Most people think public health starts in the hospital. It doesn’t. It starts long before the cough, the diagnosis, or the ER visit. It starts in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the systems we trust.

The United States has swiftly retreated from global health leadership. In @lemonde.fr, I share why this retreat will have serious repercussions worldwide.

Public health is the organized actions of society to make people safer and healthier. This work is often invisible, but it affects our lives even when we don’t know it. It was a pleasure to speak with Dr. Sanjay Gupta about my new book, The Formula for Better Health, and why public health matters.

Today I was honored to speak at #UNGA alongside an impressive group of global leaders working to tackle the deadliest health issue of our time: high blood pressure.

"I think we have to draw back the curtain and show people how we learn what we learn, what we know and don't know." Dr. Sanjay Gupta invited @drtomfrieden.bsky.social to discuss the critical role of public health, and what he hopes to accomplish with his new book, "The Formula For Better Health":

Vaccines have saved millions of lives—and in many ways are a victim of their own success. It’s because of vaccines that many painful and deadly diseases are no longer top of mind for Americans. If these diseases surge again, it will be because of anti-vaccine misinformation and actions.

The announcement of health insurance companies that they’ll continue covering routine vaccinations is a huge vote of no confidence in ACIP's recommendations. It reflects a desire by insurers to avoid the cost of illnesses by having their customers vaccinated. Gift link:

This week, CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, which Sec. Kennedy has stacked with anti-vaccine voices, will meet. They’re slated to discuss vaccines to combat hep B, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (MMRV), and Covid – and we’re likely to see dangerous claims designed to scare and deceive people.

This has been years in the making. I'm excited to share that my new book, “The Formula for Better Health: How to Save Millions of Lives—Including Your Own,” will be released on September 30, 2025, and is now available for pre-order. mitpress.mit.edu/978026205096...

Americans want to be able to protect themselves and their loved ones from preventable disease. Secretary Kennedy’s actions are deeply unpopular.

Public health agencies, including the CDC, have achieved extraordinary, quantifiable successes—millions of lives saved, trillions of dollars returned. I share some major examples in my new piece.

The “Tips from Former Smokers” campaign has been instrumental in getting people to quit tobacco. 16 million fewer Americans smoke as a result, saving more than $8B in health care costs. Why abandon this success?

Secretary Kennedy made baseless accusations of conflict of interest to justify removing 17 experts from the vaccine advisory committee and pack it with people who hold anti-vaccine views, don’t have relevant expertise, and may themselves have serious conflicts of interest.

Impressive! When concerns and misconceptions about health are addressed head on, we can bridge divides. We need more conversations like this.

Since he took office, Secretary Kennedy has followed a consistent playbook: deny, distract, and destroy. Deny simple facts. Distract from the damage he’s really doing. Destroy the safeguards and institutions that keep Americans safe. It's up to all of us to counter the assault on public health.

During his tenure, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has followed a consistent playbook: deny, distract, and destroy. Every American, regardless of political belief, should be alarmed at the assault that’s taking place against our health protections.

On Public Health On Call, @drtomfrieden.bsky.social discusses the abrupt removal of CDC Director Susan Monarez, the resignation of four other senior officials, and the compounding impacts of budget and personnel cuts. 🎧 podcast.publichealth.jhu.edu/940-a-brief-...

nine former cdc employees pen op-ed for the new york times, saying rfk jr’s leadership “should alarm every american, regardless of political leanings.” after replacing “experts on federal health advisory committees with unqualified individuals who share his dangerous and unscientific views.”

Public health protects us all—often quietly, behind the scenes. Now, it needs our voices. Eight former CDC directors and I, spanning Carter to Trump, warn that recent actions put America’s health security at risk.

An extraordinary joint op-ed and plea by NINE former directors or acting directors of the CDC under both Democratic and Republican administrations, succinctly describing undermining of public health, and what’s needed now. (gift link) www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...

9 former directors of the CDC penned an op-ed stating that what Robert F. Kennedy has done to the nation's public health system is "unlike anything we have ever seen at the agency, and unlike anything our country has ever experienced" www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...

This morning 9 former CDC Directors, whose tenures date back to 1977, published this warning in the NYT: RFK Jr is a danger to public health. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...

Nine of the CDC directors over the past 48 years have a lot to say about what RFK Jr is doing vs health of Americans www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...

Nine former heads of the CDC—appointed by presidents of both parties—warn the nation of the immense peril RFK Jr is putting the country in. Gift link, please send to families and friends www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...

9 former CDC leaders across Republican and Democratic administrations since 1977 are raising their voices together about the peril of public health and CDC @richbesser.bsky.social @drtomfrieden.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...

