WELCOME, EVERYONE, TO THIS INAUGURAL DISTINGUISHED LECTURE SERIES ON PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERSHIP. THIS LECTURE SERIES IS IN CELEBRATION OF ASIAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, AND THIS IS ORGANIZED BY FEDERAL ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN COUNCIL, ALSO KNOWN AS FAPAC CHAPTERS AND NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, AND VARIOUS OTHER ENTITIES SUCH AS APOC AND THE AAPI GROUPS FROM FDA, CDC AND HRSA. MY NAME IS RENA DAS, PROGRAM DIRECTOR AT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON MINORITY HEALTH AND HEALTH DISPARITIES. WE KNOW THAT THE -- POPULATION OF THE WORLD IS DEPENDENT ON OUR PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERS. SO TODAY'S EVENT IS INCREDIBLY MEANINGFUL TO THE AAPI COMMUNITY BECAUSE TODAY WE HAVE WITH US U.S. SURGEON GENERAL VIVEK MURTHY AND NATIONAL ACADEMY OF MEDICINE PRESIDENT VICTOR DZAU, TWO VERY IMPORTANT PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERS, WHO INSPIRE OUR NEXT GENERATION. SO TO START US OFF, IT IS MY DISTINCT PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE DR. ELISEO PEREZ-STABLE, THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON MINORITY HEALTH AND HEALTH DISPARITIES, WHO WILL PROVIDE WELCOME REMARKS FOR THE EVENT. DR. PEREZ-STABLE, IT'S ALL YOURS. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH, RENA, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING JUST RELENTLESS IN ORGANIZING THIS EVENT. IT TOOX TOOK MONTHS, YOU AND ALL THE PARTICIPANTS IN ORGANIZING THIS. SO I WANT TO WELCOME EVERYONE TO THIS INAUGURAL VIVEK MURTHY LECTURE EVENT IN CELEBRATION OF ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH. LET'S KEEP IN MIND THAT ASIANS MAKE UP ABOUT 60% OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION, I THINK, ABOUT 6% IN THE UNITED STATES, MAY IS ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC HERITAGE MONTH DATING BACK TO OFFICIALLY 1992, WHEN CONGRESS APPROVED A LAW TO PUT THIS INTO STATUTORY FILES. SO OUR GOAL IS TO REALLY BRING LEADERS TO TALK ABOUT PUBLIC HEALTH AND TALK ABOUT HAVING ISSUES AROUND ENDURING SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN ADVANCING PUBLIC HEALTH. WE'RE REALLY PRIVILEGED TODAY TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR FROM DR. MURTHY, WHO IS NOW OUR SURGEON GENERAL IN THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION, AND WE'RE REALLY DELIGHTED TO HAVE YOU BACK, DID MURTHY, AND DR. MURTHY, AND I'LL LOOK FORWARD TO WORK WITH YOU. IN MY TIME AND NIH, I THINGT THINK WE DIDN'T OVERLAP VERY LONG, AND THEN DR. VICTOR DZAU, DISTINGUISHED PHYSICIAN SCIENTIST, INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED CARDIOLOGIST, AND HAS BEEN A VISIONARY LEADER AS PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. NATIONAL ACADEMY OF MEDICINE FOR THEIR EFFORTS IN PUBLIC HEALTH. AND WE REALLY WANT TO HAVE THIS BE A CONVERSATION. WE'RE GOING TO -- OF COURSE WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT COVID-19 AND DISPARITIES AND ROOT CAUSES, BUT I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST IN TALKING ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND ISSUES THAT ARE AFFECTING US AS A CONSEQUENCE TO THE PANDEMIC AND LESSONS LEARNED. SO WITHOUT FURTHER COMMENT, I WANT TO TURN IT OVER TO DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON MINORITY HEALTH AND HEALTH DISPARITIES, DR. MONICA WEBB HOOPER, WHO WILL BE THE MODERATOR FOR THIS CONVERSATION. MONICA? >> THANK YOU, DR. PEREZ-STABLE, AND WELCOME, EVERYONE. I AM DELIGHTED AND HONORED TO MODERATE THIS INAUGURAL EVENT. NOW I KNOW THAT THIS IS THE VIVEK H. MURTHY DISTINGUISHED LECTURE SERIES FOR PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERSHIP, SO YOU MIGHT BE EXPECTING TO HEAR A LECTURE OR A FORMAL PRESENTATION, BUT OUR GUESTS THOUGHT IT MORE INTERESTING TO HAVE A FIRESIDE CHAT INSTEAD. I THOUGHT THIS WAS A TERRIFIC IDEA, ONE THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR A MORE INFORMAL CONVERSATION, GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT THESE DISTINGUISHED INDIVIDUALS IN A DIFFERENT WAY TO HEAR THEIR PERSONAL REFLECTIONS ON PAST AND CURRENT EVENTS, AND ALLOW US TO INCORPORATE QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE. SO YOU'VE HEARD A LITTLE ABOUT OUR DISTINGUISHED GUEST ALREADY BUT ALLOW ME TO SHARE JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE, A SMALL SELECTION OF THEIR TREMENDOUSLY IMPRESSIVE CAREERS. SO DR. VIVEK H. MURTHY IS THE 21ST SURGEON GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES. AS A RETURNING ROLE, PREVIOUSLY SERVING AS THE 19TH SURGEON GENERAL. AS THE NATION'S DOCTOR, THE SURGEON GENERAL'S MISSION IS TO RESTORE TRUST BY RELYING ON THE BEST AVAILABLE SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION, PROVIDING CLEAR AND CONSISTENT GUIDANCE AND RESOURCES FOR THE PUBLIC, AND ENSURING THAT WE REACH OUR MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES. AS THE VICE ADMIRAL OF THE U.S. PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE COMMISSION CORPS, DR. MURTHY COMMANDS A UNIFORMED SERVICE OF 6,000 DEDICATED PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICERS, SERVING THE MOST UNDERSERVED AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS DOMESTICALLY, AND ABROAD. AND OUR HONOREE TODAY, DR. VICTOR DZAU, HAS PROVIDED