Advancing Public Health in Uncertain Political Times
Summit Overview
The 2024 Bloomberg American Health Initiative brought together public health practitioners, policymakers, community organizations, and Bloomberg Fellows in Washington, D.C. from December 2-4, 2024 to explore strategies to ground public health solutions in evidence and forge connections to advance policies to improve health.
Speakers at the 2024 annual summit included leaders from state and federal public health agencies, political figures, faculty from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, journalists, and representatives from community organizations. Bloomberg Fellows also had the opportunity to meet and strategize with the Initiative’s growing network of collaborators who are on the cutting-edge of public health in communities across the country. Sessions covered strategies to work across political divides to evaluate and reform long-standing policies that impact public health.
To those of you who are students or are hoping to save lives – science doesn’t change. Politics might, but science doesn’t. Go forward with the tried-and-true process that we use in science for health, in which your North Star is evidence.
Watch the 2024 Bloomberg American Health Summit
Additional 2024 Bloomberg American Health Summit Videos
Opening Remarks: Michael R. Bloomberg
WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries and Bloomberg American Health Initiative Founding Donor Michael R. Bloomberg delivers opening remarks at the 2024 Bloomberg American Health Summit.
Introductory Remarks: Joshua Sharfstein and Michelle Spencer
Bloomberg American Health Initiative Director Dr. Joshua Sharfstein and Deputy Director Michelle Spencer welcome you to the 2024 Bloomberg American Health Summit.
Bridging Divides in Public Health
At the 2024 Bloomberg American Health Summit Dr. Jerome Adams joins Reporter Jonathan Capehart to share strategies to bridge divides in public health in uncertain political times.
Building Trust While Upholding Scientific Integrity: Francis Collins
At the 2024 Bloomberg American Health Summit Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Washington Correspondent at the New York Times, spoke with Dr. Francis Collins, Distinguished Investigator at the National Institute for Health, about the importance of building trust while upholding scientific integrity.
Building Trust While Upholding Scientific Integrity: Thomas Dobbs
At the 2024 Bloomberg American Health Summit Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Washington Correspondent at the New York Times, spoke with Dr. Thomas Dobbs, Former Mississippi State Health Officer, about the importance of building trust while upholding scientific integrity.
The Value of Science in Uncertain Times
Ron Daniels, President of the Johns Hopkins University, delivers a keynote address at the 2024 Bloomberg American Health Summit.
Transforming Transportation
At the 2024 Bloomberg American Health Summit Robert Hampshire, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology at the U.S. Department of Transportation, joined Dr. Shima Hamidi, Bloomberg Assistant Professor of American Health, and David Zipper, Senior Fellow, MIT Mobility Initiative, to speak about how their partnership is transforming transportation in the United States.
Violence Reduction Councils
Mark Talbot, Chief of Police for the City of Norfolk, Virginia, Bloomberg Fellow Malcolm Cunningham, and Mallory O'Brien, Associate Scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health spoke with Reporter Chip Brownlee about violence reduction councils and how they have been implemented in communities across America.
Empowering Youth: Advancing Mental Health and Wellness
In her keynote address at the 2024 Bloomberg American Health Summit, President and Co-Founder of Born This Way Foundation, Cynthia Bissett Germanotta, shares more about her vision to advance youth mental health and wellness in America.
Advancing Gun Safety: Policy Makers on Background Checks and Firearm Licensing
Deputy Director's of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention Greg Jackson and Rob Wilcox shared their thoughts on the importance of background checks and firearm licensing at the 2024 Bloomberg American Health Summit.
Navigating Forward to Advance Health
At the 2024 Bloomberg American Health Summit Xavier Becerra, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, shared his guidance for navigating the way forward to advance health in America.
Bridging Divides: The Role of Politics in Public Health
At the 2024 Bloomberg American Health Summit Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, U.S. Representative, 1st District of Pennsylvania, spoke with Bloomberg American Health Initiative Director Joshua Sharfstein about the role of politics in public health.
Training Physicians to Address Firearm Safety with Patients
At the 2024 Bloomberg American Health Summit Annie Andrews, CEO & Founder of Their Future. Our Vote. spoke with John Feinblatt, President of Everytown for Gun Safety about a new project which will focus on training physicians to address firearm safety with patients.
Judicial Health Notes
Bloomberg Centennial Chair, Department of Health Policy and Management, Dr. Keshia Pollack Porter and her colleague Stefanie Carignan launched Judicial Health Notes at the 2024 Bloomberg American Health Summit. This high impact project helps to identify the public health impact of court decisions on Americans.
Feeding the Future
At the 2024 Bloomberg American Health Initiative Robert Campbell, Vice President, Policy at Feeding America, and Kelli Case, Senior Staff Attorney at the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative, share more about how to build better food systems for the future.
Expanding Access to Treatment in Correctional Facilities
At the 2024 Bloomberg American Health Summit Dr. Ruth Potee, Medical Director for the Franklin County House of Corrections and the Director of Addiction Services for Behavioral Health Network, and Dr. Yngvild Olsen, Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, spoke with Bloomberg Health Reporter Riley Griffin about the importance of expanding access to methadone in jails and prisons across the United States.
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Watch MorePublic health is not a game where we can walk away from a bad hand or simply wait for our next turn. It is a constant struggle, which impacts the daily lives of over 330 million people. If we do not do our jobs and advocate for [the people], no matter how difficult, nothing will get better.
Speakers
Keshia Pollack Porter
Bloomberg Centennial Chair, Vice Dean for Faculty, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Mallory O'Brien
Associate Scientist, Center for Gun Violence Solutions, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Robert Hampshire
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology & Chief Science Officer, U.S. Department of Transportation
Jaytoya Manget
Faculty Nurse Practitioner and Director of Nursing for Children's School Services, Children's National Hospital
Marion Nestle
Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, New York University
Kelli Case
Senior Staff Attorney, Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative