The Commonwealth Fund has announced the creation of a new commission on the national public health system, tapping several distinguished healthcare leaders to act as commissioners.
The commission aims to set out a vision for reform of public health at the local, state and national level, according to the March 3 news release. The nonpartisan group will use reports and assessments from the pandemic response to identify where public health infrastructure can improve and use this to create a report giving specific policy recommendations. The report will be released in late spring 2022.
Former FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, MD, will chair the group. Other notable members include Google's chief health officer, Karen DeSalvo, MD; former North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen, MD; and CVS Health Vice President and Chief Equity Officer Joneigh Khaldun, MD.
They'll also be supported by a team of experts from a range of institutions including Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Washington, D.C.-based Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University, as well as former HHS leaders.
"Our goal is to guide policymakers toward a stronger, more effective public health system in the U.S.," Dr. Hamburg said. "At stake is the nation's success in preventing illness and saving lives, in the face of both present and future challenges."