DISTINGUISHED LEADERSHIP IN HEALTH AND MEDICINE, AND THE GLOBAL RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. HE HAS LED THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF MEDICINE'S RESPONSE TO COVID-19, INCLUDING MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO KEY REPORTS, COULD BE SUL CONSULTATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS ON A RANGE OF ISSUES INCLUDING PUBLIC HEALTH, VACCINE ALLOCATION, HEALTH EQUITY AND MENTAL HEALTH. AND HE HAS WORKED TIRELESSLY TO ENGAGE WITH THE GLOBAL RESPONSE TO COVID-19 BY PROVIDING LEADERSHIP AS A MEMBER OF THE GLOBAL PREPAREDNESS MONITORING BOARD, ALSO AS CO-CHAIR OF THE G-20 SCIENTIFIC EXPERT PANEL ON GLOBAL HEALTH SECURITY, ADVISOR TO THE G-20 HIGH LEVEL INDEPENDENT PANEL ON FINANCING, AND A PRINCIPAL OF THE ATC ACCELERATOR, WHICH INCLUDES CO VAX, THE GLOBAL COLLABORATION FOR ACCELERATING THE DEVELOPMENT, MANUFACTURE AND EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF COVID-19 VACCINES. DRS. MURTHY AND DZAU, WELCOME! SO LET'S MOVE DIRECTLY INTO THIS CONVERSATION. WE ARE CELEBRATING ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH, AND IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HEAR ABOUT BOTH OF YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES GROWING UP AS IMMIGRANTS, AND PART OF THE ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITY IN THE UNITED STATES. SO DR. MURTHY, MAY I ASK YOU TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT WITH US? >> THANK YOU SO MUCH, MONICA, AND THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PUT THIS TIME TOGETHER TODAY, AND GOT THIS LECTURE SERIES GOING. I'M SO THRILLED, REALLY, TO BE JOINED BY A DEAR FRIEND AND A MAN WHO I HAVE ADMIRED FOR A LONG TIME, DR. VICTOR DZAU, SO GLAD WE'RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION. AND TO HAVE IT NOW, IN MAY IN PARTICULAR, WHICH IS AAPI MONTH, IF YOU WILL, YOU KNOW, FEELS ESPECIALLY MEANINGFUL. BEING PART OF THE ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY, IT WAS A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF MY LIFE GROWING UP. MY PARENTS CAME TO THIS COUNTRY WHEN I WAS 3 YEARS OLD, AND MY SISTER WAS 4, AND THEY WERE -- REALLY, THEY CAME FOR THE SAME REASON THAT SO MANY OTHER IMMIGRANTS DO. THEY WERE HOPING THAT THEIR CHILDREN WOULD BE ABLE TO GROW UP IN A COUNTRY WHERE WE WERE, JUDGED NOT BY THE COLOR OF OUR SKIN OR THE FACT THAT WE WERE FROM THE WRONG CAST IN INDIA OR THAT WE, YOU KNOW, HAD FUNNY-SOUNDING NAMES, BUT BEING GIVEN A SHOT BASED ON OUR WILLINGNESS TO WORK HARD, BASED ON OUR IDEAS, BASED ON OUR CHARACTER. AND BY AND LARGE, WE WERE BLESSED TO FIND SO MANY PEOPLE WHO EMBRACED US WHEN WE CAME TO THIS COUNTRY, AND WE SETTLED IN MIAMI, THAT'S WHERE MY FATHER SET UP A SMALL MEDICAL PRACTICE. IT'S WHERE I SPENT ALL OF MY YEARS THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL, AND I FOUND TEACHERS WHO REALLY LOOKED OUT FOR ME, NEIGHBORS WHO TOOK CARE OF US. MY FATHER AND MOTHER RUNNING A MEDICAL PRACTICE ALSO BECAME MY FAMILY WITH THOSE PATIENTS AND THE PATIENTS LOOKED AFTER US IN SO MANY WAYS AS WELL. WITH THAT SAID, IT WASN'T ALWAYS EASY. THE VISION THAT MY PARENTS HAD WHILE IT WAS OFTEN TRUE, THERE WERE CRACKS IN THAT VISION AT TIMES. WE HAD TO DEAL WITH OUR SHARE OF DIVISION AND RACISM GROWING UP, BY PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHERE WE WERE FROM, YOU KNOW, BEING FROM EAST INDIAN HERITAGE, I WAS ALSO ALWAYS -- PEOPLE WERE GENERALLY CONFUSED, YOU KNOW, THEY ASKED ME WHAT KIND OF INDIAN ARE YOU? THEY WOULD ASSUME THAT I WAS AMERICAN INDIAN OR FROM OUR NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITIES HERE, WHICH WAS FINE IN AND YOU OF ITSELF, BUT I WOULD GET STEREOTYPES FROM BOTH SIDES, IF YOU WILL. SO AS A LITTLE KID IN THIRD AND FOURTH GRADE, TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF ALL OF THAT, IT WAS CONFUSING AND DIDN'T ALWAYS FEEL GOOD. BUT THERE WERE THESE MOMENTS LIKE THAT, THAT MADE ME REMEMBER -- FEEL LIKE AN OUTSIDER AT TIMES. WHAT'S FUNNY IS EVEN THOUGH THEY FEEL SMALL IN COMPARISON, THOSE EXPERIENCES AS CHILDREN, THEY REALLY STICK WITH US IN MANY CASES. I REMEMBER PARTICULARLY ONE DAY IN FOURTH GRADE, BRINGING THIS INDIAN SUITE -- MY MOTHER, I THOUGHT PEOPLE REALLY LOVE THIS DESSERT THAT MY MOM MADE. SO WE MADE ENOUGH FOR THE WHOLE CLASS AND BROUGHT IT IN. AND I REMEMBER MANY OF THE KIDS WERE LIKE, WHAT IS THIS? THIS IS SO STRANGE, IT'S A FUNNY COLOR, IT TASTES LIKE PLASTIC, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS. BUT IT WAS ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS WHERE IT WAS LIKE, HUH, IT REMINDED ME OF HOW DIFFERENT, PERHAPS, MY EXPERIENCE AT HOME WAS AND MY FAMILY UPBRINGING. BUT THE LAST THING I'LL SAY IS JUST THE ROLE THAT THE AAPI COMMUNITY PLAYED FOR ME DURING THOSE YEARS, WHICH IS REALLY AN IMPORTANT ONE, AT A TIME WHERE I WAS TRYING TO PROCESS MY IDENTITY, UNDERSTAND WHERE I FIT IN, MAKE SENSE OF, PERHAPS, SOME LESSEN JOYABLE LESS ENJOYABLE MOMENTS WHEN IT CAME TO RACIST COMMENTS. IT WAS EXTRAORDINARY HELPFUL TO BE PART OF A COMMUNITY OF FELLOW AAPI IMMIGRANTS WHO UNDER STOOND THOSE UNDERSTOOD THOSE EXPERIENCES, I DIDN'T ALWAYS HAVE TO EXPLAIN WHY MY NAME DIDN'T SOUND LIKE EVERYONE ELSE'S, AND IT WAS A REMINDER TO ME EVEN NOW TO THIS DAY, THAT WE ALL, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER WE CAME HERE A FEW YEARS AGO