Public health must bridge the divide with groups who mistrust science

Public health must bridge the divide with groups who mistrust science What was once a marginal movement now sits at the heart of US health policy.Public health must listen and respond without capitulating to misinformation Lucinda Hiam UK Harkness fellow in healthcare policy and practice, The Commonwealth Fund At the Children's Health Defense conference in Austin, Texas this November, the crowd heard how their movement had brought their views from the fringe into the mainstream. 1 This is undeniable, given the co-founder of this anti-vaccine organisation, Robert F Kennedy Jr, now leads the US Department of Health and Human Services.Within the broader political environment, figures with vaccine sceptic views now hold influential positions across US health agencies, shaping vaccine policy and public health communication from within government. 2 3Rhetoric that was once marginal is now being touted by those at the centre of power.I signed up to attend the Children's Health Defense conference under its banner "Moment of Truth" online, hoping to learn more about how health polarisation in the US has reached such extraordinary levels.