Eighteen Years of Building What Comes Next

Eighteen years ago, ColoradoSPH was a new school of public health, establishing its place in higher education and in the communities we serve. Today, we have established educational programs, research expertise, and partnerships that extend across Colorado, the region, and even worldwide. We have made progress, and we have more work to do. Importantly, we built the capacity to move forward and fulfill our purpose.

That capacity did not develop on its own. It reflects the work of our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and partners, as well as thoughtful decisions about how to strengthen the school. We decided where to invest, how to improve our educational programs, and what expertise we need to address changing public health needs. These choices matter because a school must do more than respond to the circumstances of the moment. It must develop people, programs, and relationships that allow it to continue serving its mission when circumstances change.

It is not difficult to understand why people working in public health may feel discouraged lately. However, sometimes progress comes from disruption as well as from asking questions, gathering evidence, testing solutions, and working harder when answers are incomplete. Many advances we now take for granted were once uncertain. Many challenges including access to health care, nutritious food, and affordable housing are unresolved. Our responsibility is to build on evidence while pursuing what we have yet to solve.

We see that work throughout ColoradoSPH. Our Center on Injury and Violence Prevention, for example, uses a public health approach to reduce injuries and prevent harm. Research, evidence-based interventions, and community engagement identify practical ways to make people safer. Promoting safe firearm storage and the use of gun locks is one example. We are also revising our curriculum to better prepare students for the public health workforce and the problems they will encounter in their careers. These efforts reflect that we are not simply maintaining a school that was established 18 years ago. We are continuing to develop its capacity to meet the needs of today and tomorrow.

Sometimes it helps to look at how much our understanding of the world has changed. In the 1600s, some educated people believed that witches could summon storms, that werewolves existed, and that mice could spontaneously generate in piles of straw. How is that for some fantastical thinking in the spirit of Halloween? Knowledge has since changed what we understand to be true or possible. Future changes depend on a willingness to reconsider what we think we know.

The history of nursing home reform offers a more recent example. As I reflected in a recent editorial on the upcoming 40th anniversary of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987, practices such as reducing physical restraints, providing mental stimulation, and limiting unnecessary sedatives were once considered major reforms. They helped establish expectations that later improvements could build upon, as the work did not end in 1987. Residents’ needs changed, our understanding grew, and the standards we expect improved. Reform established a starting point, not a finish line.

That is also how I think about ColoradoSPH. Over 18 years, we developed programs, expertise, and partnerships that give us a strong position from which to address today’s public health challenges. Longevity alone does not make an institution strong. Strength comes from the choices it makes and willingness to improve. We must continue to invest in our faculty, strengthen our curriculum, support our students, build research capacity, and maintain relationships with the communities that rely on our work. We also need to anticipate needs that may not yet be fully apparent and that require planning and leadership, not simply allowing the school to evolve on its own.

The value of this work is especially clear when the environment is uncertain. We cannot control change in public policy, research funding, or public priorities. We can control how thoughtfully we respond, how we use the expertise we developed, and to build on our capabilities. ColoradoSPH has a growing record of research and partnerships that inform decisions on issues such as health insurance, pandemic response, and climate-related health challenges. These contributions are important on their own and they demonstrate the school’s reach.

When people ask me how ColoradoSPH is doing, I think it is important to look beyond the challenges immediately in front of us. We look at what we have built, what we are contributing, and whether we are preparing ourselves for the next set of challenges. We should also be honest about where we need to improve. Maturity does not mean that we have everything figured out. It means that we have the experience and capacity to assess our progress, make deliberate choices, and keep moving forward without losing sight of our purpose.

After 18 years, ColoradoSPH is in a different position than it was when we began. We have an established educational and research enterprise, a growing record of contributions, and relationships that connect our work to the health of communities. For example, in the last three years, we have raised a record-breaking $21M in philanthropic support for the school. These funds directly support scholarships, research into the air, water, and soil quality throughout Colorado, and so much more. They are a testament to the trust and confidence our community has in us and an acknowledgment that, as a school, the work we do is worth the investment.

We should take confidence in that progress without mistaking it for completion. Enduring institutions are built over time, through meaningful work and continued investment in the people and capabilities that make that work possible. Our responsibility now is to build on what we have accomplished. We cannot predict every challenge ahead. We can, however, make choices today that continue to leave ColoradoSPH better prepared to meet them.