During the worst days of the covid-19 pandemic, daily briefings from county health department officials were must-see TV and the country’s chief immunologist was elevated to a cultural icon. The world became starkly aware of the importance of public health. The field also comes into view in news about opioid addiction, monkey pox, the aftermaths of droughts and hurricanes and water crises like those in Flint, Michigan and Jackson, Mississippi.
With the spotlight turned to the work of these professionals,…
