Government and industry both have a role to play in shaping a healthier world.
Why does health matter? In many ways, answering this question is the central preoccupation of these essays. I have written a number of pieces that attempt to define the meaning of health—why health is something worth pursuing as individuals and collectively. Fundamentally, I see health as mattering because it creates opportunities for us to live rich, full lives. It is a means, not an end, and that end is living a good life, one that is full of time with friends and loved ones, full of the experiences that define what it is to be human. A world where everyone can be healthy is a better world indeed, one worth striving for.
Given the importance of health, given its role in supporting so much of what gives life meaning and value, it makes sense that we should be centrally concerned with asking where the responsibility for promoting health lies. Is it primarily the responsibility of the public sector? Or should the private sector, with its capacity for innovation and scalability, play a larger role? I argue that the achievement of health is both a public and private responsibility, and, as such, we should behave in ways that reflect this. For public health to be most effective in this moment, it should engage with both sectors—finding synergies at the intersection of industry, government, and public health teaching and research—towards shaping approaches that create healthier populations.
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