This issue of CHP/PCOR's Quarterly Update covers news from the Fall 2006 quarter and includes articles about:

• the effect of health insurance on obese individuals' behaviors, as well as possible approaches and policy questions with regards to the obesity epidemic;
• the state of disaster preparedness in the United States. Are we ready yet? Experts provided comments at a fall conference and presented data on the intricacies of the topic;
• the state of children's health -- two pieces provide broad coverage of international and U.S.-based news on current policies and debates surrounding children's health;
• the health services and policy research scholarly concentration within the School of Medicine, with a special profile piece from a third-year medical student; and
• two Research in Brief selections, a new feature that highlights recently-published CHP/PCOR research and how such research is informing health care practices and public perceptions.

The newsletter also contains a special Letter from the Director and various other news items that may be of interest to our readers. Note to the reader: The newsletter is fully-navigational. Any text that is surrounded by a dashed box is clickable and will allow the reader to navigate the newsletter more efficiently. The end of each article contains a special symbol (§) that, when clicked, will take the reader back to the table of contents. Please feel free to contact Amber Hsiao with any questions.