From left to right: Rep. James Arena-DeRosa, Rep. Sally Kerans, Sen. Julian Cyr, Rep. Marjorie Decker, Craig Andrade, David Jernigan, Christopher Gill, and Allegra Gordon

School News

‘We Are All Lifelong Learners in this Space’

The School of Public Health hosted Massachusetts state senators and representatives from the Joint Committee on Public Health for a briefing on May 2.

From the national wave of restrictions on abortion access and onslaught of attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, to the protection of reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare enshrined in Massachusetts law, the actions of political leaders have profound implications for public health.

“You have a really big job—a really important job—and we’re here to help,” said David Jernigan, professor of health law, policy and management and assistant dean for practice, at a briefing to Massachusetts state senators and representatives from the Joint Committee on Public Health hosted by the School of Public Health on May 2.

The three-hour briefing featured 11 presentations from SPH faculty with expertise spanning a variety of public health disciplines, including health inequities, children’s health, environmental health, food and nutrition, vaccines, mental health, women’s and reproductive health, and the health of LGBTQ+ youth. With approximately 10 to 15 minutes allocated to each presentation, the briefing resembled a lightning-round version of the MPH program curriculum.

Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, research associate professor of health law, policy and management, presented on economic opportunities to support healthy childhood development; Amruta Nori-Sarma, assistant professor of environmental health, presented on the impacts of extreme heat, poor air quality, and severe storms on health; and Lois McCloskey, interim chair and clinical professor of community health sciences, and Gene Declercq, professor of community health sciences, presented on maternal death and other women’s health disparities.

Christopher Gill, professor of global health, argued in his presentation that vaccines are the “biggest bargain” in public health and delivered an impactful series of then-and-now comparisons demonstrating their benefits, such as: In 1941, about 894,000 U.S. citizens got measles. In 2010, more people summited Mt. Everest on a single day (169) than had measles in a whole year (63). Several committee members pointed to the polarization of recent deliberations on whether to drop the religious exemption for vaccination in schools, asking Gill about the origins of the strong and vocal opposition to vaccines. Rather than dismiss vaccine hesitancy as illogical, Gill recommended lawmakers try sharing a risks-benefit perspective that acknowledges some risks as unknowable but emphasizes that the known benefits outweigh the known risks.

Rep. Marjorie Decker, chair of house members, and Sen. Julian Cyr, senate members chair, conceived the idea for the briefing, which Sen. Cyr said they envisioned would provide both new and returning committee members with expert insights into the most pressing public health issues facing Massachusetts residents.

“Just know that what you’ve committed yourselves to is a relationship beyond today as well. We see you as important resources in making sure that we are doing the best for the people of the Commonwealth,” said Rep. Decker to SPH faculty before making introductions to the 13 committee members and staffers joining her at the briefing, “The BU School of Public Health first infiltrated my life a few years ago when a couple of my staff were [graduates]. You really do produce excellent scholars and staffers—and we all know, without an incredible staff we really can’t do important work in the legislature.”

Sen. John Keenan, Rep. James Arena-DeRosa, and Rep. Sally Kerans, vice chair of house members, joined Rep. Decker on campus, while those unable to come in person tuned in via Zoom, including Rep. Vanna Howard, Rep. Hannah Kane (Questrom‘93), Rep. Kristin Kassner, and Rep. Andres Vargas (CAS‘15, Pardee‘15). Also in attendance were several SPH alumni now working at the State House, including Tane Webb (SPH‘18), committee director, and Bridgette Maynard (SPH’20), legislative director for Sen. Keenan.

“When Chair Decker approached us about doing this day, really what we wanted to do was present you with some of our faculty who do excellent work, but also try to give you a quick primer in some of the factors that inform health,” said Dean Sandro Galea in his opening remarks. “I do think that the world will be a better place the more we manage to convey the story of public health, the more we can actually say what public health does. This is what we train our students to do so I am delighted that our [graduates] are engaging with you all in a way that advances our collective health.”

Jonathan Jay, assistant professor of community health sciences, started the faculty presentations by sharing with legislators a favorite meme in public health circles, popular for its utility in conveying the concept of equity. The meme depicts two nearly identical side-by-side illustrations of several people standing behind a fence at a baseball game. In one image, all the onlookers stand on equal footing, but only one can see over the fence due to its height. In the second image, some of the onlookers stand on boxes, boosting their line of sight so everyone can see over the fence and enjoy the game. Understanding that health inequities are a function not of genetics and individual behaviors, but of societal systems is an important lens for public health work, said Jay.

Jay went on to point out that while Massachusetts boasts strict gun laws and the lowest rates of firearm death in the country, behind these rates are profound racial disparities: Black youth die from firearm homicide at a rate 35 times that of White youth, making homicide the leading cause of death for Black youth in Massachusetts. He urged legislatures to consider community-level interventions that address the structural factors, such as racial segregation and economic deprivation, driving firearm violence inequities in the state.

Over the course of the briefing, a theme emerged: Massachusetts has many strong policies protecting public health but can and should do more. Every faculty presentation identified a specific policy, program, or intervention that the Joint Committee on Public Health could support to advance health equity and foster the conditions for people to be healthy.

“We are all lifelong learners in this space,” said Allegra Gordon, assistant professor of community health sciences, during her presentation on opportunities to support the mental health and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ youth. Monica Wang, associate professor of community health sciences and chair of the Narrative Office at the BU Center for Antiracist Research, exposed the lax meal requirements that allow schools to count pizza as a vegetable and advised strengthening nutritional standards. Jonathan Levy, chair and professor of environmental health, shared news of a forthcoming Model Indoor Air Quality Act the state could adopt. Sarah Lipson, assistant professor of health law, policy and management, drew on her research showing a major barrier to treating mental illness in undergraduate students, particularly racial and ethnic minority students, is their lack of urgency around seeking help. Lipson compiled a list of recommendations aimed at easing access and integrating mental health into the everyday lives of young people.

“Bringing together legislators and experts in their fields is the collaborative spirit behind crafting good policy—I am thankful to the Boston University School of Public Health and to Committee Chairs Cyr and Decker for doing so,” reflected Sen. Keenan. “The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new public health challenges, so learning the latest data, science, and policy approaches, particularly in the area of behavioral health, was incredibly helpful. Only by working together with our scientific and medical experts can we chart a course for a more healthy future.”