Why Health? A Practical Philosophy of Public Health at a New Global Moment

This suggests that the central questions for those of us interested in health are as much about values as they are about science. A systematic approach to creating a healthy world rests on rigorous evidence, but also on clarity about foundational questions:

What do we owe each other?

What is health for?

How much are we willing to invest, and in what?

What can science tell us, and where do its limits lie?

How do we pursue health without losing sight of the lives it is meant to serve?

This talk offers a practical philosophy of health, outlining what we need to think about when we think about health, so that we may better guide how we talk about health and how we act to create healthier populations.

About Dr. Galea

Sandro Galea, a physician, population health scientist, and author, is the Margaret C. Ryan Dean, the Eugene S. and Constance Kahn Distinguished Professor in Public Health, at the Andrew M. and Jane M. Bursky School of Public Health, and Vice Provost of Interdisciplinary Initiatives at Washington University in St. Louis. He previously held academic and leadership positions at Boston University, Columbia University, the University of Michigan, and the New York Academy of Medicine.

Galea has published extensively in the peer-reviewed literature and is a regular contributor to a range of public media about the social causes of health, mental health, and the consequences of trauma. He has been listed as one of the most widely cited scholars in the social sciences and is past chair of the Boston Board of Health, of the board of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, and past president of the Society for Epidemiologic Research and of the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and has received several lifetime achievement awards.

Galea holds a medical degree from the University of Toronto, graduate degrees from Harvard University and Columbia University, and honorary doctorates from the University of Glasgow and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

The 2026 Sam Shapiro Lecture is presented annually by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Services Outcomes Research (CHSOR).

Lunch will be provided.