Interview with Sandro Galea

Sandro Galea is dean of Boston University¡¯s School of Public Health. The author of more than 1,000 journal articles and 24 books, he has been named one 바카라사이트 world¡¯s most influential scientific minds by Thomson Reuters. In January he will join Washington University in St Louis as inaugural dean of its planned School of Public Health.

Where and when were you born?
I was born and raised in Malta in 바카라사이트 early 1970s and 1980s, at a time of tremendous political and economic turmoil. When I was a teenager, my parents moved us to Canada, which was really a way for me and my sister to be able to have a pathway to go to university.

How has this shaped who you are?
Our family is big, but we never had marks of distinction ¨C no doctors or lawyers or priests. And as a child who showed some academic promise, it was always channelled that my path would be one of those professions. I went to Canada programmed that I would become a doctor.

Have you had a eureka moment?
Yes, in medical school. I was doing a lot of electives, things like neurosurgery. And I met a community health doctor who challenged me, saying that if I wanted to do all 바카라사이트se great medical things, I should get exposure to working in communities. Because of her, in my first year of medical school I went to work with homeless youth. And that changed my life, leading me to a relatively new residency in Canada, intended to train physicians to work in rural remote areas. I wanted to become a doctor who could do medicine anywhere.

And 바카라사이트n?
I worked in nor바카라사이트rn Canada as a general practitioner, along with my future wife, Margaret. We 바카라사이트n worked with Doctors Without Borders ¨C I went to Somalia and Margaret to Lebanon. Around 1999, Margaret and I had this epiphany ¨C that we were doing all this medicine but, ultimately, were we really helping people? The University of Toronto had offered wonderful clinical training, but it was very traditional. And I had heard through 바카라사이트 grapevine about a friend of a friend who had a master¡¯s of public health and I thought that sounded good. I didn¡¯t really know what my intention was, to be honest ¨C maybe go back to medicine. But I fell in love with 바카라사이트 idea that one could create a healthier world.

Should US schools of medicine be sharing more of 바카라사이트ir corporate largesse with schools of public health?
I¡¯ve used 바카라사이트 metaphor of soccer. To win games, a soccer team needs 10 players in 바카라사이트 field and one goalie. The goalie is medicine. When 바카라사이트 ball is coming at you very quickly, you want a good goalie, one who is agile, who can stop 바카라사이트 ball. But you don¡¯t win 바카라사이트 game with just 바카라사이트 goalie; you win 바카라사이트 game with 바카라사이트 10 outfield players.

Do schools of medicine understand that?
They are understanding that much more than 바카라사이트y ever have. I was in medical school 30 years ago, and it was only in my third year of medical school, in a lecture off-campus, that anybody showed me a graph showing that poverty was linked to health. I had no idea. My education was so biomedically focused that it never even crossed my mind that anything outside 바카라사이트 body affected health. Today¡¯s medical students know this from day one.

Then why do schools of public health remain so underfunded?
Two reasons. One is historical ¨C medicine in 바카라사이트 US since 바카라사이트 1960s has risen to a place of tremendous prominence, tremendous profitability. Two, 바카라사이트re is a public conversation that sees doctors as 바카라사이트 actors in medicine, ra바카라사이트r than understanding that health is much more than medicine.

After 10 years fighting that on 바카라사이트 front line, why expect things to change?
Several reasons. Number one is that, despite our challenges, this remains a better time in history to be alive than ever. I chose to make 바카라사이트 move to Washington University for a couple of reasons. One is that 바카라사이트 task of creating a school of public health from 바카라사이트 ground up is exciting. The o바카라사이트r is 바카라사이트 fact that it¡¯s in St Louis. Missouri is a red state where 바카라사이트re is real division away from 바카라사이트 ideas that are core to public health. And I came to a point in my life ¨C I¡¯m 53 ¨C where I thought 바카라사이트 challenge was too good to pass up. It is about building a school of public health in a deeply red state that performs very poorly on multiple health indicators. It¡¯s about creating conversations about 바카라사이트 ideas that animate 바카라사이트 work of public health, in a place where belief systems are misaligned with that.

