Changing Face of Public Health

The US public and policy makers are demanding greater accountability from all public institutions, including public health. This occurs at a time when public health is responding to a broader array of challenges – from preparedness to chronic diseases – while often facing diminished resources in terms of federal funding. This presentation will make the case for a modernized public health system and articulate key principles associated with such a system; identify critical areas of consensus for change within the public health community and areas where new approaches are needed; describe polling data and other opinion survey research regarding public attitudes toward public health; propose strategies for expanding the political base of support for public health, primarily in the context of articulating public health's contribution to the health and economic competitiveness of our workforce; and argue for the critical central role population health can play in health care reform. The public health community needs to use the next 12 months as an opportunity to educate policy makers as they run for national, state, and local office and to develop a comprehensive agenda for a new presidential administration.