OR A FEW GENERATIONS AGO, WE WERE ALL GOING TO HAVE DIFFICULT TIMES WHERE WE WONDER WHETHER WE FIT IN. MAYBE IT'S ON THE BASIS OF OUR RACE, MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE WE CAME FROM A DIFFERENT SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND. WHATEVER THE REASON MAY BE, WE ALL HAVE MOMENTS WHERE WE FEEL LIKE WE DON'T FIT IN, AND HAVING COMMUNITIES THAT CAN HELP US FEEL SEEN AND HEARD, AND UNDERSTOOD, THEY CAN HELP US REALIZE THAT THE PIECES OF US THAT MAY FEEL DIFFERENT ARE NOT, IN FACT, PARTS TO BE REJECTED OR CAST AWAY, BUT IN FACT ONE OF THE GREATEST VALUES THAT WE BRING TO THIS COUNTRY, WHICH IS DIVERSITY OF BACKGROUND, OF CULTURE, OF IDEAS, AND FAITH, THOSE KIND OF COMMUNITIES ARE INVALUABLE AND I FEEL VERY BLESSED TO HAVE HAD THAT KIND OF SUPPORT WHEN I WAS GROWING UP. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THAT. IT IS AMAZING HOW ALL THESE EXPERIENCES REALLY DO STICK WITH YOU, AND I COMPLETELY RESONATE WITH THAT. DR. DZAU, AS YOU REFLECT ON THIS QUESTION, WHAT KIND OF EXPERIENCES COME TO MIND FOR YOU? >> WELL, FIRST OF ALL I HAVE TO SAY, I'M TRULY HONORED THAT I'M WITH VIVEK IN THIS INAUGURAL LECTURE SERIES. WHAT A GREAT PERSONAL PLEASURE. VIVEK AND I ARE GOOD FRIENDS. BUT I ALSO HAVE GREAT RESPECT, OF COURSE, FOR NIH, MINORITY HEALTH, EQUITY, AND OF COURSE IMPORTANTLY, THE ASIAN AMERICAN HERITAGE AND THE FEDERATION OF THE ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN COUNCIL. AND ALL OF THE OTHERS, IT'S JUST WONDERFUL AND . AS YOU REMEMBER WHEN I WAS INVITED, THIS IS BEFORE VIVEK GOT RECONFIRMED, I WAS SUPPOSED TO GIVE A LECTURE. I SAID, OKAY, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO TALK ABOUT? BUT I THINK THIS CONVERSATION, WHICH EUM TRULY I'M TRULY LOOKING FORWARD TO, IS JUST A GREAT IDEA. SO I WAS BORN IN CHINA, AND I WAS BORN IN SHANGHAI. AT A YOUNG AGE, 5 YEARS OLD, A LITTLE BIT OLDER, WE FLED CHINA AS REFUGEES BECAUSE OF COMMUNISM AND WENT TO HONG KONG. CERTAINLY I EXPERIENCED IN MY CHILDHOOD A LOT OF POVERTY ILLNESS, DISPARITIES I CAN'T BEGIN TO DESCRIBE TO YOU, BUT I WAS ONE OF THE FORTUNATE ONES THAT AT AGE 18, MY PARENTS PUT ENOUGH MONEY TO SEND ME OFF TO SCHOOLING IN NORTH AMERICA, AND MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH DISCRIMINATION WAS THE FACT I WANTED TO COME TO THE UNITED STATES, I WANTED TO GO TO AUSTRALIA, AND AT THE TIME, AUSTRALIA HAD AN ALL-WHITE POLICY, AND CHINESE WERE [INAUDIBLE] SO I ENDED UP IN CANADA, MUCH TO MY FORTUNE, TO STUDY AT MCGILL. SO I WOULD SAY THAT INITIAL EXPERIENCE IN TRYING TO COME TO NEW CULTURE ALL TOGETHER AND LEARNING SO MANY THINGS THAT WAS SO DIFFERENT IN THE WAY I WAS BROUGHT UP, I CAN TELL YOU STORIES AFTER STORIES. I WAS, IN FACT, A VERY RESERVED INDIVIDUAL THAT WILL ONLY SPEAK UP WHEN ASKED. AND OF COURSE THAT'S NOT THE AMERICAN WAY, BUT THAT IS THE CHINESE WAY. SO I ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THROUGH MY CAREER IN GOING FROM CANADA TO BOSTON, WHERE VIVEK AND I BOTH HAVE THIS PERSON WE LOOK UP TO, WHO GAVE ME A SHOT TO BE A RESIDENT OF BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL. SO I THINK ABOUT THE CHINESE PROVERB, IF YOU WANT ONE YEAR PROSPERITY, -- GROW -- IF YOU WAN 10 YEARS OF PROSPERITY, GROW TREES. IF YOU WANT A HUNDRED YEARS OF PROSPERITY, GROW PEOPLE. AND I THINK THAT'S THE END OF THE STORY. I'VE BEEN GIVEN SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES ALONG THE WAY OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ENLIGHTENED, AND I FEEL THE SAME WAY ABOUT PEOPLE I WORK WITH. GROWING THEM, AND ENABLING THEM TO SUCCEED. BUT I SAY GROWING PEOPLE GOES BEYOND THE IMMEDIATE CIRCLE, IT'S YOUR COMMUNITY, IT'S THE PEOPLE YOU WORK WITH, AND THAT'S WHY I THINK VIVEK AND I ARE SO, SHALL WE SAY, COMMITTED TO THE WHOLE ISSUE OF EQUITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH AND -- HEALTH. THERE'S NO QUESTION IN MY EARLY YEARS, IT FELT SO DIFFERENT. ASIDE FROM NOT KNOWING HOW TO EVEN TAKE A BUS AND NOT NOT KNOWING WHEN TO SPEAK UP OR NOT, I HAD TO DO A TREMENDOUS ADJUSTMENT. PEOPLE USED TO THINK THAT I WAS, SHALL WE SAY, NON-SOCIAL, BUT THE ADJUSTMENT TO CULTURE AND LANGUAGE AND THEN TO GET ACCEPTED, PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU GO TO A PLACE LIKE THE BRIGHAM WITH SMART PEOPLE WAS NOT EASY. BUT I THINK THE IMPORTANT THING I LEARNED WAS HOW TO BE HEARD, AND THAT'S -- CERTAINLY I KNOW THAT ALL OF US HAVE FACED THIS ISSUE. SO I THINK THOSE ARE SOME OF MY EARLY EXPERIENCES TO GET THROUGH TO WHERE I AM TODAY, I WOULD SAY A LOT OF PEOPLE HELP ME, BUT THERE'S NO QUESTION THERE'S BIAS AND RACISM, I HAD TO OVERCOME LOTS OF THEM, BUT I THINK EVENTUALLY I LEARNED HOW TO ADJUST AND BLEND IN MY OWN CULTURE WITH IN FACT WHAT'S EXPECTED ALSO IN A WHITE DOMINANT CULTURE. FLEUR >> IT'S GREAT TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR FAMILIES AND WHERE YOU WERE BORN AND RAISED AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED ALONG THE WAY, AND DR. DZAU, YOU SHARED A BIT ABOUT YOUR CAREER CHALLENGES THAT YOU'VE EXPERIENCED ALONG THE WAY AND YOUR COMMITMENT TO MENTORSHIP AND GROWING THE NEXT CADRE. YOU BOTH HAVE AMAZING COMEERS, AND CAREERS. DR. MURTHY, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR CAREER PATH TO THIS POINT, AND WHEN YOU THINK OF CHALLENGES, THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCES THAT COME TO MIND? >> IT'S A