FROM PAPER TO POLICY By Alla Katsnelson
RAY E. TRUSSELL, MD
R
esearch is a powerful thing. As one of society’s main engines for generating knowledge, it forms the bedrock for decision-making. But particularly in public health, the biggest impact happens where the rubber meets the road—when a study or a body of work moves beyond the walls of academia to affect our daily life. Science to improve health and prevent disease, disability, and injury was the core mandate of the School at its founding, and scientific work by faculty and students at Columbia Mailman School has informed health policy, environmental regulations, safety rules, and other public health standards for a century. The School saw its influence surge, for example, during the leadership of Ray E. Trussell, MD, who directed the school from 1955 to 1968. A fierce advo-
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cate for improving healthcare for poor and underserved communities, he established strict evidence-based requirements for standards of care as well as regulations for informed consent in studies on human subjects at New York City hospitals that treated indigent patients. The informed consent system Trussell created eventually formed the basis for federal policy. Through their testimony, consultations, partnerships, media appearances, and, of course, publications, the School’s researchers have helped shape legislative and policy decisions at all levels of government, from local municipalities to the U.S. Congress; they have also influenced litigation all the way to the Supreme Court and informed global health policymakers. Here are just some of the ways that impact is felt today. 2021–2022 CENTENNIAL EDITION
