaar and Scott Burris outline integrated theory drawn from numerous disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences; specific mechanisms of legal effect and guidelines for collecting and coding empirical datasets of statutory and case law; optimal research designs for randomized trials and natural experiments for public health law evaluation; and methods for qualitative and cost-benefit studies of law.. They also discuss the challenge of effectively translating the results of scientific evaluations into public health laws and highlight the impact of this growing field. "How exactly the law can best be used as a tool for protecting and enhancing the public's health has long been the subject of solely opinion and anecdote.  Enter Public Health Law Research, a discipline designed to bring the bright light of science to the relationships between law and health.  This book is a giant step forward in illuminating that subject." -- Stephen Teret, JD, MPH, Professor, Director, Center for Law and the Public's Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health "Wagenaar and Burris bring a dose of much needed rigor to the empirical study of which public health law interventions really matter, and which don't." -- Bernard S. Black, JD, Chabraja Professor, Northwestern University Law School and Kellogg School of Management Companion Web site: www.josseybass.com/go/wagenaar

"This book makes a great leap in the conceptualization of transdisciplinary approaches, as well as provides concrete examples in practice, teaching, policy, and research." --From the Foreword by Edward F. Lawlor, dean and the William E. Gordon Distinguished Professor, the Brown School; and founding director, Institute for Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis The complexity of public health and social problems is becoming more challenging. Understanding and designing solutions for these problems requires perspectives from multiple disciplines and fields as well as cross-disciplinary research and practice teams. Transdisciplinary Public Health fills a void in the literature and offers a comprehensive text that introduces transdisciplinary methods as a means for providing an innovative tool set for problem-solving in public health research and practice. With contributions from leading experts, Transdisciplinary Public Health offers an understanding of interactions among the biological, behavioral, social, and public health sciences; shared disciplinary frameworks in analyzing health problems; and the integration and evaluation of transdisciplinary solutions to alleviate complex public health issues. Use of this important resource will promote transdisciplinary research and practice, resulting in novel solutions that positively impact human health.