Wednesday, April 5, 2023 - 4:30pm
Location:
Lewis Lab 316
Health, Medicine, and Society Program
2023 Public Health Week
The Case for Re-Politicizing Public Health
Martha Lincoln
Ph.D. Medical and Cultural Anthropology, San Francisco State University
From attacks on former NIAID head Anthony Fauci to the proliferation of conspiracy theories regarding mRNA vaccines, the COVID-19 pandemic has inspired widespread political divisiveness in the United States. In response, Democrats and their allies have issued repeated calls to “depoliticize” public health, attempting to defuse anti-scientific and partisan challenges. While efforts to disempower public health agencies demand attention and response, this talk will argue for a different perspective on the role of politics in public health—and for a rights-based, socially committed approach to reframing these conversations.
Martha Lincoln is a medical and cultural anthropologist at San Francisco State University. Her research addresses the cultural politics of public health, biopolitics, and the effects of political economic change on health systems and health outcomes. Her book Epidemic Politics in Contemporary Vietnam: Public Health and the State was published in 2021 by Bloomsbury Academic. Her public writing on the COVID-19 pandemic has appeared in venues including CNN, The Hill, Nature, STAT News, and The Nation. Follow her on Twitter: @heavyredaction
Department:
Health, Medicine and Society