Convergence to common purpose in global health.

Health and disease are, to a large extent, effects of local environmental conditions, and the work of health professionals is still largely performed one patient at a time, facilitated or constrained by local resources. So does it make sense to conceptualize “global health” on a worldwide basis rather than as a patchwork of national and local jurisdictions and responses? In examining the 17 contributions to this series (concluding with the article by Gostin and Sridhar in this issue of the Journal 1), we see five major forces and trends suggesting that as the 21st century progresses, a global perspective on . . .