Public health is a multidisciplinary profession, with every discipline is relevant to our lives. Epidemiology looks into the distribution and risk factors of diseases by studying quantitative data and looking for real associations. Statistics analyze numbers and distributions and assist us in making logical inferences. Health promotion searches for the most effective ways to change behaviors. Environmental health looks at how factors such as the air we breath, the water we drink and climate impact our health. Health economics starts from the perspective that we live in a world where resources are always limited, and we need to know how to allocate them. Health policy brings together all this information to form vision and strategies at various levels.
At the core of public health lies the value of equality, as the most fundamental principle of public health is that health is a basic right for all people. Public health is a socialist profession in that it places great importance on the common good. Public health undoubtedly depends on social cohesion and mutual responsibility, the feeling that an individual is part of a society and should contribute to it while also benefiting from it. Public health also depends on public trust in the system that provides services. Our trust should be that the government works for the benefit of all citizens.
There are many challenges in public health, some are a bit older, like the climate crisis, the workforce crisis in health professions, pandemics, and vaccine hesitancy, and some that have risen more recently, like the repeal of the tax on disposable utensils, the repeal of the tax on sugary drinks, and health budget cuts. But above all, we are overshadowed by the events since October 2023. In this year, many were displaced from their homes, many were physically and mentally harmed, on both sides of the borders, and too many people have not yet returned from captivity.
I wish all those involved in the profession the wisdom to promote public health even in the challenging reality surrounding us. To all students, past, present, and future, I wish great success, and to all of us, I hope we will see peace and tranquility and that we will see all the hostages returned to their homes as soon as possible.
Prof. Ronit Calderon-Margalit
School Director
