Gounder and Faust: Defending science, research, public health, and our international colleagues.

On stage and on the airwaves, we got our message out this week.

The Trump administration’s escalating attacks on science, research, public health, and now academic freedom itself are appalling. They also create opportunities for my colleagues and me to speak out, especially given the relatively milquetoast messaging from some major medical associations and other expert bodies. (I won’t name names for now.)

Today, I’m sharing three examples of those opportunities from the past week. The first is a Convocation address at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, delivered by my good friend and Inside Medicine regular, Dr. Céline Gounder. (I was honored to be one of Céline’s guests at the ceremony, and I’m including a picture of us below as well.) The other clips are two appearances I made on CNN and MSNBC.

Let’s start with Céline’s bold speech at Harvard. In particular, I want you to notice her choice to “go for it” in this address…

Starting around 3 minutes in, Céline began discussing misinformation. While that’s important, all of that might sound familiar to Inside Medicine readers. And here's where things got fiery. She quickly pivoted to something more urgent and, frankly, brave.

On the dais of a Harvard Convocation ceremony, Céline dissected many of the intolerable actions of the Trump administration. The speech became a factual tour de force, documenting both what has occurred, and calling on the soon-to-be graduates in the audience to use their knowledge, skills, and voices to fight. She highlighted the importance of international students and scientific collaborators (13:00 in the video) saying, “…to show our support, I’d like to give a special round of applause to the 249 international students from 52 countries graduating today. That’s out of a class of 615. Forty percent. Thank you for sharing your brilliance with this university and with our nation.” This line was met with a nearly minute-long standing ovation from the faculty and students, and it was a stirring moment, in a chilling time.

It’s an important speech. Céline could have phoned this one in, but that just isn’t who she is. I strongly urge you to watch and share her speech. It’s twenty minutes well spent. The transcript is at the end of today’s newsletter.

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Taking to the airwaves…

Last week, I was fortunate to appear on CNN and MSNBC to add my analysis on what’s been going on. Both CNN’s Kate Balduan and MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace were interested in my views on the Trump administration’s attack on Harvard. However, they also knew this was an opportunity for me to make the case for science, research, and public health. I’m grateful for the chance to carry the flag for a few minutes.

CNN talking points:

• Interest in United States PhD programs (web searches from overseas) is down 20% already compared to last year, according to The Economist, while interest in programs in Europe is way up. The scientific brain drain is happening and it’s going to cost us dearly if we do not change course.

• I was able to share my personal experience working in research labs (including with Nobel Laureate Dr. Michael Bishop) where I saw the best and brightest minds from around the world and homegrown talent from the US come together to make important scientific contributions. This is what we want to maintain.

MSNBC talking points:

• Nicolle gave me the chance to name a few examples of medical science research grants that the Trump administration has terminated, including one on neurotransmitters in the cochlea (the essential organ for hearing) and another about the long-term health of male healthcare professionals. It’s possible—though we are not certain—that these grants were terminated due to clunky word searches by DOGE operatives who lumped the studies in with others looking at issues around transgender care. (The second study has been ongoing for decades, and a recent renewal included a plan to securely transfer documents into the cloud). These and many other terminated research projects have been documented on Grant Watch, an important tracker that includes keywords included in the grants that may explain why they were terminated, a list which includes terms like “trans,” “vaccine,” “diverse,” and others.

• After a great point outlining the key ingredients that societies need to thrive, made by economist Justin Wolfers, the other guest on Nicolle’s program, I was able to add a point about how important vaccines are to the physical and economic health of a society, citing the work of Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and historian Jared Diamond.

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Transcript of remarks delivered by Dr. Céline Gounder at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Convocation, Wednesday, May 28, 2025.

I. INTRODUCTION

Hello, everyone. It is so good to be here with you.

Thank you, Dean Baccarelli, for the kind words.

- To Dean Baccarelli…

- To the faculty and staff of the Harvard Chan School…

- And to all the friends, family members, and loved ones of the graduates…

It is an honor to be with you to mark this special occasion.

And, of course, to the Class of 2025: Congratulations. You made it.

From Orientation Week to final exams… Through early mornings and late nights… Through moments of challenge and of triumph… You made it to today. It is a remarkable achievement.

Now, you have the honor of graduating from one of the most rigorous and prestigious public health institutions in our nation. You also have the honor—and the challenge—of entering the public health workforce at one of the most difficult moments in our profession.

Let me explain what I mean: I had very high hopes coming out of COVID. After a once-in-a-century pandemic that took more than 7 million lives…

I hoped that Americans might finally understand the need to invest consistently and for the long term in public health.

I hoped that our elected leaders might recognize the fundamental connection between health security and national security.

I hoped that some measure of trust in public health would be restored and rebuilt.

But that has not come to pass.

Instead, the challenges facing public health have only grown. Today, we see rising threats to the public health institutions that have kept our world safe for generations… Cuts to research that benefits the lives of millions… Looming public health emergencies that are not being addressed with the urgency they demand… And a continued, coordinated attack on the very idea of the scientific process.

