Northwestern Public Health Review

Dear Readers,

Simona Morochnik

Nelly Papalambros

We are pleased to bring you the September 2017 edition of the NPHR. It is a wonderful privilege to be able to live a full life, in good company and in good health. Someone once said that getting to old age is a combination of luck and good decision-making. While the former may be true, it is really the latter that we have any control over.

This issue explores the health decisions we make from childhood through adulthood and into old age. Our issue begins with Dr. Art Elster’s exploration of the very beginnings of our development and how our internal and external environments influence our ability to make health decisions. As we transition into the interview with Dr. Bonnie Spring, we tap into the many issues facing older adolescents and adults. Dr. Spring discusses the myriad of novel health technologies becoming available for both cardiovascular and mental health management to the socioeconomic implications of health access. Finally, we explore the challenges we face in old age. Dr. Amy Eisenstein and Nissa Romanski spotlight the needs of older adults in the Chicagoland community, while Maggie Walker addresses end of life care in rural America. Throughout every stage of our lives, we are faced with decisions about our health and well-being. Some decisions are easier than others. From this issue, we hope you take away the idea that our health behaviors are indeed modifiable, both by creating a safe and beneficial environment and by guiding personal decision making.

We wish to thank all of our contributors and a special thank you to the students of the University of Illinois, Chicago Biomedical Visualization program for their beautiful illustrations to accompany the pieces throughout this issue.

In Health,

The NPHR Editors-in-Chief

Nelly Papalambros & Simona Morochnik