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AbstractThe problem of failing states and the resulting increase in armed conflict has provoked a reexamination of foreign and security policies used to support the legitimacy of the state. One set of tools that are used in this instance are health engagement programs such as military Medical Civic Action Programs. This article examines the logic of the programs from the perspective of social contract theory and proposes criteria for developing these interventions in a manner consistent with the strategic goal of stabilizing the state. Case studies in Iraq and Bangladesh are used to illustrate proper planning and implementation of health engagement programs.

Sir Michael Marmot writes on public health, social determinants of health, and health equity.

Health care is becoming increasingly transnational and a shift to more promotive and preventative approaches forms an integral part of addressing challenges to global health and health disparities. Community and public engagement programs are particularly well suited to successfully developing care that is resonant and meaningful in transnational contexts. Yet many existing programs do not take into account the diverse perspectives of the heterogeneous group of transnational patients, and guidelines that address their specific needs are still scarce. At the same time, little has been done to build a framework to share successful local programs with a broader community. We thus propose a global database of best practices and guidelines for transnational health‐care promotions to improve health care and well‐being across diverse communities, consisting of a three‐step assessment in order to successfully design locally adapted programs that are accepted by target populations and successfully engage transnational patients and their health‐care providers.

AbstractSince 2001 preparedness to respond to the threats and hazards encountered in our daily life is becoming common practice. Disasters, either natural or human made, happen unexpectedly and can cause destruction, especially when threats and risks are ignored. Significant progress has been made in community preparedness, in the U.S. and globally. Yet populations experiencing health and economic disparities have an especially difficult time recovering from disasters and are likely to suffer long‐term health consequences disproportionately. Medical policies and practices targeting these groups should be researched, validated and deployed.

AbstractHealth tourism presents American policymakers with a perplexing situation, which requires an examination of the implications of such tourism on trade and economics, especially when considering the role of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). Currently, the issue of health tourism, or the means by which consumers seek health services abroad, and its policy implications has yet to gain the attention of policymakers in the United States and the international community. By reviewing existing literature and relevant international treaties, it becomes apparent that the expanding popularity of health tourism necessitates exploring the potential implications of health tourism. Further, in assessing its impact, policymakers must examine questions related to quality, performance, and accountability of those facilities hosting health tourists.

AbstractThe expertise of medical and science professionals is needed in public policy debates in the U.S. and around the world. As societies mature, questions in public policy become increasingly complex and should be informed by science. However, too often public agendas are advanced without the benefit of science and those trained in how to interpret it. Similarly, those trained in the sciences often do not have requisite knowledge, training or an interest in politics and policymaking. Yet, it is clear that optimal policy results in those cases when scientists and policy elites work together in meaningful partnerships. Because the worlds of science and politics—their cultures, assumptions, and methods—are largely separate and different, cooperation between these two cultures is difficult. The authors of this paper hope that their work interpreting one major issue of scientific importance as it has wound its way through public policy processes will be instructive to those in science who are enlisted to bring scientific discovery to public policy making (Fritschler and Rudder 2007). The 60‐year political struggle to move the issue of tobacco control from the agenda of a small group of medical researchers to the public agenda offers insights about public policymaking that are transferable to other issues which rest on science.