New bonus e-chapter on Public Health Preparedness and Response and the COVID-19 Pandemic now available. As one of the foundational texts in the Essential Public Health series, Essentials of Public Health, Fourth Edition -- formerly authored by Turnock -- is a thorough introduction to the field of public health, covering public health practice, government public health, and careers in public health. After defining public health and looking at the current U.S. public health system and practice, the book explores population health measurement, policy development, and collaboration between the public health and the health system. Final chapters examine career opportunities in public health administration, epidemiology, public health nursing, and health education as well as emerging ones such as health information technologists, emergency managers, and more. Helpful learning tools such as chapter exercises and discussion questions, making it an ideal text to prepare your students for the profession of public health. Thoroughly revised, the Fourth Edition includes: - New unifying theme -- Public Health 3.0 and its new recommendations for 21st century public health practice -- woven throughout the first six chapters. - New content related to health reform under the ACA, including its implementation under the current administration, and its potential to improve public health - Significantly more tables and figures, references and weblinks, and new "Outside the Book" exercises to enhance learning. - Updated and enhanced chapters that detail the wide range of career opportunities in public health to help guide undergraduate students in their career path.