Monica M. Bertagnoli, a former Harvard Medical School professor, spoke about the need to restore trust in public health after becoming director of the National Institutes of Health in November.
In August 2022, Bertagnoli, then a professor of surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital, was selected by U.S. President Joe Biden to lead the National Cancer Institute, becoming the institute's first female director. Mr. Biden selected Mr. Bertagnoli in May to lead the NIH, the main federal medical research agency.
In a December interview, Bertagnolli said the COVID-19 pandemic has left “some people suffering disproportionately the trauma, loss of life, and other disabilities caused by this new infectious agent with access to medical care.” “A tragedy in our ability” has been revealed, he said. ”
“The biomedical research enterprise and basic science are producing amazing insights at a pace never seen before,” she said. “What we have to do is take the time to turn these amazing results into the benefit of people, including those who for whatever reason have not been able to benefit from biomedical research.” I mean all people.”
Bertagnoli said scientific researchers need to better communicate the importance of their work to groups with low trust in public health authorities.
“We need to own every part of the path from scientific discovery to 'we've proven we can make life better for the people we serve,'” Bertagnoli said.
He added that public health agencies must avoid taking a “paternalistic attitude” towards the people they serve.
“Our biomedical research enterprise partners with the people we serve to honor their beliefs and desires about what health means to them and provide them with what they truly value. We need to be able to do that,” Bertagnoli said.
Bertagnoli said that despite the loss and suffering caused by the pandemic, the public health response “has not only renewed our faith in the power of science to bring cures and health, but also brought better treatments to people faster.” “It really renewed our mission and urgency to deliver.”
Mr. Bertagnoli had words of encouragement for future healthcare workers.
“I can't think of a more important field than biomedical research, where you can prove first-hand every day that what you're doing is making the world a better place,” she said. “I am very honored to be able to work in this field.”
—Staff writer Ammy M. Yuan can be reached at ammy.yuan@thecrimson.com.