Graduates: To meet these challenges… We need your leadership. We need the expertise and insight you have gained here at Harvard. And we need the courage, creativity, and compassion that brought you to this profession in the first place.

Today, I will address two crises where your leadership is needed most urgently.

II. MIS- AND DISINFORMATION

First: The crisis of mis- and disinformation.

Over the past few years, we have witnessed a significant rise in false or misleading public health information—often shared on social media.

Facebook posts declaring that 5G cell phone towers cause cancer. TikTok videos touting a “secret herbal cure” for diabetes. Podcasters claiming that ivermectin—an anti-parasitic medication—could treat COVID.

At the same time, over the past few months, we have seen the Trump Administration engage not only in medical misinformation but in active censorship of scientific discourse.

Federal employees have been directed to avoid using words such as “bias” “minority” and “systemic.”

We’ve seen CDC data purged and NIH researchers barred from traveling to HIV/AIDS conferences.

The current Administration is waging a war on science. And that can be seen most clearly on the issue of vaccines.

Vaccines are one of the greatest triumphs of modern medicine. Globally, it is estimated that in the last 50 years, vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives. That’s one life every ten seconds. Or about 60 lives since I began speaking.

Now, graduates, you know better than anyone… Vaccines are safe and effective. They do not cause autism.

And yet. Over the past few years, we have seen an explosion of misinformation and disinformation.

And it’s growing. Yesterday, Secretary Kennedy threatened to bar NIH scientists from publishing in the world’s leading medical journals—like the NEJM, JAMA, and the Lancet—unless they conform to his ideology. Instead, he wants to create government-run journals, further politicizing science and isolating American researchers from the global scientific community.

That playbook is terribly effective.

According to Gallup, one in five Americans now believes vaccines are more dangerous than the diseases they prevent. That includes, remarkably, the top official overseeing our nation’s health system: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. And recent HHS actions may exacerbate this trend.

Just last week, the FDA unilaterally announced it will now require randomized, placebo-controlled trials for updated COVID vaccines—at least for adults under 65 with no known risk factors.

This is misguided on multiple fronts. First, science is built on consensus, not fiat. They will call this evidence-based and gold-standard. It is not. Second, one in three Americans lacks a primary care provider—they may not even be aware of their risk factors. Third, many of us get vaccinated not just for ourselves, but also to protect others or because we can’t afford to take time off work. Fourth, such trials would be ethically fraught. And fifth, they’re logistically unworkable—too slow, too expensive.

Then yesterday, the CDC dropped its recommendation for COVID vaccination in healthy infants and healthy pregnant women.

Infants don’t usually die from COVID, but they’re still at elevated risk for ER visits and hospitalizations—both stressful and costly. And pregnancy is a well-documented risk factor for severe COVID. I recently cared for a pregnant patient, previously infected, who still landed in the ICU. Despite all that, she was still opposed to COVID vaccination… because she’d had COVID before and was fine?

As a result of this flood of Orwellian double-speak… of public health agencies following ideology rather than evidence, people across our nation are choosing not to vaccinate. And, as a result, our communities are becoming more vulnerable to preventable diseases.

Polio. Pertussis. Influenza. And, notably, measles.

Contracting measles comes with serious risks: Hospitalization. Death. And the risk of “measles immune amnesia.”

When a child contracts measles, it can damage the immune system and erase the body’s memory of other infections. In other words, contracting measles could weaken your immunity to other diseases.

Before 1963, when the vaccine was made broadly available, up to half of all childhood deaths used to be from measles immune amnesia.

Then, our country embarked on one of the most aggressive and successful vaccination campaigns in history. And by 2000, measles had been eliminated in the United States.

But that is no longer the case.

This year alone, we have counted more than 1,000 measles cases across 11 states. And that’s a gross underestimate.

Instead of encouraging vaccination, HHS Secretary Kennedy has suggested treating measles with cod liver oil, steroids, and antibiotics – none of which prevent measles.

The point is this: Misinformation is, itself, a public health crisis.

To fight this crisis, we need to make sure more Americans have access to information that is accurate, comprehensive, and easy to understand.

But that alone is not enough. We must do something more.

I’ll share a brief story:

A few years ago, I got a call from a friend whose mother-in-law was refusing to get the COVID vaccine. I asked to speak with her.

We spoke for about an hour — about her family, her job, her community.

Finally, she said: “You know, I thought you were going to tell me about vaccines.” And I responded, “Well, if you have any questions, I’m happy to answer them.” So, she asked me a question or two. Then, she thanked me for my time, and we hung up.

15 minutes later, I got a call from my friend. And the first thing he said was: “What did you do?”

I was worried I’d offended his mother-in-law.

“Nope,” he told me, “She just signed up for the vaccine.”

I have found that often, the solution to mis-information is not simply “more information.”

Instead, it is more compassion. More curiosity. More trust building.

Before you advise, you must listen. And we must do so with benevolence—by showing real, genuine care and interest in the person you’re serving.

Now, that kind of listening takes time—time you may often feel you do not have.

