In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. public health system must focus on critical questions of accountability, politicization and updating data systems if it is to do its job well and maintain the trust of the American people, according to a new report from the Colorado School of Public Health.
The report, authored by Professor Jonathan Samet, MD, MS, of the Colorado School of Public Health and Professor Ross Brownson, PhD, of Washington University in St. Louis, was published recently in the journal Health Affairs . In it, the researchers detail the current shortcomings of the public health system, drawing on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, and some of the future challenges it's likely to face including climate change and retaining a well-educated, motivated workforce.
"As early as November 2020, we anticipated the need for `reimagining' public health in light of the pandemic," they wrote. "The past several years have made one thing clear: transformation of the U.S.
public health system is needed, and needed now." After interviewing a wide range of public health officers from across the country, the researchers focused on accountability, polarization, climate change, equity, data science, workforce improvement and communication to broader audiences. "A transformed public health system will depend highly on leadership, funding incentives, and both bottom-up and top-down approaches," said Samet, former dean of the Colorado School of Public Health.
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