Letter from the Editor Scarlet Au, Kairaluchi Oraedu

Abstract

Dear Reader,

In 2023, the Columbia University Journal of Global Health continued to impact the Columbia campus community and beyond. Through leading discussions in public health and engaging with faculty across institutions, we strive to share research perspectives from around the world that confront the challenges of achieving equitable and accessible healthcare. We continue to celebrate the importance of research and the underlying rigor of the scientific process. We are excited to share our newest Spring 2023 issue with our readers.

Our community engagement efforts in New York resulted in multiple collaborations with Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health faculty and the New York City Fire Department, which has engaged the Columbia University student body in relevant and timely global health topics. We distributed fentanyl testing kits and partnered with the New York City Fire Department for a CPR training event to educate students with useful skills in addressing health emergencies. In February, we hosted a panel discussion titled “Black Professionals in Public Health”, which featured guest speakers Dr. Paris Adkins-Jackson–Assistant Professor at the Columbia Department of Epidemiology and Sociomedical Sciences–and Dr. Kiros Berhane–Chairman of Biostatistics at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. Adkins-Jackson and Berhane addressed how they designed research studies to investigate racial disparities in access to care and navigated public health and academia from a personal perspective. 

In recognizing the importance of having accessible and open scientific communication between the scientific community and the general public, our “What is Global Health?” podcast and blog has served as an active online platform to foster discussions with Columbia faculty. Our recent blog posts share perspectives on topics from women’s menstrual health to global hunger. The newest episode of the podcast features a discussion on utilizing data science to inform public health with Dr. Mary Beth Terry from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. 

This Spring 2023 issue explores public health topics including a novel community participatory approach to violence intervention programs for Latino youth, challenges in accessing maternity care for immigrants and medical interpretation. We would like to express our gratitude towards our journal team, faculty advisors Esther Jackson and Professor James Colgrove, authors and peer reviewers for their submissions and contributions without which our journal could not exist.

Sincerely,
Scarlet Au & Kairaluchi Oraedu
Co-Editors-in-Chief, The Columbia University Journal of Global Health