At the beginning of the twenty-first century, key public health issues and challenges have taken centre stage. They range from arsenic in drinking water to asthma among children and adults; from the re-emergence of cholera, to increasing cancer rates and other chronic diseases; from AIDS to malaria and hepatitis; from the crises faced by displaced or refugee populations to the new challenges that have emerged for reproductive health and rights. Like most aspects of contemporary life, these problems have been impacted by globalization. The issues that confront us are being shaped by e