The Future of Public Health in the United States

Linda currently serves as the Chief Academic Officer for the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH). She is responsible for the overall mission of ASPPH as the lead academic officer for program initiatives, activities that support education, accreditation, practice, professional development, workforce development and data management. In her role she works collaboratively with ASPPH members, stakeholders, academic and practice national and global partner organizations and institutions, to enhance educational excellence to prepare and strengthen the public health workforce. Additionally, her leadership in the organization is to operationalize the goals of the ASPPH Strategic Plan 2030 through the oversight for racial ethnic and geographic diversity as part of the organization’s goals and by supporting member schools and programs in efforts toward diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. Prior to becoming Chief Academic Officer in 2022, Dr. Alexander amassed a demonstrable track-record as a Primary Representative to ASPPH and contributed significantly as chair or co-chair for efforts directly related to the advancement of training in cultural competence, establishing learning and learner environments free from discrimination and harassment, and co-authoring a framework that provides a blueprint for dismantling structural racism in academic settings.

Georges C. Benjamin, MD is known as one of the nation’s most influential physician leaders because he speaks passionately and eloquently about the health issues having the most impact on our nation today. From his firsthand experience as a physician, he knows what happens when preventive care is not available and when the healthy choice is not the easy choice. As executive director of APHA since 2002, he is leading the Association’s push to make America the healthiest nation.

He came to APHA from his position as secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Benjamin became secretary of health in Maryland in April 1999, following four years as its deputy secretary for public health services. As secretary, Benjamin oversaw the expansion and improvement of the state’s Medicaid program. Benjamin, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, is a graduate of the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois College of Medicine.

He is board-certified in internal medicine and a master of the American College of Physicians, a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, a fellow emeritus of the American College of Emergency Physicians, an honorary fellow of the Faculty of Public Health and an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health.

Brian joined de Beaumont as its third employee in 2012 and assumed the role of president and chief executive officer in 2018. Under his leadership, with the support of a dedicated team, the foundation has grown in both size and impact, becoming a prominent voice in health philanthropy and public health practice and driving transformative change to improve population health across the nation.

Brian’s strategic vision emphasizes collaboration between public health and various sectors, effective communication, and the enhancement of the nation’s public health infrastructure. His efforts have led to the development of the nation’s largest survey of the government public health workforce, the advancement of policies in major cities, the formation of business-public health partnerships, improvements in public health communication, and the strengthening of connections between clinical medicine and public health. He is also focused on building local health data ecosystems that prioritize health justice.

Prior to joining Boston University School of Public Health as its Dean in August 2025, Dr. Hyder was Senior Associate Dean for Research and Innovation and Professor of Global Health at the George Washington University’s (GWU) Milken Institute School of Public Health, where he was a faculty member since 2018. Recognized among the world’s premier scholars in health systems and policy, Dr. Hyder has spent over 25 years working to improve global health in low- and middle-income countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East and pioneering empirical work around system design and constraints, biomedical ethics, and injury prevention in the developing world. At GWU, he led the nation’s first center dedicated to commercial determinants of health affecting people in the United States and globally. His National Institutes of Health-supported research has made significant contributions to our understanding of the epidemiological burden, risk factors, potential interventions, economic impact, and the socio-cultural correlates of non-communicable diseases and injuries around the world.

Dr. Hyder has authored over 400 scientific peer-reviewed papers, 30 book chapters, and numerous world reports on road safety, child injuries, and health systems. He is a past international president of the World Health Summit, is chair of the Lancet Commission on Global Gun Violence and Health, and has received the C. Everett Koop Medal of Distinction from SafeKids Worldwide as well as GWU’s Distinguished Research Career Award. Prior to his work at GWU, Dr. Hyder served for 20 years on the faculty at Johns Hopkins University’s (JHU’s) Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he was Director of the Health Systems Program, Associate Chair in the Department of International Health, and Associate Director for Global Bioethics at the JHU Berman Institute of Bioethics. In addition to his academic work, he has held several prominent advisory and chair positions affiliated with the World Health Organization and the World Bank. Dr. Hyder received his MD from the Aga Khan University in Pakistan and his MPH and PhD in public health from Johns Hopkins University.