Public Health

Dean Antonia Villarruel of the School of Nursing is the newest chair of the National Academy of Medicine’s Culture of Health program. “The Culture of Health Program is well-positioned to build and strengthen the evidence base to address structural racism. This work will be accomplished together with communities and the multiple private- and public-sectors that intersect to promote health,” she said.

Andy Tan of the Annenberg School for Communication and Shaleen Title of Ohio State University expressed concerns about tobacco companies’ involvement in the burgeoning legal cannabis industry. “The tragic public health consequences of cigarettes were exacerbated through sustained profit-driven predatory marketing practices and deregulatory efforts,” they wrote. “Instead of repeating that history, federal policy makers should work with tobacco control and state-level marijuana experts to prevent Big Tobacco 2.0.”

Harvey Rubin of the Perelman School of Medicine co-wrote an op-ed about the structural changes needed to prepare society for future pandemics. “The currently inefficient international regime for infectious disease control requires a new overarching structure that will harmonize, integrate, and coordinate the existing relevant legal structures that deal with infectious disease issues,” they wrote.

Alison Buttenheim of the School of Nursing spoke about how COVID-19 vaccine discourse may evolve during the next few months. While the public conversation is currently focused on vaccine scarcity, “pretty soon, I would say in four to six weeks, it’s going to be about finding people and persuading people,” she said.