Dear Reader,

In the past four years TuftScope has grown immensely both in terms of its dedication to promoting discourse about bioethics and health policy issues and its ability to reach an audience of active citizens. This truly has been a transition period for the journal. The implementation of the TuftScope website, the journal’s health news weblog, our presence on Twitter and Facebook, and an overhaul of the style of the printed issue all mark changes that signify the journal’s commitment to improving the quality of our service.

We have taken steps to continue the legacy left by our innovative predecessors by focusing on the sustainability of both the printed and online journal without compromising the content of either. Some of these behind-the-scenes changes include the recruitment of a new generation of underclassman staff members, a rewiring of the online submissions process and journal presence with the help of Online Editor Griselle Ong, and the reinvigorated participation of our invaluable faculty advisors.

As a fitting feature to cap this period of transitions, Managing Editor Brian Wolf spoke with recently inaugurated President of Tufts University Anthony Monaco, who comes to the university as a leader in the field of behavioral neurobiology. Discussing his own transition from the world of academic research at Oxford University to the administration of Tufts University highlights the unique perspectives of our new president.

On a global health scale, “TuftScope Abroad” makes a return with Marie J Murphy delving into the attempts of the government of India to curb the escalating trend of selective abortion due to pre-natal sex discrimination. In a world where there is a strong preference for a child’s sex, the government is facing its own challenges in sparking a transition away from growing gender inequality.

Also in this edition we examine developments in the ongoing discussion about the obesity epidemic in the United States with Ariel Lefland’s look at the Million Hearts Initiative, a program bringing together governmental, nonprofit, private sector, and healthcare organizations for the goal of decreasing heart disease in Americans, as well as Shayna Schor’s analysis of taxation on fatty foods as a way to address the obesity epidemic in the US.

It has been a pleasure to pick up what the past generations of editors have laid down as this revitalized journal and to keep striving to make it even more focused and accessible. We thank the entire staff of writers, reviewers, editors, and layout editors, without whom there would certainly not be a journal of this caliber. We also thank our faculty advisers for their continued guidance and advice.

We hope you enjoy the issue!

Sincerely,

David Gennert & Eriene Sidhom