“Public Health Is Done with Communities”

At Aspen Ideas: Health, our Global Collaborative Fellow Damon Chaplin joined Rich Besser, Megan Ranney, Joseph Betancourt, and Celine Gounder, MD, ScM, FIDSA for a thoughtful mainstage conversation on what it means to truly serve communities through public health.

The panel explored how the field—strained by outdated systems, limited funding, and public skepticism—must evolve. From addressing root causes to embracing community-led solutions, the message was clear:

“Public health is done with communities.”

As we face ongoing challenges like food security, reproductive health, and infectious disease, the call was not just for innovation, but for intention—working alongside those most affected and shifting from reactive strategies to proactive, people-first approaches.