GOOD QUESTION, MONICA, BEFORE I ASK THAT QUESTION CAN I ASK VICTOR A QUESTION THAT YOU MADE ME THINK OF? VICTOR, SO WHEN YOU WERE GOING THROUGH THOSE EXPERIENCES, COMING TO MCGILL, FOR EXAMPLE, AND, LIKE, JUST -- WHICH MUST HAVE BEEN JUST SUCH AN EXTRAORDINARILY, WELL, PROFOUND, AMAZING AND TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE OF BEING IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WORLD, AND WHEN YOU'RE ENCOUNTERING THOSE EXAMPLES OF FEELING SORT OF LIKE AN OUTSIDER OR PEOPLE MAKING ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT YOU OR MAYBE EVEN MAKING OFFENSIVE COMMENTS, WHO DID YOU TURN TO, WHAT DID YOU DO FOR RELIEF? BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY YOUR FAMILY WASN'T WITH YOU AT THE TIME. >> IT WASN'T EASY AT ALL. BECAUSE THIS IS BACK IN THE LATE 60s, EARLY 70s. WE DIDN'T HAVE IPHONES. IN FACT, VIVEK, KE USED A WE USED A LANDLINE THAT I WOULD CALL MY FAMILY ONCE A YEAR, I WOULD LOOK AT MY WATCH AND SAY, 10 MINUTES, IT COSTS TOO MUCH MONEY. PROBABLY PEOPLE OF MY GENERATION WILL TELL YOU THE SAME STORY, THAT THEY'RE FROM ASIA AND ELSEWHERE. I THOUGHT I MAY NEVER SEE MY PARENTS AGAIN AFTER I'D GONE TO NORTH AMERICA. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY EVER WILL BE ABLE TO TRAVEL, AND SO AIR TRAVEL WAS NOT ONE OF THE THINGS WE DO EVERY DAY LIKE WHAT WE DO. BUT YOU KNOW, I DID HAVE GOOD MENTORS. I CAN'T SAY THAT I CAN CALL THEM ANY TIME, BUT I KNOW THEY'RE ALWAYS THERE FOR ME. AND WE HAD PEOPLE WHO KNEW, WHO LOOKED AT MERITOCRACY, YOU KNOW, YOU AND MY FRIEND TOM LEE WROTE A BOOK ABOUT DR. BRONWALL AND MERITOCRACY WENT I DID HAVE GOOD FRIENDS WHO I CAN TURN TO, AND, OF COURSE, LATER IN MY LIFE, MY WIFE, BUT I THINK THERE WERE MANY MOMENTS IT WAS VERY CHALLENGING AND DIFFICULT. I CAN TELL MANY STORIES ABOUT CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S IN MY OWN ROOM IN AN APARTMENT, TINY LITTLE ROOM, AND OTHERS GOING THROUGH THIS, BUT I THINK ALL THESE WERE, I THINK, NECESSARY EXPERIENCES, AND I THINK IT'S MADE ME A BETTER PERSON, BUT ALSO ALLOWED ME TO UNDERSTAND WHAT FLEXIBILITY, RESILIENCE IS ALL ABOUT, AND I HAVE TO SAY AGAIN ALONG THE WAY, BECAUSE OF MANY PEOPLE WHO SAW THE POTENTIALS OF A YOUNG MAN FROM CHINA, THAT I GOT TO WHERE I AM. SO I'M SO APPRECIATIVE OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS. >> THAT'S AMAZING. I'M GOING TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, MONICA, BUT VICTOR IS MAKING ME THINK ABOUT JUST HOW MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE OUT THERE, AND SOMETIMES IT'S SIMPLE SMALL GESTURES IN THOSE MOMENTS OF PAIN CAN MAKE YOU FEEL SEEN AND HEARD, AND THEY THEMSELVES MAY NOT EVEN REALIZE JUST WHAT AN IMPACT THEY'RE MAKING ON OUR LIVES. I TRY TO REMEMBER THAT FOR TWO REASONS, THERE'S BEEN SO MANY PEOPLE LIKE THAT THAT I'VE BEEN BLESSED TO ENCOUNTER IN LIFE. I REMEMBER WOOD SHOP IN SEVENTH GRADE, I'LL NEVER FORGET THIS GUY WHO TERRORIZED ME FOR LIKE NINE WEEKS, JUST BULLYING ME ABOUT MY SORT OF INDIAN HERITAGE, THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER, AND I WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, AS A SHY, YOU KNOW, KID, I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO PUSH BACK AGAINST THAT, AND WHAT TO DO, UNTIL THIS ONE KID IN THE CLASS, ERIC FONG, I'LL ALWAYS REMEMBER HIM, HE FINALLY ONE DAY COULDN'T TAKE THAT ANYMORE AND HE CAME AND HE ACTUALLY STOOD UP TO THAT BULLY. AND AT A TIME WHERE I, YOU KNOW, WAS A SMALL -- AS A YOUNG KID, I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE I KNEW HOW TO STAND UP FOR MYSELF. AND HE MAY NOT EVER REMEMBER THAT, YOU KNOW? IT WAS LIKE A BLIP IN HIS LIFE. BUT I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT, BECAUSE -- BUT THAT'S A POWER OF WHAT WE CAN DO IN OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES WHEN WE SEE FOLKS STRUGGLING. MONICA, YOUR QUESTION ABOUT CAREER CHALLENGES, YOU KNOW, I FEEL EXTRAORDINARILY BLESSED, I'VE HAD AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES, THE KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES MY PARENTS ONLY DREAMED OF WHEN THEY CAME TO THIS COUNTRY, AND YOU FEEL EXTRAORDINARILY BLESSED BECAUSE OF IT. BUT IT DOESN'T MESS NECESSARILY MEAN THAT LIFE WENT AS EXPECTED. THERE WERE MANY TIMES WHERE I HAD A LOT OF PUSHBACK FOR THE THINGS I WANTED TO DO IN MY CAREER. WHEN I WAS 17, FOR EXAMPLE, AND I WAS STARTING MY FIRST NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION WITH MY SISTER AND WE WERE DOING HIV WORK IN INDIA, WE HAD ZERO EXPERTISE IN HEALTH AND HIV AND BUILDING ORGANIZATIONS, BUT WHAT WE DIDN'T HAVE IN EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE, WE MADE UP FOR IN PASSION AND CREATIVITY. BUT THERE WAS A LOT OF PUSHBACK FROM PEOPLE, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS, WHY DON'T YOU WAIT UNTIL YOU GET SOME TRAINING TO ACTUALLY TRY TO BUILD AN HIV EDUCATION ORGANIZATION. AND THANKFULLY THERE WERE ENOUGH PEOPLE WHO ENCOURAGED US THAT WE WERE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD. BUT I FOUND AT MANY POINTS IN MY LIFE, I WAS DOING THINGS THAT I WAS NOT TRAINED TO DO. LIKE WHEN HE BEGAN MY FIRST TECHNOLOGY COMPANY, I NO BACKGROUND IN TECHNOLOGY, BUT I SAW A NEED THAT I THOUGHT NEEDED TO BE MET TO BRIDGE GAPS IN RESEARCH TO ENHANCE COLLABORATION TO IMPROVE CLINICAL TRIALS, AND THAT WAS TRUE IN OTHER -- WHEN I BUILT MY FIRST GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION, I HAD ZERO EXPERIENCE DOING THAT EITHER, SO THAT WAS ALWAYS A SOURCE OF PUSHBACK, LIKE, ARE YOU REALLY QUALIFIED TO DO THESE THINGS THAT YOU'RE DOING, AND ONE THING I TRIED TO ALWAYS REMEMBER, I HOPE I NEVER FORGET, IS THAT WHEN YOU'RE YOUNG, SOMETIMES THE ADVANTAGE YOU HAVE IS YOU DON'T PAY ATTENTION SOMETIMES TO THOSE THINGS, BUT ALSO YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW. YOU JUST KNOW YOU'RE EXCITED ABOUT SOMETHING AND YOU JUST TRY IT. AND I THINK THAT IF -- I WANT TO ALWAYS SAY TRY TO MAINTAIN THAT, YOU KNOW, DESIRE TO JUST KEEP TRYING, EVEN IF I DON'T HAVE EXPERTISE IN SOMETHING. THE OTHER BARRIER THAT I FACE ACTUALLY HAS BEEN AROUND MY AGE. SO WHEN I WAS YOUNG AND MY SISTER AND I --, THEY WOULD SAY YOU'RE REALLY YOUNG, WHY DON'T YOU GO BACK TO SCHOOL, WHY ARE YOU DOING ALL THIS OTHER STUFF? JUST FOCUS ON YOUR STUDIES AND YOUR ACADEMICS. EVEN WHEN I WAS NOMINATED THE FIRST TIME TO BE SURGEON GENERAL BY PRESIDENT OBAMA, I WAS 36 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME, MANY PEOPLE -- WHAT'S GOING ON HERE. SO THERE WERE MANY CIRCUMSTANCES LIKE THAT WHERE I FELT THAT BECAUSE OF MY AGE, I WAS BEING TOLD I COULDN'T OR SHOULDN'T DO THINGS. LASTLY I'LL SAY THERE WERE TIMES WHEN I ALSO THOUGHT I WANTED SOMETHING PROFESSIONALLY AND DIDN'T GET IT, AND THEN LATER REALIZED IT WAS PROBABLY FOR THE BEST. IT TAUGHT ME SOMETHING. SO ONE CLASSIC EXAMPLE, ESPECIALLY VICTOR, AFTER YOU LEFT THE BRIGHAM, AND VICTOR AND I FIRST CROSSED PATHS AT BIG BIG IN BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL IN BOSTON, HE WAS MY CHAIRMAN IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE, SO SOMEONE I ADMIRED FOR A LONG TIME OF THE BUT . BUT AFTER YEARS OF WORKING FOR THE BRIGHAM, I WAS APPLYING FOR A PROMOTION, I WAS AN INSTRUCTOR IN MEDICINE AT THAT POINT AND I WAS APLAYING TO BE AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN MEDICINE. I HAD BEEN AT THE BRIGHAM FOR PROBABLY SEVEN YEARS, AS A FACULTY MEMBER I HAD DONE A BUNCH OF THINGS THAT I THOUGHT TICKED THE BOX, HAVING A STATE-WIDE SORT OF REPUTATION, IMPACT, ALL THE OTHER PROMOTION CRITERIA THEY HAVE. THE HEAD OF MY DIVISION ALSO THOUGHT I HAD A VERY GOOD SHOT OF BEING PROMOTED. HE SAID THIS WON'T BE A PROBLEM. HIS QUESTION WAS SHOULD YOU APPLY FOR THE ASSOCIATE LEVEL. THAT WAS HIS QUESTION. SO MUCH TO BOTH OF OUR SURPRISE, I REMEMBER THE DAY I GOT THE MESS SAJ SAJ THAT MESSAGE THAT I HAD BEEN REJECTED. I WAS DISAPPOINTED AND SADDENED BY THAT. EVEN THOUGH I KNEW IN MY HEART THAT I HAD MADE DECISIONS TO WORK ON VARIOUS THINGS BECAUSE THEY WERE MEANINGFUL TO ME, BUILDING ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS, COMPANIES, DOING OTHER STUFF, PROVIDING CLINICAL CARE, DOING A LOT OF TEACHING WHICH WAS REALLY I WAS PASSIONATE ABOUT, BUT I WAS REALLY SAD, I WAS DISAPPOINTED, I FELT LIKE IT WAS AN INDICTMENT ABOUT MY WORK AND VALUE IN MEDICINE. THREE MONTHS LATER WAS ACTUALLY WHEN THE PRESIDENT AND HIS TEAM REACHED OUT ABOUT SERVING AS SURGEON GENERAL, SO I HAD AN ALTERNATE CAREER PATH AND I TOOK THAT PATH AND WAS GRATEFUL TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE. BUT MY POINT IS THAT, LIKE, IN THAT MOMENT, GETTING REJECTED FROM BEING PROMOTED WAS ALMOST -- IT FELT LIKE A REJECTION OF ME, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE -- AND THAT'S LIKE ONE OF THE THINGS I FIND IS MOST CHALLENGING BUT MOST IMPORTANT FOR ME PERSONALLY, IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE EXPECTATIONS THAT I'M SETTING, THE DESTINATIONS I'M DRIVING TOWARD ARE DRIVEN BY ME BY MY VALUES, BY MY PASSIONS AND MY PRIORITIES AND NOT BY SOCIETY AROUND ME OF THE EXPECTATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS OR SORT OF BROADER CULTURE. IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY, I DON'T ALWAYS SUCCEED, I HAVE MOMENTS WHERE I TAKE ON THE EXPECTATIONS OF OTHERS AND FEEL DISAPPOINTED WHEN I DON'T MEASURE UP. BUT THAT LESSON STANDS OUT TO ME AS ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS WHERE THAT REMINDS ME THAT WE'VE GOT TO DEVELOP OUR OWN DESTINATIONS, GO AT OUR OWN PACE, FIGURE OUT THE PATH THAT MEANS MOST TO US. AT THE END OF THE DAY, THERE'S TOO MANY PEOPLE WHOSE LIVES END UP BEING DRIVEN BY SOMEBODY ELSE AND THIS IS OUR ONE SHOT TO DRIVE OUR OWN LINE. >> THAT'S FANTASTIC. AS YOU WERE BOTH SPEAKING AND AS I'M REFLECTING QUICKLY ON WHAT I'M HEARING, I HEARD QUITE A FEW SIMILARITIES IN WHAT YOU SHARED ABOUT YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCE, SO HERE'S WHAT I WROTE. SO I HEARD THEMES SUCH AS PERSEVERANCE, MANAGING DOUBT AND INSECURITY BOTH PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONALLY, I HEARD ABOUT SEEING A NEED AND WORKING TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. I HEARD ABOUT RISK TAKING, PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY. I HEARD ABOUT KEEPING THINGS MOVING AND ADVANCING, EVEN WHEN IT SEEMS CHALLENGING OR FEELS IMPOSSIBLE. I HEARD ABOUT HOLDING ON TO PERSONAL VALUES, AND DEVELOPING YOUR OWN DESTINATION WHILE MAINTAINING A SENSE OF APPRECIATION, AND GRATEFULNESS. THAT'S MY SUMMATION OF WHAT I'VE JUST LEARNED. >> WOW! THAT WAS FANTASTIC! I TELL YOU. >> OKAY, WELL, I WANT TO CHANGE THE CONVERSATION A LITTLE BIT. THAT WAS FANTASTIC. