Joav Merrick & I Leslie Rubin 
Public Health 
International Aspects on Environment and Health

The "Break the Cycle" program has been an annual academic event since 2005, recruiting students from many different disciplines and departments at different universities across the United States and the world, to break the cycle of environmental health disparities at any point. This volume presents the set of "Break the Cycle" projects that look at the international stage. Environmental conditions and health disparities are universal and represent a challenge for our global village. We hope to see many more students assist with this program in different international settings. The students are, after all, our future; our work is a preparation for them to make the world a better place for generations to come. Poverty, disadvantage, disease and disability are all global challenges. This global picture has been captured in the Millennium Development Goals 2015, which came out of the Millennium Summit in September 2000, the largest gathering of world leaders in history. We now have the UN Sustainable Development Goals to guide our efforts for the next couple of decades.