FOUNDERS’ FAMILY MESSAGE

KIT FOUNDERS’ FAMILY MESSAGE

Hello, my name is Peter Roeper Congratulations to you for your achievements celebrated by your graduation

I want to talk to you about public health: my field

Covid-19 is creating difficulty for all of us and making us aware of how suddenly disease can come crashing down on us Public health is battling hard to address this disease and hopes to be as successful as it has with other epidemics

We used to live in a world full of epidemic diseases: smallpox, polio, diphtheria, measles Public health eliminated these infectious diseases! They did this not by treating each sick individual, but by preventing the problem in the population They did this through epidemiology, examining the pattern of disease in the population, scientific lab work, and advocacy These combined efforts resulted in vaccines and other remedies

Public health also focuses on non-infectious disease problems Our water is much cleaner, our air more breathable, and our world less full of toxins because of public health Public health works to reduce smoking, obesity, violence, and addresses mental health issues

In my career, I worked in the areas of high blood pressure, traffic crashes, and surveillance of birth defects One of the attractions for me to public health is, science and advocacy go hand in hand Science defines the problem; advocacy brings about the solution Science recognized that smoking cigarettes is bad, but policy groups worked that information into education programs, higher taxes and prohibitions that have saved immense number of lives

If you like to crunch numbers, work in a laboratory, do field research, modeling, basic research or formulate policy, do advocacy and education, you can find it in public health Or to put in differently, if you are interested in biology, statistics, medicine, computers, engineering, or you want to be a lawyer, public advocate, go into politics, there is home for you in public health It is not the work itself, but the focus of that work, prevention at the community level, that defines who is working for public health

I should warn you that working in public health is not glamourous or highly compensated, and your work may go unappreciated Who do you thank for the absence of a negative in your life? Nobody thanks the people who run our sewer systems and keep many diseases at bay When can you thank the people who ensured the couch you may be sitting on is free of toxins? Public health work is nearly the definition of behind the scenes

So, what are the rewards for working for public health? You have the satisfaction of working to ensure humans can live and reproduce successfully … kind of an important goal!! You work with people with diverse training, skills and from people from many cultures, and yet have shared values and commitment It is a group effort Working in public health can be very exciting — like the feeling you get the moment you solve a problem, develop a solution or get a law passed I have had many of these moments

Finally, the goals of public health are very similar with the goals of Roeper School: focusing on the community to make a better world

So, as you start your education and your future working life, consider a work that is associated with Public Health F The goals of public health are very similar with the goals of Roeper School: focusing on the community to make a better world