Dr. Margaret “Peggy” Hamburg, MD, joined the Yale School of Public Health community for the Dean’s Speaker Series: Leaders in Public Health on Oct. 1. The former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner brought a message about courage, collaboration, and hope in turbulent times.
“I really intended to be a traditional academic physician, teaching, taking care of patients, and doing research,” Hamburg said. But witnessing the early HIV/AIDS epidemic changed her plans. “It just was such a humbling experience to see these patients dying terrible deaths, being medically able to offer so little, but also seeing the intersection of the medical issues with much broader social, legal, ethical, and political issues, it really made me think in new ways.”
That pivot set Hamburg on a path from medicine into public health policy, leading to senior roles at the National Institutes of Health, New York City Department of Health, and eventually the FDA.
At each step, her guiding star has been applying science for real-world impact. “A published paper might help you get tenure, but it isn’t the end goal. The end goal is translating that knowledge into action and being able to harness advances in science and technology to make a difference for people in need,” said Hamburg, the co-president of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) where she oversees an international consortium of national academies of science, medicine, and engineering.
She urged students to embrace uncertainty but keep moving: “Sometimes you have to make decisions on partial information,” she said. She urged students to start with information that is known and identify what isn’t. Then, “weigh risks and benefits and decide on a path forward.” Next, communicate the decision, being “honest about the fact that this is the best course of action based on what we know now.”
Hamburg also emphasized breaking silos and drawing in diverse voices. “Leadership isn’t knowing everything yourself,” she said. “It’s about asking the right questions and bringing people together.”
That mindset came early. As New York City health commissioner, she created an integrated tuberculosis response spanning hospitals, shelters, jails, and other agencies.
Partnerships with communities were equally critical. During the AIDS crisis, she said, “We learned a lot from bringing the AIDS activists into the conference room…explaining what we were doing…but also hearing from them how they thought it could be done differently.” These lessons later shaped drug approval reforms at the FDA.
Despite current political polarization, Hamburg urged optimism. “First of all, we have to hold on to hope and belief that we can make a difference,” she said. She encouraged YSPH students to step into leadership, even amid uncertainty.
Dean Megan L. Ranney, MD. MPH, closed the session by noting Hamburg’s example: “We are able to change the way that we design and think about science, education, and practice for the future…with brilliant leaders like you.”
The conversation was part of YSPH’s Leaders in Public Health series, which brings global changemakers to Yale to guide and inspire. For students preparing to bridge science and policy, Hamburg’s career, and her insistence on hope and action, offered a powerful blueprint.
See the full conversation between Dean Ranney and Dr. Hamburg on the YSPH YouTube page.