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE PAST 15 MONTHS -- >> BY THE WAY, I DO WANT TO SAY, MONICA, I SHARE WITH VIVEK MANY SIMILAR EXPERIENCES AND TRAITS. CERTAINLY OUR LIFE IS FULL OF REJECTIONS, YOU DON'T SEE IT, BUT ALONG THE WAY, I'VE BEEN REJECTED MANY TIMES. I AGREE WITH VIVEK ABOUT PASSION AND I AGREE WE TELL YOUNG PEOPLE DON'T EVEN TRY TO ENGINEER YOUR CAREER, BECAUSE YOU DO THE RIGHT THING, YOU FORM YOUR PASSION, THE RIGHT DOORS WILL OPEN. THE ONLY THING I DISAGREE WITH VIVEK IS AGE. WHEN HE SAYS YOUNGER, 36 36 YEARS OLD, I'M OLDER AND PEOPLE WONDER WHY IS THIS OLD GUY HANGING AROUND? THANK GOD FOR PRESIDENT BIDEN. WE NOW KNOW THAT OLD PEOPLE CAN WORK WELL TOO. ALTHOUGH I NEVER THINK I'M OLD. >> THAT'S GREAT, VICTOR. >> SO LET ME MOVE US ALONG A LITTLE BIT IN THE CONVERSATION BECAUSE I HAVE A FEW OTHER TOPICS I HOPE WE COVER, BUT IF WE DONE, WE'LL DON'T, WE'LL SEE HOW THING S GO. I DO WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE PANDEMIC A BIT, BECAUSE OVER THE PAST 15 MONTHS, GIVE OR TAKE A FEW WEEKS, WE'VE ALL JUST BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH, AND THE PANDEMIC HAS AFFECTED EVERYONE IN MULTIPLE WAYS. SO I'D LIKE TO START THIS TIME WITH DR. DZAU TELLING US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE PERSONALLY, WITHIN YOUR FAMILY, YOUR COMMUNITY, AND ALSO HOW THE PANDEMIC HAS AFFECTED YOU PROFESSIONALLY. >> WELL, I WOULD SAY THIS PANDEMIC HAS AFFECTED MANY, MANY PEOPLE, FOR ME PERSONALLY, PEOPLE WHO WERE AROUND ME, THAT IS, FAMILIES, MY WORK, AND MY COMMUNITY. BUT I'M REALLY ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES, BECAUSE MANY SUFFER FAR MORE THAN ME. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE UNDERSTAND THAT. SO THAT BEING SAID, I WOULD SAY THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT YOU KNOW, BEING SOCIALLY DISTANT, BEING MAINLY WORKING THE SAME PLACE, NOT HAVING ENOUGH SOCIAL INTERACTION, I WOULD SAY IT VERY DIFFICULT. IT'S DIFFICULT FOR ME AS A PERSON, IT'S DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE THAT WORK WITH ME, YOU WORKING DOES NOT RESPECT ANY TIME OR PERSONAL SPACE. AND SO I DO KNOW THAT PEOPLE WORK WITH ME SOMETIMES FEEL A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF DEMAND AND BURNOUT. PEOPLE LIKE MY DAUGHTER, PEOPLE POSSIBLY LIKE YOURSELF AND OTHERS, MONICA, CHILD CARE RESPONSIBILITY, WORK RESPONSIBILITY, TRYING TO JUGGLE PARENTING AND WORK HAS NOT BEEN EASY. AND OF COURSE LOSING SOCIAL CONNECTION AND LOSING DEAR FRIENDS. IN THIS PANDEMIC, I LOST A RELATIVE AND A VERY DEAR FRIEND. AND IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT NOT BEING ABLE TO CONNECT WITH THEM AND BEING ABLE TO SHOW YOUR COMPASSION AND BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. BUT I WOULD SAY THE ONE THAT'S TROUBLING TO ME IS THE IMPACT ON MY COMMUNITY. TODAY AND ALMOST ALL THE PAST YEAR, I AM IN DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE MY FAMILY LIVES, AS YOU ALSO -- FOR -- NUMBER OF YEARS. SO I'M WORKING HERE, AND OF COURSE I'M VERY CONNECTED TO MY COMMUNITY, IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO SEE PEOPLE LOSING THEIR JOBS, THEIR HOMES, THE EFFECT ON MENTAL HEALTH AND MANY OTHERS, IN PARTICULARLY DURHAM, WHICH IS A DIVERSIFIED COMMUNITY, 50% ARE NON-WHITE, PEOPLE OF COLOR, SUFFERING. AND THAT'S DIFFICULT. AND IN PARTICULAR, FOR ME I'VE BEEN VERY INVOLVED WITH THE COMMUNITY DURING THE TIME I WAS THE CEO, BUT EVEN NOW, I CO-FOUNDED AN ORGANIZATION CALLED MADE IN DURHAM, WHICH IS MEANT FOR YOUTH, BUT PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO ARE MARGINALIZED AND DISCONNECTED. DURING THIS TIME, WE ALL KNOW HOW MUCH LEARNING LOSS THERE WAS FOR ALL THE YOUTH. AND THROUGH CARES DOLLARS AND OTHERS, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY THE PUBLIC SCHOOL IS ABLE TO PROVIDE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE LAPTOPS, DEVICES, BUT THIS WHOLE GROUP OF DISCONNECTED YOUTH HAD NO CONNECTION. SO WE WENT TO WORK AND RAISED MONEY PERSONALLY BUT ALSO WORKING WITH INSTITUTIONS, COMPANIES, TO PROVIDE THEM WITH DEVICES, TO ALSO GET HOT SPOTS TO LET THEM GET CONNECTED AGAIN. THEN OF COURSE THERE'S A WHOLE COMMUNITY ISSUE THAT I FEEL THAT, ACADEMIC CENTERS INCLUDING DUKE, ARE NOT AS WELL CONNECTED AS TO PUBLIC HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, AND TO WORK WITH COMMUNITY ISSUES, AND FINALLY, OF COURSE, VIVEK AND I CARE A LOT ABOUT THE FRONT LINE WORKERS, THE CLINICIANS, AND DURING THIS TIME, WE HEARD LOTS OF STORIES, NO PEOPLE WITH BURNOUT, AND CERTAINLY ISSUES THAT ARE ENORMOUSLY PAINFUL TO WATCH PEOPLE FACING THIS MORAL INJURY, FACING BURNOUT, MAYBE LEAVING THE PROFESSION ALL TOGETHER, AND SO THESE ARE VERY TOUGH TIMES. I WOULD SAY ALL TOLL, THIS IS -- I WOULDN'T WANT TO LIVE THROUGH THIS AGAIN, BUT IF WE HAVE TO, WE CERTAINLY WILL HAVE TO WORK THROUGH THIS AND MAKE A BETTER WORLD. >> I AGREE, WORKING THROUGH IT AND MAKING A BETTER WORLD. I WANT TO FOLLOW UP ON ONE OF THE COMPONENTS OF WHAT YOU SHARED JUST THEN, BECAUSE I THINK THAT ONE OF THE UNEQUIVOCAL ASPECTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC EXPERIENCE IS THE UNDUE BURDEN AMONG COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, AND ABOUT THIS AS WELL AS MANY THOUGHT PIECES WRITTEN ABOUT THE REASONS FOR THESE DISPARITIES. SO FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, DR. DZAU, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ROOT CAUSES FOR HEALTH DISPARITIES IN