In this special issue devoted to planetary health, our writers explore many of the ways humans have transformed Earth's natural systems to the detriment of human health: the rising infectious disease risks associated with disrupted ecosystems, the nutrition deficits caused by increased CO2 levels, the health and environmental costs of industrial food animal production, the physical and mental health tolls of higher temperatures. They also highlight research aimed at repairing the harm: climate-smart transportation, preserving glacial ice, reducing food waste, and constructing sustainable cities are just a few approaches. The Earth crisis is urgent, and this issue shows that public health and planetary health have tools to meet the moment.

By 2060, nearly 95 million Americans will be 65 and older. How can we ensure that this growing population remains as healthy as possible, for as long as possible? This issue’s writers explore challenges including inadequate funding for long-term care, racial disparities in dementia, and the health toll of social isolation—as well as solutions, from the molecular to the societal. Also in this issue: a Nobel laureate in chemistry turned science diplomat, Dobbs’ impact on OB-GYN training, cancer research in the lab and the community, adolescent food insecurity, global mental health, the dangers of counterfeit medications, and more.

AI has dominated recent popular press, but this issue’s special section digs deeper into the technology’s potential to shape public health—for better or worse. Our experts share cautionary notes, particularly about AI’s “baked-in bias,” but also excitement about AI-fueled work that is helping to decipher cellular communication, alert people to emerging health conditions, assess environmental risks, and more. Also in this issue: How Indigenous peoples are reclaiming the health of children and families, how psychological autopsies can inform suicide prevention strategies, autism’s “outside influences,” and the resilience and healing power of transgender communities in the face of threats to their health.

Catch up with the latest on infectious disease, the theme of this issue’s special section—and a field that demands more than “safe, small-minded science,” writes an infectious disease expert and contributor to the magazine. We explore the “risk or reward” debate around gain-of-function research, the vexing mysteries of long COVID and other persistent post-acute illnesses, and how research on the bacterium Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, a relative of the plague pathogen, may help to overcome drug resistance. Plus: Xylazine and the new overdose crisis, a statistician’s critique of firearm forensics in the courtroom, and efforts to protect mental health in Ukraine.

Reproductive and sexual health is the focus of this issue’s special section—highlighting barriers to achieving it, solutions to attain it, and its central role in public health. Our writers examine the moral, political, and legal history of abortion in America; the peril of being pregnant and incarcerated in a post-Roe world; and the tough ethical questions raised by a proposal to limit fertility to help solve climate change. Plus: the pandemic’s toll on research and the resilience of researchers, an introduction to the human body’s universe of microbiomes, and attacks on health care workers and the targeting of health facilities as modern warfare.

The Spring/Summer 2022 issue looks at public health through the lens of justice, illuminating efforts to break down fundamental barriers to health. We examine how Native American researchers are integrating Indigenous traditions into novel public health efforts to heal historical trauma; propose ways to overturn outdated colonial concepts and practices; and offer solutions to build a healthier and more equitable food system. Plus: the health risks of beauty salons, a practical guide for talking to vaccine-hesitant parents, and the age of antivirals.

The Fall/Winter 2021 issue’s special section details solutions to stem the epidemic of gun violence in the U.S.: from data-driven policies and better policing to virtual reality skills tests for gun owners to community based anti-violence outreach. In other must-reads, we examine young people’s struggles with long Covid; spotlight faculty research into acral lentiginous melanoma, the most common—and overlooked—skin cancer among people of color; reflect on lessons learned from the pandemic; and explore emerging research on the gut microbiome and the brain.

Our Spring/Summer 2021 issue opens with a how-to guide to scientific insights gleaned so far from COVID-19—from testing and tracking to vaccinating and communicating—that will shape future pandemic responses. Then we dive deep into emerging research and practice that protect health and save lives in other ways: through the SCIBAR initiative, the Exposome Collaborative, Baltimore’s HeartSmiles program, and more.

The two biggest public health crises of our time—racism and COVID-19—dominate our Fall 2020 issue. Led by guest editor Keshia M. Pollack Porter, the racism and health section uses data-driven stories to share the health impacts of structural racism on Black women, men, and communities. Our faculty offer their perspectives on the problems and solutions. And we offer new takes on COVID-19’s evolving science and its effects on everyone from a long-hauler to Navajo Nation residents.

