What do you do when there’s no data to suggest potential solutions? Lena Wen, Baltimore City Commissioner of Health, says, “we throw the boat at it to save lives in our community.” Through a process of iteration, Wen and her team are learning how to more efficiently solve for social determinants of health...starting with a successful public/private collaboration to reduce Baltimore's infant mortality rates.

Watch the interview here.

This week, I was incredibly honored to deliver the Convocation address for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Class of 2018 on Tuesday. During Convocation, 916 graduates from 61 countries were awarded their degrees—153 doctoral degrees and 74 master's. These are the public health leaders of today and tomorrow!

The Bloomberg School’s mission is the cornerstone of public health – saving lives, millions at a time. This is the dedication to being the society’s doctor, and it’s exemplified through the leadership of Dean Ellen Mackenzie. This Convocation was Dr. Mackenzie’s first as the Dean, and I was particularly touched to receive the Dean’s Medal, the highest recognition conferred by the School for public health leaders. Previous awardees included former Senator Barbara Mikulski; Dr. Harold Varmus (Former Director, National Institutes of Health); Carol Bellamy (Former Executive Director, UNICEF); and HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand.

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In this podcast recorded live from the Women of the World Festival, hear from panelists including Dr. Wen.

Listen here.

The impact of social determinants on health care was highlighted during the 11th Annual National Conference on Health Disparities.