A new international public health target

The tragedy of New York, Washington, and Pittsburgh is both immediate and long term. Immediate in its violent loss and bereavement; the anger, anguish and personal “what ifs” that will devastate psychological wellbeing over the next few weeks and months. What if she/he had missed the train, woke up late, been on a lower floor, not gone back to their desk, not taken that plane, had a few more seconds...? I breathed a huge sigh of relief at news that my brother and his family who live in NY city were all safe. Not so for so many others.

The longer term effects will be more subtle and harder to both express and manage. I am an American living abroad, was an early teenager during the Cuban missile crisis. In talking with my 13 year old son, I suddenly and very uncomfortably remembered what it felt like at …