The COVID-19 pandemic is public health’s greatest test in more than a century—since the global devastation of the 1918 influenza pandemic. In this special issue, we examine how the novel coronavirus took the world by surprise, the battle to defeat an aggressive pathogen, and the road to a post-pandemic future

The Spring 2020 issue investigates why sex trafficking victims fall through cracks in the health care system, chronicles Sue Baker’s pioneering career in injury prevention research, and asks how we can simultaneously tackle climate change and meet the world’s nutritional needs. Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy sees loneliness through a public health lens, and experts explain why federal funds are critical to gun violence research.

The Fall 2019 issue looks beyond shelter to explore the science of housing and health, explains how Biostatistics professor Jeff Leek is preparing Baltimore youth for data science careers, and follows Emily Gurley in her painstaking surveillance of the lethal Nipah virus. A scientist partners with NASA to test melanin as a radiation barrier and the School’s first digital health faculty weighs the pitfalls and potential of digitized health care. Plus: Twenty years of the Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, mosquitoes’ eating habits, the facts on overdose prevention sites.

The Summer 2019 issue explores the genetics of susceptibility to diseases like polio and acute flaccid myelitis with epidemiologist Priya Duggal. We also highlight Henry Mosley’s deep influence on the field of public health and bring a new lens to teen suicide prevention. Cancer expert Otis Brawley uncovers the real drivers of health disparities, and Christy Turlington Burns sees opportunities in global maternal health. Plus: The accidental gerontologist, the vicious circle of poverty and NCDs, and SCIBAR, a new initiative to combine basic and applied science.

The Spring 2019 issue goes into the lab with Isabelle Coppens, whose novel techniques provide powerful new insights into Toxoplasma and related deadly parasites. We also look at mobile sensors’ capacity to improve public health and the challenges confronting unaccompanied minor refugees in Greece, and WHO’s Matshidiso Moeti explains why she’s optimistic about health care progress in Africa. Plus: A call for open science, a new MOOC on gun-violence prevention and how an MPH student brought a free community workout program to Baltimore.

The Fall 2018 issue goes inside the opioid epidemic ravaging Maryland’s western counties, offers an oral history of the longest-running AIDS cohort study and explores the health threats of climate gentrification. Director-General Tedros discusses WHO’s priorities, and a former “Lost Boy” from Sudan translates his experience as a refugee into his work as a postdoc. Plus: Reflecting on Alma-Ata 40 years later, how the Center for American Indian Health engages communities, a new tool for assessing the mental health of youth with autism and alcohol misuse in low-income countries.

The Summer 2018 issue highlights research that empowers women to protect and improve their own health and explores the emergence of age-related hearing loss and e-cigarettes as critical public health issues. RWJF president and CEO Richard Besser discusses communities’ roles in reducing health inequities, and a Syrian physician learns public health skills to someday take back home. Plus: Public Health: A Love Story, fentanyl test strips for harm reduction, a video game designed to maintain cognitive health, and microenterprise as an HIV-prevention strategy.

The Spring 2018 issue spotlights six epidemiologists working to address cancer disparities and explores the lifelong benefits of the Good Behavior Game, as well as the lasting challenges Brazilian families face in Zika’s wake. Former national drug control policy director Michael Botticelli suggests better ways to address addiction, and a doctor from Kenya shares lessons learned in a remote community. Plus: vaccines’ hidden value, the evolution of Meatless Monday, stopping cholera’s spread with cell phones and how drones might prevent malaria outbreaks.

The Fall 2017 issue dismantles common narratives about gun violence with gun owner and researcher Cassandra Crifasi and introduces Dean Ellen J. MacKenzie as well as the first cohort of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative’s first fellows. Former President Bill Clinton discusses solutions to the opioid epidemic, and researchers look to biofortified staple crops to provide a nutritional safety net. Other stories include the multigenerational impacts of toxic exposures, how El Niño forecasts can help prevent cholera, and dental care as health care.

The Summer 2017 issue goes inside the mission to bring the best autism diagnosis and treatment tools to the whole world. A reflection of Michael J. Klag's 12-year tenure as dean and a peek inside the new hybrid department of Environmental Health and Engineering. Other stories include an update on the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and daycare solutions to prevent child drowning deaths in Bangladesh. Plus: a look at how to maintain hard-won victories in mental health and addiction care, and a conversation about supervised drug-consumption spaces.

The Spring 2017 issue explores the bonds between scientists and survivors in a lab where it’s clear that cancer research isn’t just about molecules. Dean Michael J. Klag, MD, MPH ’87, reflects on his 12 years of leadership and an article about the Bloomberg American Health Initiative looked more closely at how the program will address five daunting public health challenges. Other stories include the impact lead has had on an impoverished Ecuadorian artisanal community and how violence witnessed during a shuttle ride led to defining a life’s mission. Plus: Center for a Livable future’s two decades of connecting health and the food system, a silicon chip that could stop E. coli and Salmonella outbreaks before they happen, how to stop the sleeping sickness parasite, and recounting the Centennial year by the numbers.

