At a commencement ceremony several years ago, Dr. Linda Rae Murray, then-president of the American Public Health Association (APHA), recounted a famous saying: “When public health works, we’re invisible.” She followed that by urging the graduates to “refuse to be invisible, because […] we need to lend our strength and our science to broad social movements whose goal is to make things better.”

When public health is invisible, we only end up talking about it when things go wrong; people tend to think about public health agencies as entities that respond to infectious disease outbreaks or shut down a restaurant due to health code violations. We frequently think about health as healthcare, but what determines how long and how well we live is less about what happens in the doctor’s office and more about where we live, the air we breathe, and the availability of other resources in our communities. At the Baltimore City Health Department, we believe that all issues – education, housing, employment, public safety, and beyond – can and should be tied back to health. We are committed to making the progress earned through public health visible, and to make the case for incorporating health-in-all policies across the City.

In recognition of National Public Health Week, my team and I spoke at a number of community events across Baltimore and beyond. On Monday, I spoke at the 12th annual “Why Women Cry” conference hosted by Reverend Debra Hickman and Sisters Together and Reaching (STAR), an organization created to address inequities in care for HIV-positive African-American women. On Tuesday, our School Health Medical Director, Dr. Ihouma Emenuga, joined our partners at Kennedy Krieger at City Hall for World Autism Awareness Month. Public health knows no boundaries, and we are glad to collaborate with so many exceptional leaders throughout Maryland. Yesterday, I was honored to join Cecil County Health Officer Stephanie Garrity to speak at the Cecil County Health Department as part of their National Public Health Week celebration.

Former Assistant Secretary of Health, Dr. Karen DeSalvo, likes to say that “public health saved your life today, you just didn’t know it.” But maybe it’s time for people to know. Those of us working in public health should tell the stories of the communities we serve, and to make the case for public health every day. At the Baltimore City Health Department, just like in local health departments around Maryland and the country, we are doing a lot with very little. Our team works tirelessly every day to eliminate disparities and work towards a more well and equitable city. I am thankful for all of our frontline staff, and feel proud to work here and serve the City of Baltimore. In recognition of National Public Health Week, my team and I will continue to champion health as a basic human right, and to speak up and make public health visible to all.

Leana Wen, M.D., M.Sc.

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