Join Our 2026 ASPPH Annual Meeting Plenary, Why Should I Trust You?: A Dialogue Between Academic Public Health and MAHA

We are thrilled to announce a timely and important plenary session at our 2026 ASPPH Annual Meeting focused on how our field can engage across differences while remaining grounded in public health values.

On March 19 from 2:30-3:30 PM, Why Should I Trust You?: A Dialogue Between Academic Public Health and MAHA will bring together leaders from academic public health, the podcast Why Should I Trust You?, and the Make America Healthy Again movement for a conversation about today's most pressing public health challenges.

The session is designed to create space for diverse viewpoints and to model how difficult conversations about public health, particularly around trust in science, public health institutions, and decision-making, can be conducted respectfully and constructively. While the goal is not consensus, the dialogue aims to deepen understanding across differing perspectives and illuminate areas of shared concern and divergence.

The discussion will be moderated by journalist Tom W. Johnson, co-creator and co-host of the Why Should I Trust You? podcast and former Executive Producer at Bloomberg and ABC News for 25 years. Johnson is an Emmy Award-winning producer with extensive experience in documentary storytelling, political journalism, and public discourse.

Panelists will include:

• Aaron Everitt, a writer and commentator whose work explores skepticism of institutions, civic dialogue, and political culture.
• Elizabeth Frost, a grassroots health advocate and political consultant based in Appalachia, and a board member of MAHA Ohio
• Megan L. Ranney, MD, MPH, Dean of the Yale School of Public Health and C.-E. A. Winslow Professor of Public Health (Health Policy) and Professor of Emergency Medicine
• Craig Spencer, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of the Practice of Health Services, Brown University School of Public Health, and an emergency medicine physician

This plenary will offer attendees a unique opportunity to engage with complex perspectives shaping the current public health landscape and to reflect on how dialogue can strengthen the field's ability to lead in a polarized environment.