Why Humanizing Public Health is Key to Preventing Future Pandemics | Rutgers University
Understanding the Human Element in Pandemic Prevention
Public health has traditionally focused on the biological aspects of disease—how pathogens spread, how vaccines work, and how treatments can stop illness. However, Perry N. Halkitis, Dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health, argues that this biomedical approach alone cannot explain why pandemics continue to devastate populations despite our scientific advances.
From HIV/AIDS to COVID-19, Halkitis emphasizes that the greatest drivers of pandemics are often human factors: our emotions, beliefs, political systems, and social conditions. This perspective forms the foundation of what he calls “humanizing public health”—recognizing that health crises are not driven only by viruses or bacteria, but also by people and the communities they form.
The Limitations of Biomedical Approaches
The past several years have demonstrated the limits of purely biomedical approaches. This year’s flu season—the worst in two decades—along with approximately 30,000 new HIV infections reported annually, the continued rise in other sexually transmitted infections, and ongoing COVID-19 deaths all reinforce that biomedical tools alone are insufficient.
While this year’s flu vaccine was less effective at preventing infection than hoped, it still played an important role in protecting people from severe illness and hospitalization. However, uptake of updated COVID-19 vaccines remains alarmingly low, and many everyday behaviors we embraced during the pandemic—staying home when sick, masking in crowded settings, and frequent handwashing—are steadily declining.
The Role of Emotions and Beliefs in Health Decisions
Human beings don’t always make health decisions based purely on scientific evidence. Our decisions are shaped by emotions, personal experiences, cultural norms, and the political environments in which we live. Fear and mistrust can powerfully influence how people respond to public health guidance.
During COVID-19, we saw how emotions and political identity shaped responses to masking, vaccination, and other preventive measures. These dynamics illustrate a critical lesson: public health messaging cannot rely solely on information. It must also engage with the emotional and social realities that shape people’s decisions.
A Biopsychosocial Approach to Public Health
A human-centered approach requires what many describe as a biopsychosocial perspective. This means considering biological factors alongside psychological and social ones. We must understand how social inequities, economic conditions, political forces, and cultural beliefs influence health behaviors.
Public health professionals must also build trust within communities. That means listening to people, understanding their concerns, and working together to develop solutions that reflect their lived experiences. Public health change doesn’t happen behind computers or solely through scientific publications. We must take knowledge and translate it into action, working with the populations we study and have an obligation to serve.
The Role of Education in Transforming Public Health
Schools of public health play a critical role in shaping the next generation of leaders. Students must certainly learn the science of infectious diseases and epidemiology. But they must also understand the psychology of health behavior, the impact of social inequities, and the importance of communication and trust-building.
Future public health professionals must be able to work across disciplines and engage with people and populations in meaningful ways. Humanizing public health begins with how we educate and train the workforce that will lead public health forward.
Hope for the Future of Public Health
What gives hope is that many in the field are starting to confront these challenges head-on—calling out misinformation, meeting people where they are, and rethinking what it means to train a public health professional. When public health truly centers people, it listens and learns, building stronger systems capable of responding to the challenges ahead.
The success of public health depends on the people it serves. By humanizing our approach, we can create more effective, equitable, and sustainable public health systems that are better prepared to prevent future pandemics.
Learn more about how Rutgers University is leading the way in humanizing public health education and research. Explore our programs and discover how you can be part of the solution to prevent future pandemics.
