For too long, some elected officials have treated science like a political prop and not as the foundation of public health and safety. That’s why this week, 15 Democratic governors announced the creation of the Governors Public Health Alliance, a coalition designed to safeguard science, fight misinformation and restore trust in public health leadership. If done right, this alliance could do more than counter disinformation; it could rebuild trust, re-establish scientific credibility and remind Americans what responsible leadership looks like.
Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have turned scientific discourse into a political spectacle.
But if it becomes more about politics than protection, it will fail at the very moment Americans need it most.
President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have turned scientific discourse into a political spectacle. Our country built institutions like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration to evaluate data, find answers and present evidence and information to the American people. But recently, we’ve seen scientists, including former CDC Director Susan Monarez, silenced, demoted or fired for disagreeing with the administration’s political messaging. The FDA is busy pointing fingers over the government shutdown instead of focusing on keeping Americans safe. As a physician, I find this unacceptable. Science is not a story to be spun; it’s a method to be followed.
The governors forming this alliance recognize that if Washington won’t protect the integrity of public health, then the states must. For the Governors Public Health Alliance to succeed, these governors must ensure this effort is not partisan performance but practical protection. That means real transparency, open data and evidence-based policy that puts lives above politics. It means, for example, prioritizing scientists over speechwriters. Thankfully, the alliance has already enlisted multiple public health officials and scientists to advise the alliance on its decisions and guidance.
The absence of Republican governors is disappointing. Public health isn’t a partisan issue. Disease doesn’t stop at state lines or check for a person’s voter registration. The tragic resurgence of measles, once eliminated from the U.S., is proof of this. With declining vaccination rates, outbreaks have hit 42 states and claimed the lives of three children. Yet some states, like Florida, are eliminating vaccine mandates altogether, apparently without calculating the human cost of such a backward policy. Decisions like that one don’t just endanger one state, they endanger us all and put more Americans and children at risk.
If this new alliance is going to restore trust, then it must earn it. It must speak plainly, even when it’s politically costly. It must publish the data, especially when it’s inconvenient. It must collaborate across the aisle, even when it’s unpopular. Americans want safety, clarity and truth.
My recommendation to the alliance is to immediately take concrete steps to regain public trust. First, the alliance must launch a rapid-response misinformation unit staffed by scientists, physicians and communications experts who can quickly correct falsehoods. Then, they should create a unified public health data dashboard that tracks outbreaks, vaccination rates and key metrics across all member states in real time. Transparency rebuilds trust, and Americans deserve to see the facts for themselves.
Transparency rebuilds trust, and Americans deserve to see the facts for themselves.
Finally, get health care workers involved upfront and early. Doctors, nurses and front-line providers are the faces of public health. They work with patients every day. They hear their problems and fears. But they need the proper tools to best care for their patients. There’s no point telling someone they need a vaccine if there’s nowhere for them to get it. Health care workers should be involved in every layer of planning and execution because they are the ones who make public health real. People don’t trust government spokespeople, but they trust their own doctor.
If the alliance can do those things, then it will send a clear message: It’s existence isn’t about politics, it’s about protecting people.
The Governors Public Health Alliance represents something bigger than a policy initiative. It’s a declaration that facts and compassion still matter. In an era when science is being attacked, these governors are aiming to prove that truth still has defenders and that evidence, not ideology, should be the guiding force in protecting American lives.