Health, Medicine, and Society Program

2023 Public Health Week

The Case for Re-Politicizing Public Health

Martha Lincoln

Ph.D. Medical and Cultural Anthropology, San Francisco State University

From attacks on former NIAID head Anthony Fauci to the proliferation of conspiracy theories regarding mRNA vaccines, the COVID-19 pandemic has inspired widespread political divisiveness in the United States. In response, Democrats and their allies have issued repeated calls to “depoliticize” public health, attempting to defuse anti-scientific and partisan challenges. While efforts to disempower public health agencies demand attention and response, this talk will argue for a different perspective on the role of politics in public health—and for a rights-based, socially committed approach to reframing these conversations.