The close of Women’s History Month is a perfect time to highlight some of the inspiring women shaping public health. Infectious IDeas, a podcast hosted by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), has featured remarkable women leaders who are driving change through science, communication, and advocacy. In this special post, we revisit powerful insights from past guests who continue to make an impact on public health in the US and globally …
A Lifelong Champion of Vaccine Safety—Kathryn M. Edwards, MD
“People need to understand that safety is our business, that I take it very seriously, as do the other vaccinologists who are studying vaccines. If there are any side effects, we want to be able to identify those who might be at risk for them.”
Breaking the Cycle of Crisis to Complacency with Julie L. Gerberding, MD, MPH
“We don’t consistently plan, prepare, exercise, and build on our preparedness capability. We move through the crisis, we document lessons learned, and then we become complacent. We need to have institutional, governmental, strategic, ongoing evolution of our public health competency, in the same way that we progressively build our national defense system.”
Championing Global Health Equity with Katherine L. O’Brien, MD, MPH
“During the pandemic, every country was ready to introduce vaccines at about the same time. The slowness of deployment in low-income countries was not about their readiness to deploy. It wasn’t about the demand for vaccines. It was entirely about the availability of supply. And the reason that supply did not go the way that we hoped it would go is vaccine nationalism.”
Journey to Patient Advocate and Public Health Champion with Leana Wen, MD, MSc
“We’ve got to go back to a core principle of public health, which is to meet people where they are. And we need to listen, we need to understand where people are coming from, we need to meet them where they are and help them understand … there are things that you can do that can make a difference short term for the individuals you serve, that can also contribute long term as well to the larger population.”
Health Disparities and Vaccine Hesitancy with Patricia N. Whitley-Williams, MD
“It was devastating to see the disparity and the toll that the COVID-19 pandemic took on communities of color. The most important thing is to engage communities of color, engage those that live in the community, make them partners in solving the problem.”
Downloaded nearly 12,000 times in more than 100 countries, Infectious IDeas goes beyond the science to explore the personal stories behind the people who do the work. Episodes drop on the 1st Wednesday of each month.
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