The state of public health and what it means for our community

By Julie Philipp, Megan Mack, Julie Williams

Published August 19, 2026 at 2:55 PM EDT

Five people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman front left has long grey hair and is wearing a grey blazer over a blue floral-print dress, grey tights and brown shoes; a woman front right has short brown hair and is wearing eyeglasses, a light blue blazer, blue patterned blouse and black pants; a woman at center has short blonde hair and is wearing a grey sweater, white pants and white sneakers; a bald man back left is wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt; a man back right has short dark hair and is wearing eyeglasses, a grey plaid blazer and white button-down shirt. — (foreground) Laura Sugarwala and Anja Bottler, (background) Paul S. Graman and Michael Mendoza with guest host Julie Philipp on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Wednesday, August 19, 2026

A woman with long blonde hair sits in front of a microphone in a radio talk studio and wears a light blue button-down shirt. — Julie Philipp

Until the COVID -19 pandemic, public health was nearly invisible.

Most of us did not think about the people who keep an eye on restaurants, public water supplies, air quality, vaccination rates, outbreaks of diseases like measles, and many other measures that contribute to a healthy community. That has changed.

Public health is often in the headlines. It has become more political and less trusted. Guest host Julie Philipp discusses the current state of public health and how it affects you.

In studio:

Anja Bottler, M.D., service line division head for infectious disease at Rochester Regional Health
Paul S. Graman, M.D., professor of medicine and senior associate hospital epidemiologist in the Infectious Diseases Division at the University of Rochester Medical Center
Michael Mendoza, M.D., MPH, senior medical director for Town Square Health
Laura Sugarwala, MBA, RD, director of community health partnerships at the Center for Community Health & Prevention, part of University of Rochester Medicine