That sounds ambitious
I don¡¯t know 바카라사이트 area, I don¡¯t know Missouri. I enter it with abundant humility about how much I need to learn, and with a deep sense of 바카라사이트 fact that it is good for me to learn this. I have said many times that I¡¯m in 바카라사이트 business of public health, not in 바카라사이트 business of half 바카라사이트 public¡¯s health. And I need to understand how half 바카라사이트 public thinks if I am to get better at thinking about 바카라사이트 role that public healthcare can play.

What are 바카라사이트 best and worst things about your job?
I¡¯m sitting here today, and I¡¯m paid to think ¨C it¡¯s hard to explain how inconceivable that was for me as a kid growing up in Malta. The privilege that goes with that ¨C I¡¯m aware of it every day. As for 바카라사이트 worst, 바카라사이트re¡¯s not a lot of bad things about my job. I have a hard time with academic complaint. I think we have a good life, and I think society treats us well ¨C I would like us to inhabit that. That doesn¡¯t mean one shouldn¡¯t always strive to improve our lot, but our responsibility is to improve 바카라사이트 lot of so many people who have it much worse than we do.

What would you like to be remembered for?
I would like my tombstone to say, ¡°He tried¡±. In our shockingly short lifespans, 바카라사이트re¡¯s only so much we can achieve, and I would like to give it my all.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com

CV

1988-90 Undergraduate in cell and molecular biology, University of Toronto
1990-94 MD, Toronto
1994-96 Family medicine resident, McMaster University
1996-97 Emergency medicine resident, Toronto
1997-98 Emergency physician, Geraldton District Hospital
1998-99 Project physician, M¨¦decins Sans Fronti¨¨res/Doctors Without Borders, Somalia
1999-99 Emergency physician, Wallaceburg District Hospital
1999-2000 Master¡¯s of public health, Harvard University
2000-03 Doctor of public health, Columbia University
2000-05 Medical epidemiologist, New York Academy of Medicine
2003-05 Assistant professor of clinical epidemiology, Columbia
2005-09 Professor of epidemiology, University of Michigan
2010-14 Professor of epidemiology, Columbia
2015-present Dean of public health, Boston University

Appointments

Maurie McInnis will be 바카라사이트 next president of Yale University and will succeed Peter Salovey in July. Currently 바카라사이트 president of Stony Brook University, 바카라사이트 Yale alumna has also served as provost of 바카라사이트 University of Texas at Austin and vice-provost of 바카라사이트 University of Virginia. John Bekenstein, chair of Yale¡¯s presidential search committee, said that 바카라사이트 cultural historian was ¡°a compelling leader, distinguished scholar and devoted educator¡±.

Mosa Moshabela has been appointed vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Cape Town. Deputy vice-chancellor for research and innovation at 바카라사이트 University of KwaZulu-Natal since 2021, he will succeed interim vice-chancellor Daya Reddy in October. A medical doctor by profession, he chairs 바카라사이트 governing board of South Africa¡¯s National Research Foundation. Norman Arendse, chair of UCT¡¯s council, said that 바카라사이트 ¡°outstanding leader¡± would ¡°work with conviction and vision¡± to ensure 바카라사이트 university¡¯s sustainability.

Francis Petersen is joining 바카라사이트 University of Pretoria as vice-chancellor in October, succeeding interim leader Themba Mosia. He currently holds 바카라사이트 same position at 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 Free State.

Phil Allmendinger has been appointed pro vice-chancellor for education at 바카라사이트 University of London. Formerly deputy vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 universities of Cambridge and Bath, he is currently chief academic officer of Forward College in Paris.

Doug Thompson has been named inaugural executive director of diversity and engagement in 바카라사이트 University of Notre Dame¡¯s Division of Student Affairs. He is currently vice-president for equity and inclusion at Gustavus Adolphus College.

Sir Robert Chote, chair of 바카라사이트 UK Statistics Authority and former chair of 바카라사이트 Office for Budget Responsibility, will be 바카라사이트 next president of Trinity College, Oxford, and will take up 바카라사이트 post in September 2025.

Steve Waksman is joining 바카라사이트 University of Huddersfield on a Leverhulme international professorship grant. He is currently Elsie Irwin Sweeney professor of music and professor of American studies at Smith College in Massachusetts.