Howard Zucker Talks Public Health at IOP

Last night, Howard A. Zucker, an Institute of Politics visiting fellow and the former assistant director-general of the World Health Organization, led an interactive question and answer session on modern health policy.

“I don’t want this to have a lecture format,” Zucker said with a smile at the beginning of the session, who added that he preferred to encourage question-driven talk in order to address student perspectives and queries.

Discussion ranged from global and national health policy issues to Zucker’s personal perspective in these fields and the journey that brought him to his current position. He also referred briefly to possible long-term effects of the current swine flu outbreak on health policy, as many of the WHO’s resources are being aimed at that problem.

“All this energy gets directed towards a crisis like this,” he says, “But then after that the energy can be dissipated in other areas.”

Zucker discussed his conviction that progress in the field of health care is better achieved by the advancement of technology than by institutional change of health systems in different countries.

He spoke about incorporating technology into health care systems in developing nations, stressing the importance of starting by introducing basic technologies—like cell phones—before moving on to more complex equipment, like MRI scanners.

“Teach people, then teach them a little bit more,” he said.

Zucker engaged his audience with his energy and stories from his personal experience, one of which involved saving the life of a 14-year-old on the way home after a long day at work by recognizing a cardiac symptom that others had missed.

“Bottom line is, that kid’s alive today,” he says. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Zucker spoke to students as part of Harvard Health Policy Review’s speaker series, in which prominent members in modern Health Policy speak to students about their pursuits and perspectives. The event was co-sponsored by the Harvard College Law Society.

Students said they enjoyed the session and were pleased to get the chance to have such an intimate conversation with Zucker.

“He’s just incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever even heard of someone who has an M.D and J.D,” said Bennett A. Caughey ’10, “He’s done so many things. It’s ridiculous.”

After graduating from medical school at the age of 22, Zucker went on to earn a law degree, realizing that he would be able to save more lives on a policy scale than from inside a hospital.

“You need a balance,” he said, emphasizing the need to seek intellectual stimulation in one’s career. “You need to keep some sense of excitement.”