Intersecting Advocacy, Policy, and Public Health at Murphy Institute 2025 Yates Lecture
The Murphy Institute intersected the topics of advocacy, policy, and public health at the 2025 Mary C. Parker Yates Lecture on September 30th, held in the Qatar Ballroom of the Lavin-Bernick Center on Tulane’s Uptown Campus. This year’s event featured Dr. Mona Hanna, a pediatrician, scientist, activist, and Associate Dean of Public Health at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.
Recognized for her pivotal role in uncovering the Flint water crisis, Dr. Mona’s lecture, “Championing the Cause of Children in Flint and Beyond”, explored the Flint water crisis and its causes, consequences, and the ongoing efforts to heal and prevent similar public health disasters. At the time of the water crisis, Flint was under the control of state-appointed financial emergency management, which was voted down by the people of Michigan but pushed through by the state legislature as an austerity measure, ostensibly to save money no matter the cost.
Beyond Flint, she highlighted ongoing environmental injustices disproportionately affecting underserved communities and underscored the need for systemic change. “Fundamentally what happened in Flint was not just about water poisoning and a public health emergency, but rather a story of what happens when you take away democracy,” Dr. Mona stated.
Dr. Mona shared her groundbreaking new program, Rx Kids, the nation’s first-ever community-wide prenatal and infant cash prescription program, as it is reimagining how society can come together to eliminate infant poverty. The program launched in Flint in 2024 to combat infant poverty by providing unconditional cash transfers to pregnant women and families during the first year of life. The program, funded through a public-private partnership leveraging TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) federal funds and philanthropic dollars, is designed to improve health outcomes, reduce premature births, and provide economic stability during a critical developmental window. Dr. Mona explained. “Be it a change in water source or a disinvestment in public health or a regression in terms of our vaccine policies, pediatricians see the impacts every day."
“It's been said that pediatricians are the ultimate witnesses to failed social policies. In the bodies of my patients — and in their blunted potential — I see the consequences of policies that aren't working for our kids.”
In her talk, Dr. Mona emphasized the importance of persistence, passion, and coalition-building in advocacy work, encouraging young people and professionals to find their "why” and to seek allies across disciplines while remaining steadfast despite setbacks they may encounter. She addressed the challenges of communicating science effectively to policymakers and the public, stressing the power of storytelling combined with data to combat misinformation and influence policy.
Addressing questions from the audience, Dr. Mona expressed the need for more scientists in policymaking to develop strategies for raising awareness and the need for funding for health-focused prevention. She stressed the critical role of government functioning properly, the necessity of diverse representation in decision-making, and the ongoing fight to protect public health through ethical and evidence-based policy.
The annual Mary C. Parker Yates Lecture, Murphy’s premier public event, brings leading thinkers and public figures to Tulane’s campus to foster university-wide discussion on contemporary issues.
