The leadership of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) sent letters to President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden on how presidential leadership can address the increasingly serious and complex public health issues facing the United States and the world. Regardless of the result of November’s election, ASPPH said that the challenges “will test the President’s ability to communicate effectively and to bring the country and the world together to make difficult policy choices and long-term investment decisions to achieve our shared vision of improved health for everyone, everywhere.” The letters focus on why presidential leadership is essential and how the challenges ahead are opportunities to make a lasting and deep impact on health.
The challenges and opportunities are organized around the following themes: valuing science and research; promoting workforce excellence; advancing prevention science; addressing health disparities and advancing a diverse workforce; restoring America’s leadership role in promoting global collaboration; promoting public health solutions to America’s complex health challenges; and, America’s public health infrastructure.
UMD School of Public Health Dean Boris D. Lushniak was one of the signatories of the letters in his role as chair of the ASPPH Advocacy Advisory Committee.