The Fall 2016 issue introduces the new Bloomberg American Health Initiative that prioritizes domestic health and aims to have an impact in addiction and overdose; environmental challenges; obesity and the food system; risks to adolescent health; and violence. A special Centennial article looks at how successfully (and unsuccessfully) faculty have predicted the future. Other stories investigate faith-based HIV prevention and why teenagers are the key to maintaining South Africa’s success with HIV/AIDS. Plus: D.A. Henderson’s legacy; how smarter guns could reduce firearm deaths; vaccines delivered by drones; a premier child health study; and a new hybrid department emerges.

The Summer 2016 issue passes the sniff test with its cover story (All That Buzz) about hacking mosquitoes’ sense of smell. It also elaborates on four defining moments of the Bloomberg School in Turning Points, a special Centennial section; and celebrates the storied career of Mathu Santosham who saved his life—and millions of others—by learning to be a champion of failure. Plus: injury prevention data from the baseball diamond; science diplomacy; and an assortment of worms.

The Spring 2016 issue celebrates the harmony of duets: experts making strides in everything from violence to cancer are paired with past School leaders who paved the way. We also explore the high-risk world of strip clubs, investigate the vexing problem of open defecation and discuss how public health can stop terrorism. Plus: A different lens on the opioid epidemic; an unintended legacy when mothers are obese and diabetic; and the new science of thriving.

The Fall 2015 issue recounts one woman’s persistence in the face of red tape and Taliban to work on a vaccine problem in Pakistan. We also celebrate the School’s Centennial through essential—and whimsical—objects. Plus: Rx for political reform; affording refugees; and solutions for the world’s 1.2 million annual traffic deaths.

The Summer 2015 issue gets under America’s skin with its exploration about how to solve the country’s vaccine dilemma. The issue also celebrates a century of public health firsts and pays homage to Baltimore’s unsung heroes. Plus: Rethinking the PhD, and debuting a pocket-sized solution for family planning.

The Spring 2015 issue explores undocumented traumatic brain injuries from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars brought to light through PhD research. The issue also traces arsenic’s threats to water in the Northern Plains. Plus: A halfway house for mosquitoes, the polio endgame and lessons from the Ebola outbreak.

The Fall Issue 2014 is the premiere of a radically different, lovingly remade magazine that’s more vibrant and approachable, full of infographics, briefings and features. A photo essay chronicles the perilous journey of migrant children, while stories explain the golden age of gray and explore a 40-year friendship that has yielded a cancer prevention. Also: hookah hazards and the regulation of intimacy.

The Spring 2014 Issue takes a hard look at human trafficking by bearing witness to thousands of asylum seekers in the Sinai Peninsula, and listens in on a conversation in a train’s quiet car that set the course for a decade of research and reshaped the science of prostate cancer. Also, e-cigs, ALS, maternal mortality and cross-border malaria.

The Special Issue 2014 offers up a full menu of food-related public health topics, including industrial agriculture, MRSA, allergies, ethics, caffeinated foods, Nepalese nutrition, famine, faith…all things edible—and a few inedible—all around the globe.

The Fall 2013 issue digs deep to expose asthma's twisted roots; outlines lessons for global health communications in the digital era; exposes the modern-day scourge of dowry violence in India; and transports readers to a summer camp on the Rez where kids are mentored by pro athletes and film stars. Also, the Dean poses big questions about how the chemical sea in which we live affects health.

For anyone still operating under the assumption that surgery isn't public health, this issue is a must-read. Other provocative subjects include HPV-the virus that owns the world-and a massive cleanup of the Ganges River. Also, learn about the IT trend to find high-risk patients by combing electronic records, and see how new lab spaces are allowing investigators to go where none have gone before. (Bacteria, beware!) In addition: Syrian refugees, arsenic in chicken, and more.

This special issue is about humanity's most intimate, democratic adversary. Whether it's from the 30,000-foot population level or a painfully personal perspective, public health experts must engage daily with death to save lives. Read how researchers and practitioners probe, investigate, understand and fight death.

With a cover story about inflammation-the body's friendly fire-and a dean's letter entitled "The Road to Hell," this issue serves up some sizzling topics in public health. Among the features sure to inspire heated debate: confronting older drivers about giving up the car keys; and the tough task of spreading the test-and-treat HIV message among MSM. Plus: therapy for traumatized Burmese migrants, gene-tweaking scientists from Tamil Nadu, Liberian health, education's new era, and the discovery of an X factor.

