Dr. Rochelle Walensky speaks with Dr. William G. Powderly in Graham Chapel. (Sam Powers | Student Life)
Dr. Rochelle Walensky (AB '91), former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), speaks at Graham Chapel on April 11 as part of a celebration of several new undergraduate public health and social programs. I gave a lecture.
The University of Washington's College of Arts and Sciences and Institute of Public Health hosted Walensky, where she spoke about her career in medicine and government and the fight against public health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Walensky, who was appointed CDC director from 2021 to 2023 by President Joe Biden, also received the Arts and Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award on April 11.
Dr. William G. Powdery, J. William Campbell Professor of Medicine and Larry J. Shapiro Director of the Institute of Public Health, facilitated the conversation with Mr. Walensky. Both Powderly and Walensky are renowned infectious disease experts specializing in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Walensky spoke of his passion for changing the way people talk about health policy. That led to her work in the public policy field. Early in her career, Walensky said she was concerned about the way public health officials privately discussed which groups would be unfairly restricted from accessing drugs to treat HIV and AIDS. Ta.
Walensky said one official said certain groups of people disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS may not have been worth the $15,000 a year each spent on treatment. Stated.
“To me, that was completely unacceptable,” Walensky said.
Powderly said COVID-19, like HIV and AIDS, has disproportionately affected minority populations. Walensky said it is important to invest more money into increasing the public's access to community care and health screenings.
“We don't need to spend our tax dollars to document the problem. We need to spend our tax dollars to address the problem now,” Walensky said.
Walensky highlighted work with the CDC to medically train community members and increase access to care in tribal and impoverished communities. He said much work still needs to be done to address health disparities. She attributed many of these problems to disparate goals and nonexistent lines of communication between states and various government agencies.
Walensky said increased public trust in government has been linked to lower death rates during the pandemic. She attributed the public's lack of trust in the U.S. government to a lack of communication.
“I thought it was important to trust the government in order to collect good data,” said second-year student Reza Mofidi. She said: “It's important to try to bridge that gap and build trust between governments and civilians.”
Walensky explained how a multidisciplinary approach can answer difficult questions posed by medicine's interaction with other fields, such as education. She cited a related incident she encountered early in the pandemic on the topic of school closures, which resulted in the cancellation of school sports seasons. She said this poses challenges for families whose personal priorities differ from those of public health agencies.
“One parent came up to me and said, 'If my child doesn't wrestle this semester, he's not going to college,'” Walensky said. “Everyone has a different risk assessment, but some are very appropriate.”
Walensky said such encounters taught her that as a government official she must consider a wide range of perspectives expressed within the community to make decisions.
“That was a remarkable example of seeing the whole audience wide-eyed,” sophomore Ani Jaishankar said. “When you hear personal examples like that, you wouldn’t expect a government official to say that. [to consider that]”
Powderly said the disparity in vaccination rates between rural and urban areas is even greater than the disparity among ethnic minorities. Walensky said overlooking this fact has led to certain groups being left out of discussions about where to put resources.
“No one talks about that disparity,” sophomore Amalia Stulbach said. She said she was skeptical that attempts to change this narrative would be successful, given the “lack of communication within the health care system.”
Walensky and Powderly attributed the communication problems to lagging public health infrastructure in states like Missouri. Powderly cited the continued use of outdated technology, such as fax machines, as an example. They said the introduction of alternative technologies should be a priority.
Walensky said WashU's incoming School of Public Health will differentiate itself from its contemporaries by recruiting talent from a variety of disciplines and leveraging the interdisciplinary approach mentioned above. She said this would be helpful to all students. Many students already have a strong interest in integrating government and the public health sector, but it is especially beneficial for students who at one point, like her, did not expect to ultimately pursue a career in university. “You'll understand,” she said. public service.
“You may not be in the public health field now, but you could be integrated into the public health field in the future,” Jaishankar said.
Walensky also said schools across the country are struggling to close the gap between students. Scientific knowledge and its practical uses that actually benefit local communities.
Looking back on her time as an undergraduate at WashU, Walensky said she was grateful for the academic freedom she was afforded and looked back on the halls of the Danforth campus as her own “science playground.”
Walensky advised WashU students to understand what fuels their passion for a particular issue. For herself, she said, her anger at certain policies is what motivates her to pursue change. To that end, Walensky left her students with a basic litmus test to ask themselves.
“If you're wearing your pajamas at 11 o'clock and you're frustrated by policy, you'll read more about policy; if you're not, [annoyed]You’re going to bed,” Walensky said.[It’s important to ask yourself, what] Is the policy that infuriates you so much that you really want to pursue it at that moment? ”
