18th Annual Public Health Leadership Forum

Trust and Public Health

October 20, 2021
1:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Virtual Webinar 

For more information please email the MMS Department of Health Policy and Public Health at phforum@mms.org.

Program Description:

Trust is a fundamental component of health care. Not only is trust at the core of the doctor-patient relationship, it is an essential element of public health. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored that effective public health messaging is contingent on people trusting public health officials as well as the science and data behind their recommendations. Trust also plays a key role in the acceptance of recommended prevention interventions including the willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The 18th Annual Public Health Leadership Forum will convene leaders in medicine, public health, policy, and government to explore the trust challenges facing public health, examine strategies to counter fear and misinformation, and identify ways to work together to foster the trust and integrity necessary for the equitable delivery of care and uptake of public health interventions.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the role of trust in carrying out effective and equitable public health interventions
• Assess the role of physicians in restoring trust in science and evidence-based guidance
• Implement strategies for identifying and debunking disinformation and misinformation
• Identify pathways to build trust with patients and communities that experience injustice and inequity

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Agenda

1:00 p.m.
Opening Remarks

Carole E. Allen, MD, MBA, FAAP
President, Massachusetts Medical Society

James B.  Broadhurst, MD, MHA
Chair, Committee on Public Health
Massachusetts Medical Society

Moderator’s Overview

Harold Cox, MSSW
Associate Professor
Community Health Sciences 
Boston University School of Public Health

1:15 p.m.
Presentations

Restoring Trust in Science
Nahid Bhadelia, MD, MALD
Founding Director, Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy and Research
Associate Director, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories
Boston University

Trust as a Prerequisite for Health Equity
Michelle Morse, MD, MPH
Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Commissioner
Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Countering Misinformation and Disinformation in the Age of Social Media
Kasisomayajula Viswanath, PhD
Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Panel Discussion with Q & A

3:15 p.m.
Adjournment

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Accreditation

Accreditation Statement:

The Massachusetts Medical Society is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA Credit Designation Statement:

The Massachusetts Medical Society designates this live activity for a maximum of 2.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This activity meets the criteria of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine for risk management study.