Welcome, in a Time of Change.
Welcome, in a Time of Change
On the mission of public health in this moment.
Welcome to the 24-25 academic year. To all our returning students, faculty, and staff, I hope everyone had an enjoyable and restorative summer break. To the newest members of our community—students, faculty, and staff—welcome. We are delighted that you are joining our school.
You are becoming part of this community at a time when the work of public health has never been more important. It is a moment of profound change, as new technologies, political disruptions, and conflicts unsettle the global landscape. In the US, we are fast approaching a federal election in which two very different visions for the country will be on the ballot. All this suggests we are in a time of both challenge and opportunity, a hinge moment which may open the door to a range of possible futures. At dynamic moments like this, the actions of committed individuals and communities can have an outsized influence on shaping what comes next. It is up to us to work together to ensure that what comes next is the healthier world we all wish to see.
As we resume this work in the coming academic year, it is worth taking a moment to reaffirm the values that are at the heart of all we do. We are in the business of improving the health of populations. We engage in this work through our scholarship, teaching, and practice. We believe that we are not healthy until we are all healthy, that building a healthier world means addressing the structural inequities that have created a world of health haves and have-nots. These efforts are supported and sustained by our commitment to diversity and inclusion. Our community is strongest when it can draw from a diverse range of identities and perspectives and be a place where everyone not only has a seat at the table but a place in the conversation.
In this time of division, health can serve as a unifying force. We all want to be healthy; we all want a healthier world. As we go about building this world, it is important to remember, always, that we are not building it for ourselves alone. We are building it for everyone, including those who disagree with us, even dislike us. We are building it for those who do not share our political beliefs or our values as much as we are building it for those who do. It is on all of us to reach out, to engage with people we may disagree with, in a spirit of humility and compassion. We also have a responsibility to remember that health is not just about the absence of disease. It is a tool that enables us to live rich, full, happy lives. We do not pursue health for its own sake but to enable everyone to live such lives—no matter who they are, where they live, or what they believe.
It has been a privilege to do this work as part of the BUSPH community for the past ten years. As many of you know, I will be transitioning out of my role as Dean of BUSPH at the end of this semester. It is bittersweet to be saying hello to the new members of our community so soon before saying goodbye. Yet I am excited indeed by all we will do together in the coming months, as we engage with this dynamic moment in our country and our world. This fall, we will host a special series of Public Health Conversations, “A Vote for Health,” where we will be joined by expert speakers to discuss issues of consequence for the upcoming election. We will begin this series with our September 12 SPH Reads conversation, where we will welcome Arlie Russell Hochschild to discuss her book, Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right. I look forward to continuing these conversations during the semester.
I will end on a note of hope. We look at the world and see much in need of changing. The problems we face can seem insurmountable. Yet we have the privilege of being part of an enterprise, that, in its own way—through generating ideas, engaging with the world of practice, and training the next generation—contributes to a healthier world. During convocation, I have often said to our graduating students, “I look forward to living in the world you help create.” And the first step to that is to continue to build a community that reflects the society we would like to see. Thank you for being part of this community, for committing to building a healthier world for everyone.
My warmest wishes for the academic year.
Sandro
Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH
Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor
Boston University School of Public Health
Previous Dean’s Notes are archived at: http://www.bu.edu/sph/tag/deans-note/