COVID, AND MORE BROADLY, AND THEN WITH THAT, WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST IN TERMS OF STRATEGIES THAT COULD BE IMPLEMENTED TO PREVENT AND MITIGATE THESE DISPARITIES AS WE ALL ARE TRYING TO ADVANCE HEALTH EQUITY? >> YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO CONFRONT ROOT CAUSES, BECAUSE PEOPLE TALK ABOUT FACTORS, FACTORS OF LIVING CONDITIONS, THEIR WORK CONDITIONS, MANY PEOPLE, COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, VULNERABLE, HAVE TO TAKE JOBS NOBODY ELSE WOULD DO. THEY CAN'T SIT IN A ROOM LIKE I DO IN FRONT OF ZOOM. FRONT LINE WORKERS, LACK OF ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE, COMORBIDITIES. BUT YOU KNOW, THE ROOT CAUSE IS SYSTEMIC RACISM, LET'S CALL IT OUT, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT THIS IS YEARS OF INEQUITY DUE TO RACISM, DUE TO BIAS AND DUE TO THE BARRIERS. SO I WOULD SAY THAT IF ONE WERE TO REALLY GET DOWN TO THIS, WE REALLY HAVE TO TACKLE THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC INEQUITIES. AND ISSUES SUCH AS THIS. SO FOR EXAMPLE, I WOULD SAY THAT ONCE WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT MANY OF THE POLICIES, CONDITIONS, ET CETERA, THAT ARE INEQUITABLE, THEY NEED TO BE OVERCOME. BUT FOR THE PANDEMIC ITSELF, ACCESS TO PUBLIC RESOURCES SUCH AS TESTING, MAKE IT FREE, MAKE IT EASY TO COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, MAKE IT AVAILABLE WITHOUT A PRESCRIPTION, AND SO ON, SO FORTH. WE ALSO NEED TO COLLECT MUCH BETTER DATA. TO DATE, I THINK THE RACIAL DEMOGRAPHIC DATA IS REALLY POOR AND FRAGMENTED. IT'S REALLY NOT UNTIL MORE RECENTLY THAT PEOPLE PUSHED FOR THIS WHEN THEY REALIZED WHAT A DISPARITY. AND I WOULD LIKE TO AT SOME POINT TALK ABOUT ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER ON THAT ISSUE AS WELL, AND OF COURSE WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SAFETY NET ORGANIZATIONS, THE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS, ET CETERA, REMAIN OPEN, AVAILABLE, TO HELP THE PEOPLE, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, TRUST, ENGAGEMENT WITH COMMUNITY AND COMMUNITY LEADERS. >> THAT WAS EXCELLENT. DR. MURTHY, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD IN TERMS OF YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT DISPARITIES IN COVID, STRATEGIES TO ELIMINATE THEM, AND HEALTH DISPARITIES MORE GENERALLY? >> THANKS, MONICA. VICTOR LAID IT OUT BEAUTIFULLY AND COMPELLINGLY. HE'S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, THAT THIS IS MORE THAN LIKE A CHECK BOX ISSUE, YOU KNOW, ONE MORE ISSUE IN THE SET OF HEALTH CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE TO WORK THROUGH. WHETHER OR NOT WE ALLOW DISPARITIES IN HEALTH TO PERSIST IS SOMETHING DEEPER ABOUT THE VALUES THAT WE WANT TO LIVE BY, YOU KNOW, AS A COUNTRY. AGAIN, ONE OF THE REASONS THAT MY FAMILY AND SO MANY FAMILIES CAME TO THIS COUNTRY, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT WAS RECENTLY OR GENERATIONS AGO, WAS BECAUSE WE BELIEVED THIS WAS A PLACE WHERE ALL PEOPLE WOULD BE TREATED EQUALLY, WHERE WE WOULD ALL HAVE OPPORTUNITY. AND THE REALITY IS THAT WHILE WE HAVE MADE SO MUCH PROGRESS IN THAT DIRECTION, THAT THERE ARE STILL MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE EQUAL ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITY, WHO DON'T HAVE EQUAL ACCESS TO HEALTH AND TO HEALTHCARE. WE SAW THAT PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED IN COVID. WITH THE DISPARATE DEATH RATES AND HOSPITALIZATION RATES, BLACK AMERICAN, INDIAN NATIVE COMMUNITIES, WE SAW IT ON DISPLAY EVEN IN DISPARITIES IN TESTING. AND THESE ARE COMPLICATED, RIGHT, BECAUSE THIS IS A PLACE WHERE RACE AND EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC STATUS ARE ALSO INTERTWINED HERE, AND IT'S OFTEN THE PRODUCT OF YEARS AND YEARS OF STRUCTURAL FACTORS THAT HAVE LED TO THESE KIND OF DISPARITIES. SO IF WE REALLY, YOU KNOW, ADDRESSING DISPARITIES IS NOT -- IT'S NOT AS SIMPLE AS JUST GETTING VACCINES, YOU KNOW, TO COMMUNITIES OF COLOR OR GETTING TESTING TO COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. TO REALLY ADDRESS IT MEANS LOOKING DEEPLY AT HOW OUR SOCIETY FUNCTIONS. LIKE HOW DO WE ACTUALLY GET GOOD EDUCATION TO PEOPLE OF ALL SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS? HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S ACTUAL ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE ACROSS OUR COUNTRY, NOT JUST FOR THE PRIVILEGED FEW? BECAUSE SO MANY OF OUR HEALTH DISPARITIES END UP BEING ROOTED IN ECONOMIC ISSUES, AND SOCIAL ISSUES AND ISSUES RELATED TO HOUSE HOUSING AND EDUCATION. THE LAST THING I'LL SAY IS THIS, I THINK WE HAVE TO BE -- WE HAVE TO BE, I THINK, CAREFUL AND INTENTIONAL ABOUT HOW WE COMMUNICATE ABOUT THIS TO THE COUNTRY. