From Seattle’s first COVID-19 signals to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), Dr. Helen Chu, University of Washington Professor of Medicine, shares a front-line perspective on vaccines, health equity, and public trust in conversation with Tom Mahoney (ALI Senior Fellow ’24), exploring what must change to rebuild confidence and improve health outcomes.

In this timely Q&A, Dr. Caitlin Rivers, Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Outbreak Response Innovation, joins Matt Nathan (ALI ‘20) to examine emerging infectious diseases from Ebola to hantavirus, alongside global health risks, public health funding, and pandemic preparedness in a rapidly changing global health landscape.

Antibiotic resistance is a worsening global crisis, and livestock production plays a key role. Indiscriminate antibiotic use in animal agriculture fuels bacteria resistant to human medicines, threatening health and food systems, especially in low-income communities. With Tom Mahoney (ALI ’24), Dr. Aleks Engel of Novo Holdings examines impacts and urgent solutions to safeguard people and the planet.

As the world neglects the continuing threat of mpox, in West Africa the crisis remains severe. Sierra Leone recently reversed its surge of cases, but outbreaks have swept into other African countries. Fortunately, new digital tools give community leaders a fighting chance. Tom Mahoney (ALI ’24) interviews Dr. Pardis Sabeti and Colby Wilkason on turning science into grassroots action.

The CDC’s leadership faced mounting challenges as trust faltered, disinformation spread, and vaccine confidence declined in a polarized environment. Communication missteps and evolving guidance weakened public understanding, while budget cuts constrained response capacity. Former CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky reflects on lessons in rebuilding trust, defending science, and restoring confidence through transparency, clarity, and steady leadership amid uncertainty and polarization.

The recent replacement of the entire CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) raises serious public health concerns, as explored in this interview with infectious disease expert, Dr. Camille Kotton, former ACIP member, by Tom Mahoney (ALI ’24).

With mpox re-emerging as a global health threat, particularly in resource-constrained African countries and with severe impacts on children, Dr. Marie Roseline Darnycka Belizaire of the WHO examines the rapid resurgence since the 2022 outbreak, inequities in the response, and strategies for addressing the crisis through collaboration and community-centered interventions.

As antimicrobial resistance becomes one of the most worrisome challenges to global public health, Dr. Emilio Emini, former CEO of the Gates Medical Research Institute, examines root causes and hopeful pathways to address the crisis, from foundational biology and private sector incentives to public policy and the need for social impact investment.