This volume is the first in a series entitled the Sociology of Health Professions: Future International Directions, published by Policy Press and edited by Mike Saks and Mike Dent, supported by a high-profile international advisory board. The research-based series is focused on giving innovatory sociological insights into the past, present and future development of the health professions. It is primarily oriented towards final-year and postgraduate students, academic lecturers/researchers, practitioners and policy makers. Its general aims are:

• • to inform and stimulate debate about issues in the sociology of health professions;

• • to influence policy development and practice in the fields concerned;

• • to make a significant contribution to academic thinking in the sociology of health; and

• • to produce original national/international work of recognised high quality.

This present volume on Professional Health Regulation in the Public Interest: International Perspectives is the first to be published under the series banner. Its significance in terms of the series is underlined by the positive contextual words in the Foreword by a world-renowned academic leader in the field of comparative health policy, Richard B. Saltman. It is co-edited by John Martyn Chamberlain, Mike Dent and Mike Saks – the first of whom introduces the volume and its various contributions in the initial chapter of this flagship book. It is anticipated that the book will fill an important gap in the literature, drawing on the strongest work internationally on the regulation of health professions. This edited collection is also characterised by its breadth of coverage of health professional groups and the depth of knowledge and experience of its contributors in combining academically rigorous analysis with a policy thrust. As such, it should appeal not only to academics and practitioners, but also to regulators – including government policy makers and professional bodies themselves. This policy orientation and a focus on positive socio-political impact will continue to be the kitemark of other books in the series as it moves forward over the coming years, with the backing of Policy Press.