Episode #78 High Truths on Drugs and Addiction with Dr. Tom Frieden on Public HealthEpisode #78 High Truths on Drugs and Addiction with Dr. Tom Frieden on Public Health
High Truths on Drugs and Addiction
Can the public health solution to drug overdoses follow the public health model for COVID?Can we do contact tracing for overdoses like we do for infectious diseases? Dr. Tom Frieden, former CDC director say yes. Dr. Tom Frieden is a physician trained in internal medicine, infectious diseases, public health, and epidemiology. He is former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and former commissioner of the New York City Health Department. Dr. Frieden is currently President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives. Dr. Frieden began his public health career in New York City confronting the largest outbreak of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis to occur in the US. He was then assigned to India, on loan from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he helped scale up a program for effective tuberculosis diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring. Asked to return to New York City to become Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s Health Commissioner, he directed efforts to reduce smoking and other leading causes of death that increased life expectancy by 3 years. As Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Frieden oversaw the work that helped end the 2014 West Africa Ebola epidemic. He now leads Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of the global health organization Vital Strategies, that works with countries to prevent 100 million deaths and to make the world safer from epidemics. During the Covid pandemic, Dr. Frieden has overseen an expansion of Resolve to Save Lives activities including policy and program innovations in the United States, counsel to multilateral institutions, and support for rapid response, health care worker safety, and data-driven decision-making in more than 20 countries. Dr. Frieden is also Senior Fellow for Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations. Asleep at the Switch - Dr. Frieden publication on applying public health strategies to non communicable diseases The Health Impact Pyramid - Dr. Frieden publication
35:39•20 Jun 2022
Dr. Tom Frieden's Vision: Tackling Drug Overdoses with Public Health Strategies
“We don't have a foregone conclusion that we're going to succeed, but if we work strategically, if we work effectively, we can make a huge difference.”
What if we approached drug overdoses the same way we handle infectious diseases? Dr. Tom Frieden, former CDC director and now President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, joins Dr. Roneet Lev in this thought-provoking episode of 'High Truths on Drugs and Addiction'. With a rich background in internal medicine, infectious diseases, and public health, Dr. Frieden shares his innovative ideas on applying public health models to combat drug overdoses.
Imagine using contact tracing for overdoses or making buprenorphine as accessible as possible—these are just a few of the groundbreaking solutions discussed. Dr. Frieden also dives into the importance of societal changes and mental health interventions, explaining how understanding the drivers behind fentanyl use can lead to more effective public health actions.
His mission at Resolve to Save Lives and his work on the global elimination of artificial trans fat further highlight his commitment to improving public health on a grand scale. Tune in for an episode that challenges conventional thinking and offers new perspectives on tackling one of today’s most pressing issues.
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