The obstacle is the field's immense breadth. Scrimshaw notes wryly that public health can involve toxic spills, smoking, or leaving out the potato salad out of the refrigerator. But despite a lack of conciseness concerning its definition, it appears to have vaulted up the list of American funding priorities in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Possibilities suddenly loom for public health researchers, whose work has long been overshadowed by that of basic biomedical researchers, raising the stakes in efforts to clarify what this field is and why it's important.
A new and potentially powerful player in getting out the word is the nonprofit education and advocacy alliance of more than 400 public and private organizations known as Research!America (R!A). Based in Alexandria, Va., across the Potomac River from the U.S. Capitol, R!A is probably best known for its central role in the campaign to double the National ...
