How can public health regain widespread trust?

By Evan Dawson,

Published December 4, 2024 at 2:29 PM EST

Four smiling people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a man at foreground left is bald and is wearing a pink button-down shirt and navy pants; a woman at background left has short blonde hair and is wearing a bright pink sweater; a man at background right has short dark hair and is wearing glasses, a light blue blazer and white button-down shirt; a man at foreground right has short dark hair and is wearing a black button-down shirt, jeans and boots. — (foreground) David Topa, (background) Elizabeth Murray and Michael Mendoza on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Wednesday, December 4, 2024

A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.

President-elect Donald Trump wants Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead and reform public health in America.

RFK Jr. has said that vaccines harm children; that HIV does not cause AIDS; that many breakfast cereals should be banned. Scientists say that many of his ideas are entirely devoid of evidence or logic.

But they are gaining popularity with an American public that does not think highly of institutions – including the medical establishment.

So what can doctors do? What do medical professionals want the public to know? How can public health regain widespread trust?

Our guests discuss it:

Michael Mendoza, M.D., board-certified family physician, and former Monroe Commissioner of Public Health
Elizabeth Murray, D.O., director of child health and safety communications for the Golisano Children’s Hospital
David Topa, M.D., pediatrician in private practice and soon-to-be assistant medical director at the RIT Student Health Center