Events

This talk explores the securitization of American public health andthe transformation of the political foundations of public health over the past twenty-five years. Despite notable successes in areas such as smoking cessation, public health institutions did a poor job of expanding beyond traditional threats such as acute andinfectious diseases to combat the challenge of chronic disease. The 9/11 attacks, 2001 anthrax mailings, and apparent threat of biological weapons opened a window of opportunity that allowedentrepreneurial bureaucrats and political leaders to frame public health as a matter of national security. The resulting infusion of resources and shift in priorities reoriented local level public health infrastructure towards specific challenges such as emergency preparedness and bioterrorism. In the model of public health that emerged, key aspects of local capacity were underfunded, institutions were designed around a narrow set of problems, andcore challenges such as chronic disease and the social drivers of health were often left unaddressed. Although public health officials were well aware of the threat of pandemic disease, the emphasis on security-framed threats came at the expense of the basic infrastructure needed to address a prolonged crisis such as COVID-19. Lecture - 5:30 - 6:30pm (Hammer 401) Reception- 6:30 - 8pm (Riverview Lounge, ARB)

The Jewish Cultural Employee Resource Group, the Miltary and Family Wellness Center, and Chabad at CUIMC invite you to join in commemorating the horrific events of October 7th that changed the world forever. Members of the Columbia Community who have close family serving in Israel Defense Forces will discuss the challenges they have faced over the past two years.  We will remember lives lost, pray for those in captivity, honor the survivors and heroes, and unite in our communal resilience. Moderated by Dr. Yuval Neria, Professor of Clincal Medical Psychology at CUIMC. All CUID holders are welcome to register. REGISTER HERE

AGENDA TBD

Fighting Authoritarianism in History:  The Case of Soviet Union Dissidents Dr. Benjamin Nathans, University of Pennsylvania, Alan Kors Professor of History (Pulitzer Prize Winner 2025) Threats to protesters. Clamp-downs on academic speech.  Throwing critics in prison.  It happened before, and so did a movement opposing it.  Beginning in the 1960s, Soviet dissidents organized an improbable movement that involved everything from public demonstrations to the circulation of underground texts. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Benjamin Nathans, a leading authority on the history of Russia and the former Soviet Union, joins us to discuss his new book and its implications for the present. Lunch will be served! History Now:  A New Lecture Series Bringing History to Public Health Audiences The Alex & Sophie Rosner Seminar Series Center for the History & Ethics of Public Health Sociomedical Sciences