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Said A. Ibrahim, MD, MPH

Va Center For Health Equity Research and Promotion, Pittsburgh, PA

Editor’s Note. The October 2003 issue is the culmination of the efforts of many dedicated partners, notably the VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, the Center for Minority Health at the University of Pittsburgh, and the Office for Civil Rights at the US Department of Health and Human Services. Nonetheless, Said A. Ibrahim, MD, MPH, was the person I relied on most from the conception of this process at the Minority Health Summit in January 2003 to the birth of this issue a mere 9 months later. Said paid close attention to the larger political and social responsibilities of this important undertaking, while ensuring that all deadlines were met and all authors were treated fairly. This combination of talents is so rare that I invited Said to join our editorial team, and he generously agreed to serve. Now our authors and readers may continue to benefit from Said’s expertise and warmth. Here he presents his vision for his new role as an associate editor of the Journal. Welcome, Said!

Mary E. Northridge, PhD, MPH
Editor-in-Chief, AJPH

As a child growing up in a small town in Somalia, East Africa, I observed at first hand the delivery of community-oriented primary care by the World Health Organization. Using sound scientific evidence gathered throughout the world, public health and medical professionals of diverse nationalities and ethnicities provided essential health care services that improved the health and lives of members of my community. Today, the significance of national and other political boundaries is diminishing for population health and disease, owing in part to the apparent technologyaccelerated "unification" of world communities. I am convinced that the health care solutions our research and advocacy efforts have brought to the urban communities of Cleveland, Ohio, and Los Angeles, Calif, and the rural Native American reservations of the US Southwest can prove useful in addressing the current epidemics of HIV/AIDS in subSaharan Africa and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in China.

Over the years, I have participated in various areas of health care research, ranging from focused studies of racial/ethnic variations in the use of anticoagulant therapy for stroke prevention among hospitalized patients with congestive heart failure to broader research questions such as, Why are African American patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis who meet the medical indications for joint replacement less likely to undergo treatment than White patients? My current research interests lie in examining how race/ethnicity, socioeconomic position, and culture affect health care access and utilization and health outcomes.

By incorporating my deep-seated beliefs in the broader significance of health and health care into an academic health care career that demands focus within an area of research, I have been able to remain committed to the elimination of health inequalities. This area of scientific endeavor allows me to use what I learn and do at the local level to better inform research and policy at the national and global levels. During my tenure as an associate editor of the Journal, I will dedicate my efforts to furthering the Journal’s overall mission: to remain the most scientifically sound forum for the exchange of ideas and solutions to improve public health and, ultimately, to eliminate health inequalities worldwide.

This Article Extract Full Text (PDF) Submit a response View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ibrahim, S. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ibrahim, S. A. Related Collections Global Health Access to Care Other Race/Ethnicity