The future of public health: Where we're headed and what it will take

Public health is at a critical moment. As the field navigates shifting policy landscapes, evolving systems and growing demands on the workforce, leaders and practitioners need to reimagine how public health operates and what it will take to sustain and strengthen it for the future.

Join us for a dynamic panel discussion with Rishi Manchanda, CEO of HealthBegins, Antoniah Lewis-Reese, senior director for strategic initiatives at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, and Angie McGowan, senior director at the Alliance for the Public's Health at the American Public Health Association. They will explore the future of public health and what shapes the field today through the lens of three key topics: financing systems, supporting the workforce and organizing the field.

Together, speakers will examine how financing and capital flows influence health equity and how to align resources to support more effective and sustainable public health systems. They will reflect on ways to support the public health workforce to prepare and respond to the increased demands, and how practitioners can build skills related to data management, communication and advocacy. As part of this discussion, panelists will explore the role of academic public health institutions in adapting workforce pipeline development and training needs. Finally, speakers will address how policy, advocacy and coalition-building efforts are shaping the direction of the field, including efforts to strengthen alignment across sectors and support collective action in times of uncertainty and change.

Attendees will gain both big-picture insights about the field’s direction and practical steps they can take to move public health forward.