Joined my former boss @drtomfrieden.bsky.social and @mkraju.bsky.social on @cnn.com today to discuss recent CDC changes youtube.com/watch?v=3zKG...

I joined eight former CDC directors—spanning Republican and Democratic administrations—to share this warning: our nation’s health is at risk. The very systems that protect us from disease, cancer, and future health threats are being dismantled.

The four high-level CDC leaders who resigned yesterday after the ouster of the CDC director had deep expertise in immunization and infectious diseases and were crucial agency leadership. Americans are witnessing an unprecedented assault on our health protection agency.

I have a message to the staff at CDC who have dedicated their careers to protecting Americans from health threats of all kinds: Thank you. Your courage and dedication have improved or saved the lives of people who may not even know it. We’re with you.

Vaccines save lives. There is no credible evidence that they cause autism. Pretending otherwise hurts kids twice – by undermining trust in vaccines, and by distracting from the urgent need to understand and address autism itself.

Public health is under assault. The purge of CDC leadership, people with decades of experience guiding the nation’s response to health threats, dismantles the very programs and direction that keep Americans safe from infectious diseases, chronic illness, injuries, and violence.

Covid vaccines have saved hundreds of thousands of lives. This change to the vaccine label, which has been driven by falsehoods, may put vaccines out of reach of many Americans who want to protect themselves and their loved ones from illness. People deserve facts, not fear and confusion.

I joined NEJM to discuss the role of the CDC and current threats to the public health infrastructure in the U.S. Please listen to the interview:

People deserve facts about vaccines, not fear and confusion. The sad but plain truth is that we can no longer rely on the federal government to disseminate accurate, fact-based information. Each of us will need to stay informed and act on the best evidence to protect ourselves and our children.

Public health workers must never become targets. Healthcare facilities must never become battlegrounds, and facts must never yield to fear.

“Public health workers must never become targets. Healthcare facilities must never become battlegrounds, and facts must never yield to fear.” ‪@drtomfrieden.bsky.social‬ on the fear and anger at the CDC after a deadly shooting there. He also weighs in on President Trump’s silence after the incident.

The CDC attack is a wake up call. Not just about security, but about truth. About restoring shared reality to our discourse. About valuing our health and public health workforce. About standing with the people who protect us. About the simple principle that should guide all systems: Safety first.

Undermining the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program could well lead to a loss of vaccine access in the United States – a dangerous scenario.

My heart goes out to the family, friends, and colleagues of police officer David Rose, killed in Friday’s shooting outside CDC’s Roybal Campus in Atlanta, and to everyone at CDC. At least four CDC buildings were hit by gunfire; no CDC staff or children in the agency’s daycare center were harmed.

I joined Dr. Mandy Cohen, @brindabee.bsky.social and the team at @whyshoulditrustyou.bsky.social podcast to talk about why a strong CDC matters — not just for infectious diseases, but for the full range of health threats we face every day. Grateful for the thoughtful conversation. Listen here:

mRNA vaccines have already saved millions of lives from Covid and they have the potential to save millions more from other diseases. Suspending research on this modern medical miracle will mean more suffering and more preventable death.

In public health, we often talk about the power of systems & structures. Jim Leprino built one—an organization that could compete at the highest level while making food more accessible and, in small but meaningful ways, healthier. He showed me that doing well by doing good isn't just a slogan.

The CDC’s mission is vital: to protect Americans from health threats, whatever their source or form. In NEJM, I share why dismantling lifesaving public health programs in the U.S. will have grave consequences. www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

Together with partners, we created the 7-1-7 target four years ago to set clear performance standards for how quickly a country detects and contains health threats. Since then, the 7-1-7 Alliance has grown quickly. Read about how countries around the world use 7-1-7 to save lives.

In rejecting updated International Health Regulations (IHR), RFK Jr. chooses falsehoods over facts. The next pandemic is coming. We can face it with early warnings, international cooperation, and efficiency, or we can fly blind and hope for the best.

If this program is weakened, the courtroom doors swing wide open, threatening vaccine access across the United States.

I call BS on claims that cane sugar is healthier than corn syrup—it's all sugar! These are empty calories. Sugary drinks contribute more to America's increased calorie intake than any other single source. There’s no “healthier” sugar. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33029629/

Follow the money.

It’s only July and measles cases in the U.S. are already higher than in any year since 1992. When public health programs are cut and vaccination rates decline, more children get sick and die. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Vaccines have saved the lives of more than a million children in the U.S. since 1994. Despite this, Secretary Kennedy has chipped away at the system that ensures access to safe, effective vaccines. We should keep our eyes open to the actions being taken—and what's really driving them.