Dr. Anthony Fauci, Top Public Health Experts Pay Tribute to Professor Lawrence Gostin at “Preserving Health and Humanity Now” Symposium

In addition to honoring Gostin, who serves as O’Neill Institute co-faculty director, the symposium brought together leading advocates and artists for a series of panels that addressed a range of pressing public health issues, from the preservation of health during times of conflict to role of art and music in promoting physical and mental well-being.

“[Gostin] is a passionate warrior for equity,” said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and O’Neill Institute distinguished senior scholar, citing Gostin’s ongoing work to champion an equity-minded framework for the practice of global health law.

In a wide-ranging conversation moderated by Slate reporter Mark Joseph Stern, C’13, L’16, Fauci and Gostin reflected on developments in public health law and policy since the emergence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, as well as contemporary challenges such as the spread of health misinformation on social media.

“AIDS taught me that we can have great scientists and great policy, but to really change the world you need bottom-up social mobilization [and] people taking command of their own health,” Gostin said.

Reflecting on ongoing health crises such as COVID-19, Ebola and mpox, the longtime colleagues offered words of encouragement to those advocating on behalf of health justice and global equity.

“In public health and in science, you don’t have the option of giving up,” Fauci said. “We’re going to have to continue to do what we do: pursue the science.”

“We’re at a precipice,” Gostin echoed. “We’re still fighting for justice and fairness in the world — and we really need to do better.”

Protecting ‘the most vulnerable’

Hosted by the O’Neill Institute in collaboration with Ms. Magazine, Ms. Studios and the Feminist Majority Foundation, the symposium also featured remarks by public health experts and members of the Georgetown Law community including Dean William M. Treanor, Timothy J. O’Neill, L’77, and O’Neill Institute Co-Faculty Director Professor Michele Goodwin.

“In the world of global health, [Gostin] is a force of nature,” said World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a video message, citing Gostin’s decade-spanning contributions to public health scholarship. “His achievements are a testament to his ability to combine academic excellence, prolific research and global health leadership while elevating the concerns and rights of the most vulnerable.”

Following the discussion between Gostin and Fauci, panels of academics, artists and public health advocates — including former National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Francis S. Collins, former Minister of Women’s Affairs of Afghanistan Dr. Sima Samar, five-time Grammy Award winning vocalist Renée Fleming and Grammy Award-nominated singer and songwriter Aloe Blacc — discussed the health impacts of war and other social and political crises, legal frameworks to protect the rights of women and girls during conflict and the role of music and the arts in safeguarding physical and mental health.

“Professor Gostin’s work reminds us that advancing public health means preserving and protecting the health of all people — every child around the world — regardless of where they were born and the economic conditions of their families,” said Goodwin, who moderated the panel “Attacks on Health Care: Protecting Humanity During Times of Crisis,” after the event. “I want to offer special thanks to our panelists, who shared valuable insights about the role of law, art and culture in promoting public health, and to the talented artists whose healing performances brought a unique and powerful dimension to the day’s conversations.”

Recordings of the day’s panels are available via C-SPAN and linked below:

Attacks on Health Care: Protecting Humanity During Times of Crisis

Weaponizing Women and Girls in Conflict and Beyond

Healing the Mind and Body: Protecting and Preserving Music and the Arts for the Public’s Health