On March 5, Dr. Kevin De Cock discussed his new book, Deployed: A Physician on the Front Lines of Global Health, and the future of global public health in the current environment as part of the Department of Global Health Research and Practice seminar series, cosponsored with the Redstone Global Center and the Department of Epidemiology at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health (GWSPH). Dr. Alan Greenberg, former Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and a longtime colleague of the author, offered introductory remarks.
During the hour-long seminar, Dr. De Cock spoke to the GW community about his career progression from clinician to epidemiologist, including his domestic and international work on HIV and AIDS, Ebola, Yellow Fever, Tuberculosis, and SARS-CoV-2. His talk also covered the importance of asking the right questions and thoughtfully using available data when investigating outbreaks. When asked about the top priorities in public health today, Dr. De Cock highlighted health systems strengthening, increasing efficiency amid limited global health financing, and addressing both acute and long-term impacts of climate change on health.
Dr. Timothy Holtz moderated the Q&A portion of the event, guiding a thoughtful discussion with attendees. More than 60 people joined the hybrid event, with two in-person attendees winning signed copies of the book.
Pictured: Timothy H. Holtz, Kevin M. De Cock, Manya Magnus
Background:
Kevin M. De Cock, M.D., FRCP (UK), D.T.M. & H., was most recently Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) country mission in Kenya. He previously served as the team lead for CDC response to Ebola in Liberia, as Director of the CDC Center for Global Health, and as Director of the CDC Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Surveillance, and Epidemiology. Importantly, Dr. De Cock served as the Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Department of HIV/AIDS from 2006 to 2009, overseeing all of WHO's work related to HIV/AIDS focusing on initiatives to assist low- and middle-income countries in scaling up their treatment, prevention, care, and support programs.
Deployed: A Physician on the Front Lines of Global Health is Dr. De Cock’s second book. In 2023, Dr. De Cock co-authored with Harold Jaffe and James Curran the book Dispatches from the AIDS Pandemic: A Public Health Story.