• Ross C Brownson, Thomas A Burke, Graham A Colditz, and Jonathan M Samet.
• Ross C. Brownson is with the Prevention Research Center, Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO. Ross C. Brownson and Graham A. Colditz are with the Department of Surgery and Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis. Thomas A. Burke is with the Department of Health Policy and Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Jonathan M. Samet is with the Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora.
• Am J Public Health. 2020 Nov 1; 110 (11): 1605-1610.

AbstractThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an unprecedented challenge for society, affecting those already subject to unacceptable health inequalities and resulting in vast economic impacts. The pandemic reminds everyone of the value and necessity of public health.In the context of an era that will be shaped by COVID-19, we outline the coming series of challenges and transitions in public health and the needed actions over the next 5 years to reinvent our public health systems. Multiple limitations in current US and global public health systems have been uncovered by the pandemic, including insufficient preparedness and surveillance capabilities complicated by long-standing and worsening health inequalities and the rapid spread of misinformation that needs to be countered. We foresee 3 phases for public health over the next 5 years: (1) reactive crisis management, (2) efforts to maintain initial gains, and (3) efforts to sustain and enhance progress.A reinvented public health system will depend highly on leadership and political will, rethinking how we categorize and address population-level risk, employing 21st-century data sciences, and applying new communication skills.

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