International health has been defined many ways. Recently the US Institute of Medicine referred to global health as "health problems, issues, and concerns that transcend national boundaries, may be influenced by circumstances or experiences in other countries, and are best addressed by cooperative actions and solutions". Cooperative global health actions are usually in response to some of the world major health burdens, child and maternal mortality, preventable disease, and injury for example, which occur in various magnitudes across many countries, regardless of level of development. For the IHD, the specific interests within international health will continue to change and grow depending on the interests of the membership, and for now the focus will be on the most important health problems of citizens in low and middle-income countries.