In May 2023, Dr. Vivek Murthy—United States Surgeon General and renowned physician-researcher—released a new advisory declaring loneliness a new public health epidemic and calling for a nationwide effort to strengthen the social fabric of our lives. Loneliness can no longer be conceived of as a transient or marginalized experience but rather as a visibly entrenched part of modern life with profound consequences for both physical and mental health. As Dr. Murthy so passionately advocates, connection must be the bedrock of reform, and it is only in naming and bringing the human condition of loneliness out into the open – into active and actionable dialogue – that we can begin repairing, rebuilding, and ultimately reconnecting.

In this issue of Agora, we hope to respond to this call for “connection” by reflecting on and examining the lived epidemic of loneliness among students, patients, caregivers, healthcare systems, communities, and institutions. Understanding that "connection" is a complex, multifaceted experience, we chose to focus on isolation and aloneness in Fall 2023 and companionship and community during Spring 2024.