The Way Forward
Bringing people together on causes that matter is a charge for every one of us.
Over the past 50 years, public health has saved lives at rates that feel almost miraculous.
The mortality rate for children under 5 has been cut by 60%. Anti-smoking efforts have prevented almost 4 million lung cancer deaths in the U.S. alone. The regulation of lead, the success in preventing traffic injuries, and the advent of HIV therapies have transformed our world.
At the Bloomberg School, I’ve had a front-row seat to this phenomenal progress. I arrived as a student in 1972 and have spent my career here, witnessing public health broaden its reach and mission. As I prepare to finish out my time as dean, I am thinking about that powerful history—and our yet-to-be-determined future.
Can we make the next 50 years as miraculous as the last? The answer depends on how we respond to the current moment.
This is a volatile time for our field, as federal directives and policy changes continue to disrupt and dismantle public health research and practice. Changes seem to come daily, and while their staying power is uncertain, we know the impact will be great. We know that we must find a new path forward. As daunting as that sounds, I truly believe that—together—we can succeed.
To work in public health is to relentlessly adapt, and while this moment may feel extreme, it is not unlike challenges we have met before. In this issue, School historian Karen Thomas explores how we have faced the Great Depression, budget cuts, and all manner of crises—and come through.
In fact, this entire issue of Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health explores the funding changes that jeopardize hard-won gains in U.S. and global public health—and the enduring commitment by everyone in the field. The stories you’ll read explore the depth of the challenges before us but also illuminate how we can meet them.
Can we make the next 50 years as miraculous as the last? The answer depends on how we respond to the current moment.
In the months and years ahead, public health must hold fast to its values but remain open to changing its ways. We need to think hard about how to better connect with the public and decision-makers, and to adopt novel approaches to our core missions of discovery, teaching, and practice.
Underpinning all of this work is a singular and urgent need: We must bring a plurality of voices into our public health efforts. We cannot change the current situation without a broader coalition of partners, working toward goals that we all share.
As difficult as our current moment may be, there is agreement on many of the most pressing topics today. A recent survey by Research!America showed that Americans want the president and Congress to assign higher priority to medical progress—and 9 out of 10 want the U.S. to be a leader in science and technology.
Americans want to be healthier, and public health can help them get there. But we will only succeed if we truly learn to listen to and engage with the public and decision-makers from all backgrounds and perspectives.
Certainly, we have the skills and the capacity for this. After all, in public health, we come to problems with curiosity and empathy. We read our data with an open mind, not a set conclusion. But do we bring these same values to our interactions with those who see things another way? We need a stronger commitment and strategy for meeting others where they are and for sharing our own perspectives—and our evidence—with greater clarity and care.
Johns Hopkins has over the past year introduced new initiatives aimed at nurturing meaningful discussions across the political spectrum. The University is providing grants to faculty who emphasize dialogue across differences in their classrooms. It is bringing wide-ranging voices together to debate contentious issues like the future of the Supreme Court. It is teaching dialogue skills to undergraduates through programming in its residence halls.
We need to continue to invest our time and energy into efforts like these that can encourage greater openness of thought, foster new collaborations, and help us find the common ground on which to build our future.
Bringing people together on causes that matter is a charge for every one of us. That is no small ask, but after more than five decades in this field, I know our community well. I know the power of your intellect and the depth of your empathy. I know that your work is imbued with both science and soul.
I know that because of who you are, the miraculous is still in our reach.