Why does public health still struggle to be trusted both at home and abroad?

Craig and Salma discuss the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has disappeared from the news but continues building up to be the largest outbreak in history. They discuss Craig’s personal experience as an Ebola survivor in 2014, and analyze how Ebola, and other global health emergencies, can seem very different from an epidemiologic perspective versus the perspective of the community living through it.

They then pivot to discuss domestic public health and Craig’s recent piece in The Atlantic highlighting that public health needs to take seriously the roughly 40% of Americans who support the MAHA movement and critiques of the piece, as well as Craig’s work on In Health We trust project.

This episode invites you to step outside the biomedical lens of public health crises and listen to people to understand their priorities from a social and humane standpoint.

About the guest:

Craig Spencer is an emergency physician and an Associate Professor of the Practice of Health Services, Policy and Practice at the Brown University School of Public Health. His research is focused on community engagement and public trust in health systems, both in global and domestic settings. His current community-engaged research program, In Health We Trust, is focused on understanding how Americans relate to health, and aims to serve as a foundation for building a more responsive and equitable US public health system.

Notes:

Acronyms used in this episode include:

AAP = American Academy of Pediatrics

DC = Washington, DC

DRC = Democratic Republic of Congo

DOGE = Department of Government Efficiency

EKG = Electrocardiogram

FDA = Food and Drug Administration

HHS = Health and Human Services

HIV = Human Immunodeficiency Virus

IRBs = Institutional Review Boards

MAGA = Make America Great Again

MAHA = Make America Healthy Again

NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization

NIH = National Institutes of Health

PEPFAR = President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

ROI = Return on investment

UK = United Kingdom

US = United States

USAID = United States Agency for International Development

WHO = World Health Organization

Useful resources:

Spencer C. Public Health Needs MAHA. The Atlantic. July 25, 2026. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/07/public-health-maha-rfk/688014/

If you have any questions or feedback, email us at healthierfutureslab@wustl.edu.

Host: Dr. Salma Abdalla

Producer: Catalina Melendez Contreras

Production assistant: Mateo Diaz Quiroz

Marketing and social media: Kinkini Bhaduri

Research for episode preparation: Catalina Melendez Contreras

Music: Eden Avery / Melting Glass from Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/2fqOXWpHab/

The views and opinions expressed by the guest in this episode do not necessarily reflect those of their institution, the funders, or the podcast team.