The COVID-19 Pandemic as an Opportunity to Ensure a More Successful Future for Science and Public Health

Abstract

With the advent of the 21st century, science and technology were expected to be formidable forces that would hopefully improve population health and well-being. 1 Furthermore, these forces would drive a rapidly changing and interconnected world, with communities and nations worldwide sharing common rewards (eg, economic development, health, and welfare) and facing common risks (eg, pandemics, chronic noncommunicable diseases, environmental damage, nuclear weapons, climate change). In this context, effective governance and communications were to be cornerstones for delivering the promise of science and technology for enhancing public health. Yet the response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the US, one of the world's science and technological powerhouses, has not realized these hopes. 2 Furthermore, the pandemic has exposed critical weaknesses in the institutional systems specifically intended to protect and harness science and technology to promote personal and public health. The pandemic is thus a clarion call for a thoughtful examination of ways to bolster and modernize systems that support and guide science, technology, and public health. History suggests that major crises, such as wars, natural disasters, and pandemics can serve as a tipping point for proactive collective action. For example, reflection and lessons in the aftermath of World War II led to the creation of progressive institutions for that time, such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the National Health Services in the UK. The current moment presents an opportunity to think boldly and to imagine a better world beyond the tragedy of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite enormous scientific and technological accomplishments, such as the rapid development and testing of diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines, the response to the pandemic has unveiled vulnerabilities in society and in the scientific independence of public health institutions. 3,4 There have been escalating attacks on science and expert opinion, an intrusion of partisan politics into public agencies, especially the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and absence of national coordination. These venerable and trusted public health institutions have become targets of direct and dangerous partisan political interference, which has often discredited science, in general, and the scientific independence and voice, in particular, of these institutions. An added problem has been the spread of misinformation in social media, which has also undermined public trust in science and public health communication. It is

Guidance for Health Care Leaders During the Recovery Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…9,11 Instead, discussions should begin from a premise of abiding uncertainty and with a focus on thriving in an evolving context while imagining, inventing, and communicating the benefits of various better futures in the endemic world. 8,9,28 The concept of learning organizations provides a helpful model for a culture that can facilitate the requisite system improvements for ongoing resilience and sustainability. In this environment, people at all levels are enabled, within appropriate boundaries, to propose new ideas and to innovate spontaneously without seeking permission, while remaining coordinated and aligned with strategy.…”

“…5,49,65 It is also important to selectively and consistently debunk false information, 6,58 including messaging broadcast on social media, which is part of the "infodemic." 5,8,80 Building trust may mean sharing detailed and even sensitive or controversial information with the community. It is also critical for leaders to create environments where constructive challenges are welcome, to acknowledge their own mistakes, to be explicit about what might have gone wrong, why, and what they have learned in the process.…”

“…2,4,5,8,58 Health and public health leaders should collate their expertise and experiential learning to advise government, in consultation with social and behavioral scientists and leaders from professional societies, other sectors, and community organizations on what is needed to address immediate and anticipated needs, as well as to strengthen future coordinated emergency response capacity. 5,8,58,81 This also involves highlighting gaps, priority areas, and required resources, and making policy recommendations that are informed by input from the community. 82 Frontline leaders have an equal responsibility to make recommendations for improvements to senior leaders in their own organizations based on their experience and requirements.…”

What Are the Important Factors Influencing the Recruitment and Retention of Doctoral Students in a Public Health Setting? A Discrete Choice Experiment Survey in China

“…The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic placed a spotlight on infectious disease prevention, identification, and population healthcare management [ 1 ]. As an interdisciplinary major between medicine, social science, and management science, social medicine and health care management (SMHCM) shoulders an important part of the responsibility of training the public health workforce, who are at the frontline of this and future potential pandemics [ 2 ].…”

“…1 was used for all analyses. Descriptive statistics were reported for participants' socio-demographic characteristics, the ranking results, and the 5-point scale score.…”