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The U.S. Senate passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act—the first gun safety legislation to move forward at the federal level in decades. Later today, the bill is expected to be passed by the House of Representatives and signed by the president. Among other provisions, the law encourages states to adopt extreme risk protection orders, which have been championed by our faculty and the Center for Gun Violence Solutions. The bipartisan support for this legislation is an important reminder that change is possible.  However, this week brought very troubling news on gun safety as well.

Once again, our country is furious and grieving. A gunman took semi-automatic weapons into an elementary school and murdered 19 children and two teachers. Their families and the Uvalde, Texas, community are completely devastated.

We are sickened, heartbroken, and angry that 10 people were killed in a Buffalo grocery store on Saturday in an act of racist violence. A mass shooting at a California church the next day was also a racist attack.

The toxic mix of white supremacy and violence has no place in our society.

As you know, Politico published a leaked draft opinion earlier this week in the landmark abortion rights case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court. This draft indicates that Roe v. Wade is likely to be struck down entirely. While this decision is not final, its prospects for the health and wellbeing of our nation trouble me greatly.

The Bloomberg School has again been named the nation’s top public health school by U.S. News & World Report. We have held the #1 spot since the rankings began in 1994.   

This joint statement from schools and programs of public health demands the protection and respect of public health and health care workers even during times of war. We stand in solidarity with all of our colleagues who are dedicated to preserving the lives of their patients and the health of the entire population.

The 2022 Convocation Ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, May 21, 2022 at 3:30 p.m. on Homewood Field.*  The speaker will be Dr. Margaret Hamburg.

Having now weathered two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are reflecting on the unprecedented and destabilizing events of two years ago, where we are now, and where we are headed.

Russia must cease these attacks on Ukraine’s health care facilities, as must perpetrators of attacks on health care in ongoing conflicts throughout the world. We demand the protection and respect of public health and health care workers even during times of war.

The conflict will not only have serious geopolitical consequences—it will have lasting effects on the public’s health.