My favorite professor from graduate school kicked-off my Social Ethics course with this quote,

“When you’re successful in public health, nothing happens.”

When public health professionals do their job, people don’t get injured.  People don’t get sick.  People don’t die.  But how do these professionals prove how many lives they’ve saved?  How many people didn’t get sick?  How many people didn’t get injured?

It’s what is referred to as “trying to prove a negative”.  It’s very difficult to do.  Yet most of us go on living our day-to-day lives without once considering that the efforts of these individuals are the very reason we get to “go on living”.

In addition, public health organizations often get their funding cut because “everything is fine”.  This of course results in less resources and ultimately leads to health consequences.  An unfortunate cycle with unfortunate collateral damage.

And that’s what this journal is all about.  A voice for those that shed their blood, sweat and tears only to become more invisible.  These stories are about celebrating their invisible success.