By Robert L. Moore, MD, MPH, MBA, Chief Medical Officer

“Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don’t believe is right.”

— Jane Goodall, English zoologist and primatologist

Disagreements about vaccinations, public health activities, and scientific research have escalated in the past few months, with an expanding chasm between the views and opinions of those with different political ideologies. Health professionals and public health leaders need to develop skills in communicating effectively with patients and members of the public who may have deeply held, but widely disparate views. Of course, this is easier said than done!

This challenge is exactly what Epidemiologist Dr. Katelyn Jetelina narrates in a recent post on her popular “Your Local Epidemiologist” Substack. She and several other famous U.S. public health leaders were invited to participate in a dialogue with leaders of U.S. Health and Human Services, Director Robert Kennedy’s, Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) coalition. Her summary of this meeting is introspective and very well-written, one of her best posts of the year. In the end, she gained a lot of understanding of the concerns and questions of the MAHA participants and found several areas of shared values.

In sharing her experience, Dr. Jetelina encourages us to find ways to have deep and meaningful conversations with those in our community who have different ideas about public health and science.

She concludes with three points:

“Fight for people, not institutions. Meet questions with empathy. Look for opportunity in the rubble— because it’s there, if we’re willing to see it. Even when it’s hard.”

Although her views expressed represent the opinions of the author and do not represent the official views of Partnership HealthPlan of California, there is value in her message for how we approach difficult conversations.

Enjoy!