Public health professionals need to be open to productive debate and new partnerships, Dr. Brian Castrucci told graduates at the convocation for the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Public Health in December.
“Science is not a sport; we don’t have winners and losers.” This was de Beaumont president and CEO Brian Castrucci’s message to the graduates of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Public Health at the college’s convocation in December. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, “public health became a symbol of control for some and a savior for others, when honestly, we are neither solely one or the other. Discussions were replaced by debates, and accepting new facts or evidence from one side meant losing for the others.”
But “public health is not about being right,” he said. “It’s about being effective. It’s about saving lives.”
Public health professionals need to be open to productive debate, he said, because “science thrives on debate and continual refinement. We have to engage our critics, listen to concerns, and clarify our evidence.”
Dr. Castrucci said the pandemic “tested our values, our relationships, and our ability to communicate. Public health is not just about science. It’s about people, and people make decisions based on values and emotions and experience, not just numbers. If we can’t communicate effectively, public health will remain abstract, misunderstood, ignored, and in peril.”
Building trust will require new partnerships, clear communication, transparency in decision making, and humility to adapt when the science changes, he said. His parting advice for the graduates: “Be clear, be consistent, be humble, build trust, and be even better than all those who have come before you.”
Our heartfelt congratulations to the UNMC College of Public Health Class of 2024, and to all new public health graduates! Watch a recording of the convocation; Dr. Castrucci’s remarks start at 13:37.
