The Yale School of Public Health community engaged in a dynamic discussion on the evolving landscape of global health when Dr. J. Stephen Morrison, PhD, BA '77, senior vice president at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), joined Dean Megan L. Ranney, MD, MPH, for a fireside chat as part of the Leaders in Public Health speaker series. The event was held in partnership with the Yale Institute for Global Health.

Morrison, who leads the CSIS Bipartisan Alliance for Global Health Security, provided insights into pressing global health issues, particularly the role of U.S. policy in shaping global health security to minimize the danger and impact of public health threats, such as emerging infectious diseases that could endanger people’s health across countries and borders. He underscored the pivotal moment when the HIV epidemic was recognized as a destabilizing global threat, marking the first time the United Nations Security Council considered health as a security issue. He detailed how the crisis, alongside subsequent infectious disease threats, led to a fundamental shift in national security doctrine, culminating in major public health interventions such as the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

“And it was a feeling like our foreign policy was opening a new dimension, that there was this transformative moment when all of those things had come together to create an opportunity to drive a different kind of foreign policy with global health security at its center,” Morrison explained.

Speaking to an audience of students, faculty, and staff on February 5, 2025, Morrison reflected on his career trajectory from academia to policy making, mentioning his tenure in the House Foreign Affairs Committee and his service under the Clinton administration. He described how bipartisan cooperation led to policies that positioned the U.S. as a leader in global health security, reinforcing the need for sustained commitment and strategic partnerships.

Morrison’s discussion also explored infectious and non-infectious global health threats, such as the opioid crisis and climate change, highlighting both domestic and international imperatives for action. He stressed that climate-related health challenges demand urgent attention and innovative policy responses, arguing that “the national security argument is the way, in my view, to crack the divisions that exist in America” between people who embrace climate change and those who don’t.

Morrison emphasized the crucial role of public health experts in crafting solutions and fostering partnerships. He urged attendees to develop a strategy of engagement and outreach to bridge divides and sustain momentum in addressing global health security issues.

Over the course of his career, Morrison has written extensively and produced influential documentaries, including The New Barbarianism, which examines violence against the health sector in conflict zones. He also hosts the podcast The CommonHealth, which delves into contemporary public health challenges.

The Leader's in Public Health speaker series continues to provide YSPH students and faculty with invaluable exposure to leading public health figures and their diverse career paths. Morrison’s conversation served as a call to action, reminding attendees that public health leadership requires adaptability, collaboration, and a commitment to evidence-based policymaking.