health social movements (hsms) are an innovative and powerful form of political action aimed at transforming the health care system, modifying peoples experience of illness, and addressing broader social determinants of health and disease in diverse communities. this book represents the first collection of research on hsms. it brings together the study of health and illness with social movement theory in order to establish a basis for the study of health social movements. contributions cover both health social movements focused on diseases such as alzheimers and breast cancer, and issue-based hsms such as the pro-choice movement, the movement for complementary and alternative medicine, and movements around stem cell research. taken together, they illustrate the value of interdisciplinary approaches to studying hsms.