From the Dean Actions speak louder What are the measures of a school of public health? What is the yardstick by which we gauge how we are doing in meeting our mission? Certainly among those measures are the faculty and the work they are doing. Certainly our research trials are directly impacting the public’s health. Certainly, too, the caliber of our students reflects that we are doing something right when the best and the brightest choose to come to Emory for their eduction. Our graduates are our gift to the world. Ultimately, the way we measure that gift is by their accomplishments.

RSPH alums are scattered about the globe, pursuing a variety of disciplines. They are helping eradicate polio. They are working in mental health clinics in San Francisco. They are running important clinical trials in Atlanta. They are evaluating nutrition programs in Central America. They are making a difference in the developing world.

In this issue, we feature just a few of our many dedicated alums who are making people healthier. You’ll not only read about senior policy makers like Anne Peterson and experienced researchers like Jodie Guest but also young graduates such as Rebecca Vander Meulen, who is already finding her niche in the fight against AIDS, and Barbara Massoudi, who returned to school to focus on the emerging field of informatics. You’ll read about Mike Cannon’s work in uncovering an emerging strain of human herpesvirus 8, Dan Budnitz’s efforts to prevent drug injuries, and Robert Davis’s commitment to translate health news accurately for consumers.

Our alums choose lives of service, careers that attend to the public’s health. In some cases, scholarships and fellowships make their education possible. In other cases, our flexible Career MPH allows students to keep their jobs while they pursue a degree. Endowed scholarships are extremely important to the future of our school. We’d like to support even more students so that after graduation, they are free from loan debt and free to concentrate on what they’d really like to do––make people healthier.

As with all special issues, we are proud of what we’ve presented in these pages. Simply put, these alums are great people accomplishing great things. They represent just a small sample of the solid talent, creativity, and skills flowing out of our school into the wide world.

James W. Curran, MD, MPH
Dean