Medicine’s Role in Reimagining Public Health

Abstract

In ancient Greece, physicians marked their entry into the profession by reciting the Hippocratic Oath, a ritual used to remind physicians of the standards and aspirations of the medical field. Notably, the original version began with an invocation to Panacea and Hygeia-divine siblings who embodied cures and prevention, respectively-reflecting an awareness that achieving health for all required physicians to integrate the practice of medicine with the principles of public health. While individual physicians have long been active supporters of public health (eg, via service on state health boards), a national strategy to guide collaboration across the professions remains lacking. As Nancy Dickey,