Faculty & Staff

Dear colleagues,

This is our moment! That’s the overpowering sense I had during my weeklong participation at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. For only the second time in Davos history, one of the plenary sessions was focused on public health. Ten years ago, there was a world-changing plenary session on HIV/AIDS; this time, the topic was noncommunicable diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, that are ravaging both the developing and the developed world. For me, it was an honor to be invited by President Bollinger and a thrill to see how public health has leapt ahead on the agenda of corporate CEOs, heads of state, and other world leaders. I am eager to share my impressions with all of you. 

In session after session, informal meetings and formal events, it became clear that there has been a huge global transition in thinking as to the importance of all sectors contributing to improving the health of populations; this has evolved from a primary concern about infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and the MDGs broadly to a now-added focus on non-communicable chronic diseases.  Among corporate CEOs there was clear consensus that preventing these chronic illnesses is a critical issue; they have a major impact on their workforce, which has an impact on the bottom line. But beyond that immediate concern, there was also a clear understanding among the CEOs of companies like Coke, Pepsi, and General Mills that their corporate reputation must be committed to health promotion and wellness.

There was a similar clarity among heads of state, who understand that chronic illnesses undermine their nations’ economic well-being. What I heard at Davos would warm the heart of any public health scientist. The plenary session on noncommunicable chronic diseases stated that these are issues for poor and developing countries as much as, or more, than for developed countries - and prevention and effective health systems are critical. There were numerous meetings and lunches—both big and small—on issues of wellness, healthy living and healthy aging. There were repeated calls for new methods of stating goals and measuring progress toward disease prevention and population health, and new incentives to mobilize populations toward healthier lifestyles. At a well-attended breakfast session, Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization, talked about the urgency of three directional changes: Moving from cure to prevention, moving from indoors to outdoors, moving our health metrics from diseases to wellness.  “What gets measured gets done,” she observed.  Further, there was a call for "more thinkers providing guidance to the doers."

Another striking consensus was on the threat posed by climate change. Among the leaders present in Davos, there seemed to be not a shred of doubt that this is real, nor was there any perceptible doubt that it demands the collective action of humanity to prevent worsening and impact. While they might not use our public health language, I was struck by how the conversation at Davos aligned with the areas of focus in our own school's strategic plan.  In addition, I felt increasingly convinced that the extraordinary work our faculty has done in developing our new curriculum is right on target for educating the kinds of leaders and developing the intellectual capital that Davos participants are calling for.

As a school, we are already taking our place at the table. As you may know, the Mailman School has a memorandum of understanding with the World Economic Forum to serve as the primary academic resource on workplace health and wellness. Building upon this, I will be giving a lecture on public health this summer, at Columbia, to the WEF’s Global Young Leaders, a group of extraordinarily promising men and women under age 40 identified by members of the WEF as future leaders. I left Davos convinced that we are sitting on the top of history. We have a remarkable opportunity to become a partner of choice for these world leaders as they look for research-based policy solutions right here and right now, and to be the institution that develops the next generation of problem solvers and innovators so urgently needed to address the public’s health.

I am very moved by the concordance of our own vision with that of these world leaders and look forward to working with you to bring ever more impact to our work to improve the health of all.

With warmest regards,

Linda P. Fried, MD, MPH
Dean and DeLamar Professor