A smarter, more precise way to think about public health | Sue Desmond-Hellmann

Summary

The speaker discusses the power of precision public health, using personal experiences in oncology and global health to highlight disparities between rich and poor countries. By leveraging tools like big data and gene sequencing, precision public health can identify specific health issues in vulnerable populations, targeting interventions to save lives. The speaker emphasizes that this approach could prevent millions of infant deaths annually, allowing parents everywhere to name their babies with confidence, knowing they have a chance at a healthy future.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker introduces her family and reflects on the joy of naming babies, something she cherished growing up.
• 😔 In Ethiopia, some parents delay naming their babies due to fear of early infant mortality, making the loss less emotionally painful.
• 😟 2.6 million babies die worldwide before reaching one month of age, often without clear reasons for the cause of death.
• 🔍 The speaker, a scientist and doctor, emphasizes that understanding the cause of these deaths is essential for developing solutions.
• 🧬 Precision Public Health is a new approach, inspired by precision medicine, that aims to target public health problems more effectively.
• 🎯 The speaker’s work with Herceptin, a breast cancer drug, revolutionized cancer treatment by precisely targeting cancer cells and sparing healthy ones.
• 🌍 The speaker argues that precision techniques used in wealthy nations should also be applied to public health in poorer regions.
• 👶 Targeting pregnant women in high HIV-risk areas has already halved mother-to-child HIV transmission, showcasing the power of precision public health.
• 🧑‍⚕️ Precision Public Health can help identify specific causes of infant mortality, such as bacterial infections, allowing targeted interventions like penicillin.
• 🌟 The speaker believes that applying precision public health could save one million babies annually and address broader global health issues like malnutrition and malaria.

Q & A

What is the main contrast the speaker draws between two parts of the world?

The speaker contrasts the joy and excitement of naming a baby in one part of the world with the fear and reluctance in Ethiopia, where parents delay naming their baby due to high infant mortality rates.

Why do some parents in Ethiopia delay naming their babies?

Parents in Ethiopia delay naming their babies because they fear the baby might die shortly after birth, and not giving the baby a name might make the loss a little more bearable by creating less emotional attachment.

What statistic does the speaker provide about neonatal deaths globally?

The speaker mentions that 2.6 million babies die globally before they are one month old, which is equivalent to the population of Vancouver.

Why is the term 'neonatal' problematic according to the speaker?

The term 'neonatal' is problematic because it is not a cause of death but rather an adjective that indicates a baby is less than a month old. The speaker argues that it reflects the fact that we often don't know why these babies are dying.

What is the speaker's professional background and how does it relate to her current work?

The speaker is a scientist and oncologist who originally worked in cancer treatment, including developing precision medicine like Herceptin for breast cancer. Her experience in targeting treatments precisely for individuals informs her current work on precision public health.

What is 'Precision Public Health' according to the speaker?

Precision Public Health is an approach that applies the tools of precision medicine, like data and targeted interventions, to public health issues. The aim is to bring the right remedies to the right populations at the right time.

How has Precision Public Health already made a difference in HIV/AIDS prevention?

In HIV/AIDS prevention, Precision Public Health has helped reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV by half in the last five years by targeting antiretroviral treatment to pregnant women in areas with the highest HIV rates.

What does the speaker suggest about current methods of determining causes of infant death in high-mortality regions?

The speaker criticizes current methods, which often involve health workers interviewing mothers about symptoms months after their baby has died. This method is not only emotionally painful for the mothers but also ineffective at identifying precise causes of death.

How can precision public health prevent infant deaths from Group B streptococcus?

By identifying that Group B streptococcus infections are causing infant deaths in certain areas, healthcare providers can administer penicillin to mothers to prevent transmission and reduce infant mortality.

What is the speaker’s ultimate goal for Precision Public Health?

The speaker’s goal is to save a million babies’ lives each year by applying precision public health to identify and address the causes of neonatal mortality. She also envisions using this approach to tackle other global health challenges like malnutrition, cervical cancer, and malaria.