The landscape of public health education is undergoing a seismic shift, with leading institutions like the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brown University School of Public Health leading the charge. In a candid conversation, Deans Megan Ranney and Andrea Baccarelli shed light on the challenges and opportunities facing their schools, and what it will take to prepare the next generation of public health leaders.
Navigating Disruption and Charting a New Course
The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the critical importance of public health expertise, but also exposed systemic weaknesses in the sector. Experts have called for fundamental reforms to reinvent how public health is funded, structured, and delivered. For Deans Ranney and Baccarelli, this disruption presents a generational opportunity.
"What this really means is a chance to reimagine public health education from the ground up," says Dean Megan Ranney of Brown University. "We have to break free from outdated siloes and create programs that are nimble, collaborative, and deeply connected to the communities we serve."
Forging New Partnerships for Impact
A key part of that transformation, the deans agree, is cultivating strategic partnerships across sectors. Harvard's Baccarelli has spearheaded initiatives to deepen industry collaborations and diversify research funding streams, while Ranney's Brown has built powerful community-university partnerships.
"The bigger picture here is that public health can no longer operate in an ivory tower," explains Baccarelli. "We have to be nimble, responsive, and laser-focused on real-world impact. That means working hand-in-hand with government, industry, and the communities we serve."
Cultivating the Next Generation of Leaders
As they reimagine their institutions, the deans are also laser-focused on preparing students to lead in this new era. Baccarelli's "Harvard Chan 2030" vision emphasizes developing an "agile, accessible, and accountable" school, while Ranney is overhauling Brown's curriculum to foster interdisciplinary, systems-level thinking.
"We need public health leaders who are not just brilliant scientists, but also skilled communicators, coalition-builders, and change-agents," says Ranney. "That's the kind of talent we're cultivating to tackle the grand challenges of our time."
As the COVID-19 crisis fades, the work of reinventing public health is just beginning. But if Deans Ranney and Baccarelli have their way, the future of the field has never been brighter.