Trump is trying to destroy universities - Ashish Jha, Dean of Public Health at Brown University

Kamran Abbasi interviews Professor Ashish Jha, Dean of Public Health at Brown University and former COVID-19 pandemic advisor to President Biden.

Watch this interview on our YouTube.

Trump’s second term has touched everything in the US political sphere - and health is no exception. With research funding for medicine and science weathering under Trump’s storm of cuts, how can Americans who care about public health and data navigate a course through the swells?

Professor Jha discusses how to resist an anti-vaccine resurgence, and comments on revisionist narratives that drive ill-conceived public health policies.

• 02:20 The MAHA movement and RFK Jnr.
• 07:40 Does evidence still matter?
• 13:35 Trump administration is helping China
• 15:10 Policymaking in Trump’s shadow
• 23:35 Where do universities go from here?
• 28:48 Censorship, research funding and academic freedom
• 33:35 Health inequalities within America
• 36:20 A resurgent anti-vax message
• 41:24 What Ashish’s got wrong about the pandemic response
• 45:31 When is enough for research data?
• 47:14 Future hope and how to pushback in smart ways

Reading list:

Professor Jha’s December 2024 editorial on the Trump admin’s plans for American healthcare coverage