“Public Health in the Arab World”

Dr. Rita Giacaman, Professor of Public Health at the Institute of Community and Public Health at Birzeit University, is among the editors of and contributors to the book Public Health in the Arab World (Cambridge University Press, 2012), a book that has been “Highly Commended” in the 2012 British Medical Association* Medical Awards. Edited by Dr. Samer Jabbour Dr.nbsp; Rita Giacaman, Dr. Marwan Khawaja and Dr. Iman Nuwayhid, the book was among 10 books, of 54, in the Public Health category receiving this recognition in the September award ceremony.
In 38 chapters, Public Health in the Arab World draws together the work of 81 multidisciplinary experts in the field of public health over a period of three years. In the introduction, the editors note that the book nbsp;“aims to stimulate discussions about health in light of the demographic, epidemiological, economic, social, and political changes taking place. The editors also “hope that the book fills some of the gaps in an otherwise growing body of literature on public health in the region.” They further indicate that it discusses a “range of problems of importance to public health such as foreign interventionism, war and occupation, the challenges of globalization, autocratic governance, tyranny and corruption, deteriorating economies, and weak social protection.” Highly regarded as a comprehensive reference to public health, Cambridge University Press describes it as “a valuable addition to the library of anyone interested in global public health and in Arab world studies.”
The book is being translated into Arabic by the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean. Royalties from the sale of the book will go towards the purchase of copies to be distributed for free to students and institutions of public health in the Arab World.
For further details on the book, please visit http://www.cambridge.org/aus/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521516747
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Thenbsp;British Medical Association (BMA) is a medical doctors’ professional organization that represents doctors in all branches of medicine throughout the United Kingdom. The award offered by the BMA is among the most notable awards in the field.
nbsp;ICPH was established informally as Palestinian social action was emerging at the end of the 1970’s, then as a formal university unit, a department, and as an institute in 1998. Its mission and goals have been primarily defined by the extra-ordinary conditions of Israeli military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. nbsp;The institute's inception, growth andnbsp;development were a responsenbsp;to the Palestinian community's need for generating the evidence required to develop independent and informed health policies, plans and programmes.