But you must make time. In the exam room. In the clinic. In the community. Everywhere.

And I guarantee you: If you listen—with an open mind and an open heart—they may listen too.

III. ATTACKS ON PUBLIC HEALTH FUNDING AND INSTITUTIONS

All of this is about building trust.

Not just person to person. But in our public health system as a whole.

One of the challenges of building and maintaining trust in our public health system is that, when we do our job right, our work is nearly invisible.

Distrust in the more visible parts of the American health system—like insurers and pharma companies—runs deep.

And that distrust can be weaponized.

That brings me to the second great crisis facing our profession: A longstanding, but rapidly escalating assault on public health institutions.

On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization.

The administration also fired thousands of public health workers at the CDC, the NIH, the FDA, and USAID.

The “Make America Healthy Again” crowd claims to champion children’s health and disease prevention… while at the same time the Trump administration is defunding and dismantling programs that address smoking, nutrition, maternal health, mental health, and substance use.

And the Trump Administration has terminated or frozen tens of billions in funding for public health and scientific research… including for universities like this one. And as you are all very aware, the Administration is now trying to prevent Harvard from enrolling international students.

And let me just say: America has led the world in scientific progress for generations in large part BECAUSE we have welcomed the best and the brightest from around the world to learn and work here…. my parents among them.

So today, to show our support, I’d like to give a special round of applause to the 249 international students from 52 countries graduating today. That’s out of a class of 615. Forty percent. Thank you for sharing your brilliance with this university and with our nation.

Now, led by President Garber, this University has stood up to these unprecedented attacks.

I think you should be incredibly proud. And more schools should follow your lead.

To the extent that these attacks on public health are being guided by any ideology… they seem to follow the well-known motto of Silicon Valley: “Move fast and break things.”

But that is an extremely dangerous way to approach public health. Because with public health… when you’re talking about trust… once you break something, it often can’t be fixed.

As just one example: Soon after taking office, the current Administration froze funding for PEPFAR—a program that provided life-saving antiviral HIV medication to some 20 million people around the world. While some of that work has since resumed, most of it has not.

To be most effective, the medication PEPFAR provided needs to be taken every single day. If doses are skipped, people will get sick. And some will die.

Maybe the Trump Administration will realize its mistake and fully restore PEPFAR.

But even if it does, it will not bring back the people—fathers, mothers, children—whose lives were needlessly sacrificed.

And it will not bring back the trust of the communities we abandoned. Their trust is the foundation of our surveillance and rapid response capacity.

Think about it like the military: We have a standing army so we can respond quickly to threats. You don’t dismantle your army, wait for a threat, and then decide to rebuild from scratch. At that point, it’s too late.

So, what is to be done?

Well, you must speak out.

I am sure this graduating class is not monolithic. You hold many different perspectives and political views. But I hope you all agree that it’s critical to rebuild trust in public health. And that all of you have a role to play in that rebuilding.

Public health professionals can no longer afford the luxury of invisibility. You must explain to people what we do and why it matters. You must speak loudly, courageously, purposefully.

Now, that doesn’t mean that you need to get on TV or testify before Congress.

Start in your communities.

Think about Newton’s Second Law of Motion: Force equals mass times acceleration.

The bigger the mass—the number of people you’re trying to convince at one time—the harder your job will be. And the less movement you’ll achieve.

But if you start small… even one-on-one… You can really move people. You can speak to the issues you know they care most about. And if every person here does that… it will create change.

Each of you should think of yourselves as an influencer. (Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean you need to be on TikTok.) It just means you need to use your voice and your reputation to share truth and combat misinformation.

Trust isn’t built top down anymore… it’s built laterally. And we need your help to rebuild it.

One more thing: There’s important, urgent public health work happening on the state and local level. With everything going on in Washington, consider directing your attention there.

IV. CONCLUSION

Graduates… I will end with this: This is a difficult moment. For our profession. For our nation. For our world.

But remember: While none of us gets to choose the times into which we are born… We do get to choose how we meet that moment. With reticence or resilience… with complacency or courage… with fear or with faith.

Class of 2025: I am confident that you will rise to meet this moment… That you will use your hands to heal and your voice to speak truth… And that you will help us find the path forward.

As you do, I encourage you to think expansively. Often in your careers, you will be presented with a menu of options… a list of possible choices. And often, that list will be short.

But do not be fooled. More often than not, there are options that haven’t yet been considered.

If your dream job doesn’t exist… create it. Think outside of the box. Spend time in another field… and then bring those skills and experiences back to public health.

At the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, you dedicate yourselves to a noble mission: “Health, dignity, and justice for every human.” As you work to fulfill that mission… as you embark on the next stage of your career… know this:

The world needs your courage.
Your clarity.
Your compassion.

We’re not just wishing you luck.

We are counting on you.

Thank you.

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If you have information about any of the unfolding stories we are following, please email me or find me on Signal at InsideMedicine.88.

Thanks for reading, sharing, speaking out, and supporting Inside Medicine. Please ask your questions in the comments.

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