Forum: Preparing for the Next Public Health Catastrophe

Cameron, professor of the practice of health services, policy and practice, added, “In the U.S., we did have an inter-agency response, perhaps with too many versions of it, but we were unable to overcome fundamental challenges. While we managed to develop vaccines in record time, we need a global system to swiftly distribute them and ensure accessibility for low-income countries. Additionally, there was a lack of political will and accountability. We need heads of state to stand up fast during a global health crisis.”

Nuzzo noted that public health has always enjoyed bipartisan support, but during the COVID pandemic, unity was undermined by disinformation and polarization. She asked, “How can we move forward while acknowledging that support for public health is not at the level we had in the past?”

“It is a fundamental problem when politicians and policymakers fail to recognize the national interest,” James said. “Leadership entails navigating through a crisis. This includes government, private sector, and scientific leadership. I believe that science and healthcare workers rose to the occasion during COVID, but we need comprehensive leadership across the board.”

Cameron acknowledged that at the recent G7 conference in Hiroshima, Japan world leaders recognized these problems and made plans to address them. “The language used may not be as sharp as we would like,” she said, “but they are acknowledging the need for action. Reading the transcripts left me both happy and frustrated.”

Nuzzo asked the panel about the scenarios that keep them awake at night and how we can mitigate risk. She asked, “What gift can we give our future selves?”

“The pandemic was caused by a novel pathogen,” said James. “The reason it became a pandemic was because it was entirely new. So the best way to prepare for such a situation is to strengthen healthcare systems and utilize the best scientific practices to mitigate the threat.”