Public Health Reports

Logo of Public Health Reports, the official journal of the Office of the Surgeon General and the US Public Health Service.

Published since 1878, Public Health Reports (PHR) is the official journal of the office of the U.S. Surgeon General and the U.S. Public Health Service. PHR is published by SAGE Publishing Inc. through an agreement with the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH).

This peer-reviewed public health journal features bimonthly articles on public health practice, research, training, and writing. The oldest public health journal in US, PHR has covered throughout its history various important public health issues of the day. Explore the journal’s article collections  on the health harms of racism and emerging viral pandemics as well as a 2010 special issue on 1918 and 2009 influenza pandemics. PHR’s entire output since 1878 has been digitalized and is available on PubMed. It is summarized in the 2006 collection of commentaries by contemporary public health leaders highlighting the journal’s most impactful historic contributions and in the 2008 editorial celebrating the journal’s 140-year anniversary.

Information about the journal’s more recent content and publishing trends can be found in the Year in Review series of editorials. In 2021, PHR announced a call for submissions on COVID-19 and started a collection of articles on the public health response to the pandemic.

PHR also publishes "Surgeon General's Perspectives," in which the U.S. Surgeon General discusses important national public health issues.

Read the Surgeon General’s Perspectives below.

Title Date
The Mental Health of Minority and Marginalized Young People: An Opportunity for Action 2022
COVID-19 Pandemic Underscores the Need to Address Social Isolation and Loneliness 2021
Preventing Suicide in the United States 2021
Making the Case for Syringe Services Programs 2020
Appointment of Editor in Chief of Public Health Reports: Charting the Journal’s New Course and Sustaining Momentum 2020
Good for Health, Good for Business: The Business Case for Reducing Tobacco Use 2019
The Value of Worker Well-Being 2019
Retirement of Dr. Shaw and a New Acting Editor in Chief for Public Health Reports 2019
Hurricane Maria and a Generation of Resistencia 2018
The Value of Wellness 2018
Charting the Course to End HIV Transmission in the United States 2017
Stepping Into Healthier Communities: Revisiting the Progress of Step It Up 2017
Food Insecurity: A Public Health Issue 2016
Reducing Exposure to Secondhand Smoke: Let's Keep the Momentum Going 2016
A Promise Fulfilled—Addressing the Nation's Opioid Crisis Collectively 2016
Oral Health in America, 2000 to Present: Progress Made, But Challenges Remain 2016
A Season of Hope, A Season of Action: Addressing Mental Health through Faith Communities 2015
Making Our Communities Walkable for Older Adults 2015
Community Water Fluoridation: One of CDC’s “10 Great Public Health Achievements of the 20th Century 2015
A New Editor in Chief for Public Health Reports 2015
Improving the Physical and Emotional Health of Adolescents to Ensure Success in Adulthood 2015
Update on the U.S. Public Health Response to the Ebola Outbreak 2015
Family Health History: Using the past to Improve Future Health 2015
Quiet Heroes, Deafening Impacts 2014
Helping Women Achieve Their Breastfeeding Goals: The Role of Hospitals 2014
Antibiotic Resistance: A Public Health Crisis 2014
Testing Baby Boomers for Hepatitis C Virus Infection 2014
C. Everett Koop and the National HIV/ AIDS Strategy 2014
A Historic Moment: The 50th Anniversary of the first Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health 2014
Holiday Season Stress Free 2013
The Importance of 60 Minutes or More of Daily Physical Activity 2013
A Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease 2013
The Million Hearts Initiative: Progress in Preventing Heart Attacks and Strokes 2012
A New Surgeon General’s Report: Preventing Tobacco Use among Adolescents and Young Adults 2012
Raising Awareness of Viral Hepatitis: National Hepatitis Testing Day, May 19 2012
Oral Health Care for People Living with HIV/ AIDS 2012
Medication Adherence: Helping Patients Take Their Medicines as Directed 2012
The National Prevention Strategy: Shifting the Nation’s Health-Care System 2011
Public Health in Action: Give Mothers Support for Breastfeeding 2011
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010: The Cornerstone of Nutrition Policy 2011
Exposure to Tobacco Smoke Causes Immediate Damage: A Report of the Surgeon General 2011
An Important Time for Prevention 2011
Improving Health by Improving Health Literacy 2010
Multiple Chronic Conditions: A Public Health Challenge 2010
The Surgeon General’s Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation 2010
Bone Health: Preventing Osteoporosis 2010
Oral Health: The Silent Epidemic 2010
A Message from the New Surgeon General 2010
The Importance of Being Active Your Way 2009
USPHS Commissioned Corps: A Global Emergency Preparedness and Response Asset 2009
Self-Management Programs: One Way To Promote Healthy Aging 2009
The 25th Anniversary of The Surgeon General's Workshop on Breastfeeding and Human Lactation: the Status of Breastfeeding Today 2009
Mental Health Matters 2009
Preventing and Reducing Underage Drinking 2009
The Need for Wider HIV Testing 2008
Preterm Birth as a Public Health Initiative 2008
Prevention of Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism 2008
Childhood Overweight and Obesity Prevention 2008
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