Former U.S. Surgeon General Stresses Importance of Data, Determination, and Dialogue

On Thursday, January 19th, the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) welcomed Dr. Jerome Adams, 20th Surgeon General of the United States, for its first Leaders in Public Health speaker series event of 2025.

Dr. Adams, MD, MPH, recounted his journey from growing up farming tobacco in Southern Maryland, to becoming Health Commissioner of the state of Indiana, to serving as the U.S Surgeon General during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the first presidential administration of Donald Trump.

Public health, he noted, has been a consistent thread throughout his life.

Watch a complete recording of Dr. Adam’s Leaders in Public Health discussion with Dean Megan L. Ranney on the YSPH YouTube channel.

As a child, Dr. Adams battled with severe asthma, including one life-threatening episode that led to him being airlifted to a Washington D.C. hospital for treatment. To this day, he always carries an inhaler. The experience, he said, has helped him to appreciate the struggles of those dealing with chronic illness, particularly the poor, Black people, and people living in rural areas, where access to care can be a challenge.

Dr. Adams’ knack for compelling storytelling and his ability to convey important public health messages through common language and casual dialogue has been a hallmark of his career and professional success.

YSPH Dean Megan L. Ranney, MD, MPH, spoke with Dr. Adams about the importance of effective communication during his visit to the school. Dr. Ranney has identified building trust in the science and practice of public health through effective communication as one of the cornerstones of her long-term Strategic Plan for YSPH.

“We could not have anyone better join us right now, as we think about the future of public health, as we go into this new phase of our school with the launch of our new strategic plan, and as we think about how we can all do better together,” Dr. Ranney said in introducing Dr. Adams at the event.

Dr. Adams said the importance of building trust through effective communication cannot be understated.

“We need to train people how to be better communicators,” he said. “We need to train people how to be better Tweeters. We need to train people how to be on TikTok, because that's where people are. Most people are getting their medical information online.”

And communication isn’t just about sharing important public health messages, Dr. Adams said. It also entails listening to and knowing your audience.

“It’s really important that we understand our target audiences better,” Dr. Adams said. “We need communications experts. There's a reason why there are degrees in communications. We are not trained to be communications experts although we're working on it.”

As an example of how good communication can build trust, Dr. Adams recounted how, as Indiana’s Health Commissioner, he convinced thenGovernor Mike Pence and the state legislature to approve a controversial syringe services program in response to a major HIV outbreak in Scott County.

Rather than respond to the HIV outbreak from his office in Indianapolis, Adams took a community-based approach. He spent several weeks within the Scott County community, attending dinners and church services to learn more about people’s needs.

“People need to know that you care before they care what you know,” Dr. Adams said. “I created relationships with them and once they got to know me, they could relate to me.”

That dialogue and those relationships ultimately helped Dr. Adams get legislative approval to open syringe services centers that he described as “one stop shops.” The centers not only provided sterile needles for drug users, but also information on job training, treatment and recovery services, driver’s licenses, food banks, and other support services.

“It’s one of the things I'm most proud of,” Adams said. After Indiana approved the centers, Kentucky and Ohio followed suit, with Adams’ efforts paving the way for improved syringe service programs across neighboring states.

Ranney and Adams also talked about the importance of data in public health. Adams stressed that improving data collection would improve the nation’s ability to build stronger and more informed public health policies and practices.

“You can't make good policy if you don't have good data,” Dr. Adams explained.

Adams acknowledged that people have criticized him for working under a presidential administration that was not always supportive of public health. He believes his presence provided an important perspective.

“I believe that there's always some good that you can do, even in difficult times,” Dr. Adams said.

In closing, Dr. Adams encouraged students to remain positive and resilient in the face of current challenges in public health. “Don't let people convince you that we’re doomed so much that you give up hope,” he said. “We have come back from worse before, and every crisis brings an opportunity.”