Fighting for Public Health: Coming Together in a Divided World

Following the global pandemic and a national racial justice reckoning, despite earnest efforts to address the crisis and protect lives, the field of public health is facing an unprecedented array of challenges. These challenges include a shortage of personnel, questions about public health authority, diminished resources for future pandemic preparedness, and declining trust among many Americans. Outside of public health, political candidates vying for office at all levels are actively promoting anti-public health agendas, expressing anti-vaccine sentiments, and spreading misinformation. We are at a critical juncture, and it requires doing our work differently. Public health professionals must take an active role in advocating for the well-being of all people in their communities and in championing policies that enable everyone to achieve their best possible health. To be successful, public health professionals will need to bridge the divides between people with differing economic and educational backgrounds, social identities, political ideologies, and perspectives on the balance between community and individual interests. This panel brings together communicators, public health leaders, politicians, and media figures to respond to insights gathered from research with diverse groups of American voters. During the session, participants and the audience will chart a path forward for more effective communication, a more resilient public health system, and a more just nation.