The initial response to Hurricane Sandy has, necessarily, focused on immediate needs, such as restoring power, providing shelter and trucking in fuel to the area. However, after the most pressing problems are resolved and communities begin the long task of rebuilding, public health officials should make it a priority to assist some of the most vulnerable members of these communities — pregnant women and their unborn babies.

“We need to be screwed!”

Not altogether surprising words to spill out of a college student’s mouth. But this particular student was not talking about sex. She was discussing the U.S. health-care system – more specifically what she thought it would take for our two political parties to come together to find a reasonable way to control our nation’s health-care costs.

Just four years ago, only two people in the world had their genome sequenced: James D. Watson (co-discoverer of the structure of DNA) and J. Craig Venter (former President of the firm that mounted a private-sector rival to the Human Genome Project). There are now many thousands of such people.

New York City's plan to prohibit the sale of large, sugary soft drinks is a brave and provocative policy, one that promotes public health at minimal cost to New York City residents.