Dr. Rachel L. Levine, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health, visits campus
Admiral Levine discussed public health and health equity for all and answered questions from Muhlenberg students, faculty and staff.
Posted by: Megan Kita Tuesday, October 15, 2024 02:05 PM
Dr. Rachel L. Levine, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health, and Kathleen Baczynski, Assistant Professor of Public Health. Photo by Sierra Addy ’27 and Eve Polek ’27
On Wednesday evening, Dr. Rachel L. Levine visited campus to discuss public health and health equity for all in front of a packed Miller Forum of students, faculty, and staff. Assistant Professor of Public Health Kathleen Buczynski opened the discussion, followed by questions from the audience, asking Admiral Levine to define “health equity.”
“Health equity is the achievement of the best health for all people, and I emphasize ‘all people,'” said Dr. Admiral Levine, who serves as the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Unit. “I truly feel that we cannot make real progress unless we all make progress.”
“Health equity is the achievement of the best health for all people, and I emphasize ‘all people.’ I really feel that we can’t make real progress unless we all make progress. ”
—Admiral Rachel L. Levine, MD
They discussed “social determinants of health,” or social factors that influence health, such as discrimination, housing, food and nutrition security, environmental health, and education. For example, sickle cell disease is a devastating genetic disease that particularly affects blacks and Hispanics/Latinos, but it has historically received less research attention than other devastating genetic diseases. . Her office is working to correct this health disparity.
Admiral Levine noted that a new social determinant of health is the political context of the state in which you live, particularly states that restrict access to abortion and care for transgender youth. . “We have created medical refugees in the United States who have to leave or move out of their state to receive health care,” she said.
She oversees the newly created Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE), which works at the intersection of climate and health. “What’s keeping me up at night is the health effects of climate change,” she said, noting that extreme storms, extreme heat, and vector-borne diseases like Lyme disease and dengue are all linked to climate change. pointed out that it is related to “We talk about it as an existential threat. Some people think it’s 10, 20 years from now. If you go to Sarasota, Florida tonight, you can see the health impacts of climate change now. You can see it right away.”
“I am positive and optimistic. I am positive and optimistic because I choose to be positive and optimistic, and by being positive and optimistic I continue to work.” Because you can.”
—Admiral Rachel L. Levine, MD
Still, the atmosphere during the discussions and questions and answers was generally positive. Admiral Levine recalled that when he was a doctor at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the United States, all the patients who had AIDS died of AIDS. Currently, antiretroviral drugs allow HIV-positive people to live normal lives (lowering their viral load so that they cannot transmit HIV), and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) allows HIV-negative people to protect themselves from infection. can be protected. The remaining challenge is getting those drugs to the people who need them. “I was there at the beginning of the AIDS crisis, and I will definitely be there to end the AIDS crisis,” Admiral Levine said.
In response to a student’s question about ensuring access to health care for transgender youth across the country, Admiral Levine noted the many challenges inherent in this issue, but concluded: I am positive and optimistic because I choose to be positive and optimistic, and being positive and optimistic allows me to continue working. ”
Adrian Shanker, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Policy 2009, Chancellor Laura Farge, Admiral Levine, President Kathleen Harring, Chief of Staff Sonya Conrad 2006
Admiral Levine also reflected on her long career, which began when she was an academic medical pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist focused on the intersection of mental and physical health. In 2015 she was appointed Pennsylvania Physician General. She recalled telling her mother, then in her 90s, about the appointment. Her mother replied: That might lead to something! ”
Admiral Levine continued, and the audience laughed. She was always right, and that led to something,” he said, referring to his appointment as Pennsylvania Secretary of Health in 2017 and as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health in 2021. I’ll take you. ”