In this issue: Adult diseases taking root in utero and in early childhood; an award-winning program to prevent suicide among Native-American youth; the "reason versus rage" debate in child sexual abuse. And check out stories on International Health's Bob Gilman's multigenerational network of researchers in Peru, West-African voices against malaria; original thinking in obesity research, protecting doctors in war zones and more.

mHealth. Big Data. Tech Transfer. Glorious gadgets. This special issue describes the high- and low-tech tools that are revolutionizing public health. Plus: Public health legends share their visions (and concerns) for where technology can take us.

Learn in this issue what it's like to grow old with HIV, how to survive the stresses of adolescent tumult, why public health must confront five challenges from peak oil, how the Department of International Health made a difference in its first 50 years, why 9/11 changed public health forever. Plus stories on: the 7 billionth person, youth gamblers, bacteria vs. malaria, ATV dangers, and more.

This issue: revolutionizing infectious disease research to acknowledge sex-based differences; the whole-school approach to stop bullying; "disaster scientists"; and the day all health breaks loose. Plus: sensing seniors' functional abilities; Cuba organica; neglected tropical diseases; emirs for change; and Chicago's heat in 2090.

In this issue, how trauma survivors can regain more than just physical health; changing the obesity landscape; and extracting salt from the food supply. Plus, survivor satisfaction in Haiti; the elegant worm; online thinspiration; and better delivery systems for vaccines.

What's the future of public health research? Discover the top 20 research challenges for the coming decade. Plus, family planning; the origins of health disparities; questions about Haiti; and wondrous adolescence.

In this issue: JiVitA researchers discover how micronutrients can save mothers and babies in South Asia; the technological revolution in public health; sleep as a public health tool and the inside story of the fight to eradicate smallpox.

Delivering inexpensive and science-based mental health care in developing countries; a special report on H1N1; the role of basic science in public health; why the U.S. minimum legal drinking age should not be lowered; keeping Howard County healthy; and more.

Stemming the trade in illegal guns, the quest for a universal flu vaccine, backpack health workers in Burma and more stories that illuminate the road to global public health.

"You can't save lives, if you don't talk about sex." This single theme guided this special issue that explores the connections between sex and health. Articles, essays, illustrations and images shed light on everything from male contraceptives, to HIV, sex workers, early marriage, adolescent risk-taking, female genital mutilation, lesbian health, and clashing political and research agendas.

The U.S. health care system. America's brownfields. The population bomb. Compelling research stories that reflect on public health locally, nationally and globally.

From an in-depth look at aging and health, to one man's quest to stop TB, a graphic investigation into how DNA shapes the health of populations, and more, this issue of Johns Hopkins Public Health chronicles the cell-to-society research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

More people than ever before are living—and dying—in cities. In this special report, we detail strategies for confronting deep-rooted problems like chronic illness and gun violence that challenge our cities.

Can Africa's boundless potential overcome age-old barriers to health? New technology and expanding health education and research make some think that Africa's moment has arrived.

Relying on satellites, computers, African hunters and even the humble chicken, researchers are building disease warning systems to catch viruses on the verge of sparking epidemics.

The immense diversity of the world's Muslims means public health practitioners must craft solutions that are unique to regions, cultures and villages from Karachi to London and all points in between.

Mining secrets from the infinitesimal worlds of DNA, proteins and viruses, bench scientists at the Bloomberg School are discovering new solutions for global health.

From the eradication of smallpox to the latest research on malaria, Saving Lives Millions at a Time explains the global reach and vital importance of public health. Excerpts from the book are included in this special magazine section.

A mysterious respiratory ailment that broke out in southern China quickly sparked a global epidemic. How has SARS changed the future of public health?

By 2030, Nicotiana tabacum will kill more people than any other cause, experts predict. Jonathan Samet and the Institute for Global Tobacco Control are using science and education to slow this raging epidemic

Two decades into the asthma epidemic, little is known about what causes asthma or how to prevent it. Researchers aim to revolutionize asthma science on both counts.

As the nation prepares itself for future terrorist attacks, the questions are endless and the answers elusive. How can American cities prevent or, if need be, respond to a man-made smallpox epidemic, a sudden outbreak of tularemia, a bomb studded with radioactive material, or a poisoned water supply?

A lone voice in bioterrorism preparedness for years, the School's Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies faces its first real-life threat.

Braving disease, death, and violence, public health researchers risk their lives to save others'. Seven researchers at the School share their stories.