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT EQUITY, THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHEN WE FEEL -- THERE ARE OTHERS WHO MAY REACT VERY DIFFERENTLY TO EQUITY WHO MAY THINK WE ARE BLAMING THEM FOR INEQUITIES. THE TRUTH IS THAT IF WE WANT TO MOVE FORWARD, WE NEED THE WHOLE COUNTRY TO RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS THE DIRECTION THAT WE NEED TO GO IN, A PLACE WHERE, AGAIN, OPPORTUNITY, EDUCATION, ECONOMIC PROSPERITY AND HEALTH ARE AVAILABLE TO ALL, AND NOT JUST TO A FEW. SO I THINK WE HAVE TO JUST BE MINDFUL AS WE SPEAK ABOUT THIS IN PUBLIC SPHERES, BUT LANGUAGE MATTERS HERE. EVERYONE MAY HAVE A DIFFERENT UNDERSTANDING OF WORDS LIKE EQUITY AND DISPARITIES, ET CETERA, AND SO WE SHOULDN'T, I THINK, ALWAYS PRESUME THAT EVERYONE IS ON THE SAME PAGE, BUT I FIND IT HELPFUL, AND THIS IS TRUE WHEN I WAS SURGEON GENERAL LAST TIME, I REALIZED AS I WOULD GO TO COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT PEOPLE REACT VERY DIFFERENTLY, YOU KNOW, TO CERTAIN WORDS. SO SOMETIMES JUST GOING IN AND TALKING ABOUT THE CHALLENGE THAT WE SEE BEFORE US, TRYING TO GET CLOSER TO THE VALUES THAT WE KNOW MANY PEOPLE SHARE AROUND, YOU KNOW, EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY AND OUTCOMES, LIKE SOMETIMES THAT CAN BE A GOOD STARTING POINT FOR US AS WE TRY TO BUILD A LARGER MOVEMENT IN OUR COUNTRY TO WHERE THE KIND OF EQUITABLE OUTCOMES I THINK THAT WE ALL DESIRE. >> THAT'S FANTASTIC. AND HERE AT NIMHD, WE ARE PART OF THAT MOVEMENT FROM THE SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE, AND SO THE THINGS THAT BOTH OF YOU SHARED WITH REGARD TO NAMING THE PROBLEM AND THE ROOT CAUSES AND THE COMPLEXITY OF ADDRESSING THEM ARE VERY IMPORTANT. I SIRNLY CERTAINLY SEE HEALTH DISPARITIES AS MODIFIABLE, SO THAT MEANS WE HAVE OPPORTUNITY FOR CHANGE AND HAVING EVERYONE ON THE SAME PAGE IS SOMETHING WE'RE ALL WORKING TOWARD. I DO WANT TO COME BACK, DR. DZAU, YOU MENTIONED MANY THINGS THAT WERE IMPORTANT BUT ONE THING I WANT TO FOLLOW UP ON AT THE MOMENT. WHEN WE LOOK AT NATIONAL DATA ON COVID-19 CASES, HOSPITALIZATIONS AND OUTCOMES BY RACE/ETHNICITY, WE SEE THAT THESE DATA FOR PATIENTS IDENTIFIED AS ASIAN AMERICAN DO NOT SHOW DISPARITIES. AND EXPERTS WHO WORK WITH AND SERVE ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITIES ARE SPEAKING UP TO SAY THAT THERE ARE INDEED DISPARITIES ACROSS THESE DIVERSE POPULATIONS. SO WOULD YOU HELP US UNDERSTAND -- OH, THERE'S MY LITTLE FRIEND AGAIN. HE'S NOT WAVING AT ME TODAY. >> DO YOU WANT TO WAVE? THERE HE GOES. THIS IS MY 4-YEAR-OLD SON. HE JOINS FOR MOST OF MY CALLS. >> HE'S ADORABLE. HAPPY TO SEE HIM. >> HE'S BEING RECORDED, THERE'S THREE PEOPLE IN THIS CONVERSATION, FOUR PEOPLE INCLUDING YOU, MONICA. >> THAT'S RIGHT. OKAY. SO DR. DZAU, WOULD YOU HELP US UNDERSTAND, WHAT ABOUT THIS? ARE ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITIES ALSO DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY COVID-19? AND WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN TERMS OF PROMOTING ACCURACY IN REPORTING AND DATA DISAGGREGATION? >> WELL, I THINK YOU SAID IT RIGHT. I THINK THERE'S REALLY BEEN A POOR COLLECTION OF DATA, AND NO SYSTEMATIC COLLECTION. AND PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT RACE AND ETHNICITY, I THINK WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO TO REALLY TRULY UNDERSTAND WHAT THE ISSUES ARE. BUT LET ME GIVE YOU THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION. FIRST OF ALL, IF YOU LOOK AT CASE FATALITY RATES OF COVID IN ASIAN POPULATIONS, IT'S BEEN RECORDED AT LEAST IN SEVERAL CITIES AND COUNTIES A FEW TIMES HIGHER IN CALIFORNIA, SUCH AS LONG LOS ANGELES, SAN FRANCISCO AND OTHERS, BUT ALSO CHICAGO AND OTHERS, WHERE DATA ARE COLLECTED. THREE TIMES HIGHER IN ASIAN AMERICANS THAN THE GENERAL POPULATION. IN THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO, ASIAN AMERICANS COMPRISE ABOUT 12% OF THE CASE INFECTIONS, AND ABOUT 50% OF THE FATALITIES. SO I THINK, IN FACT, THE DATA, ALTHOUGH NOT COLLECTED SYSTEMATICALLY, BUT NOW COLLECTED IN DIFFERENT SPOTS, IT'S VERY CLEAR THAT'S THE CASE, IN MY MIND, BUT WE NEED MORE INFORMATION. BUT YOU KNOW, THE THING THAT BOTHERS ME IS THAT PEOPLE DON'T THINK ABOUT ASIAN AMERICANS, PACIFIC ISLANDERS AS A GROUP THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT VERY CAREFULLY. EVEN IN OUR NATIONAL ACADEMY OF MEDICINE VACCINE -- ALLOCATION REPORT, A STUDY WHICH I ACTUALLY BROUGHT, IT WAS POINTED OUT THAT WHEN WE'RE TALKING COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, ASIAN AMERICANS WERE NOT INCLUDED. SO I DO THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO REMEMBER THAT WHEN WE THINK ABOUT VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, THAT WE NEED TO THINK ALL OF THE ABOVE. AND I DON'T THINK ANYBODY DID IT FOR ANY BAD REASON EXCEPT THERE'S NO ATTENTION TO THIS ISSUE, THERE'S NO COLLECTION OF DATA. SO WE OFTEN THINK ABOUT AS THE MODEL MINORITY, I THINK THIS STEREOTYPING REALLY CREATES A WRONG IMPRESSION, BECAUSE VIVEK AT I, WELL EDUCATED, BETTER INCOME, BUT THE LARGE PORTION OF ASIAN AMERICANS WHO LIVE IN TERRIBLE CONDITIONS, WHO IS LOW INCOME, IN CHINA IT TOWN, KOREANTOWN, AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT -- NPR JUST PIB PUBLISHED THIS MORNING, THE DATA, AND A LARGE NUMBER OF ASIAN AMERICANS ACTUALLY ARE RECENT IMMIGRANTS, AND ALSO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, AND SOME 30% DON'T SPEAK THE LANGUAGE, SO THEY'RE ISOLATED IN THEIR OWN CULTURE. THEY DON'T TRUST, AS YOU KNOW, THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM. I THINK THOSE ARE SOME OF THE SAME ISSUES AS AFRICAN AMERICANS AND OTHERS FACE, THE KIND OF SYSTEMIC RACISM THAT THEY FACE, AND I DO THINK THAT WE HAVE TO CALL IT OUT AND TO SAY WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO, I WOULD SAY NOT ONLY ASIAN AMERICANS, PACIFIC ISLANDER, BUT ALL RACES, BECAUSE I THINK WE ALL HAVE THE COMMON EXPERIENCE, WE DON'T LIVE IN THE DOMINANT CULTURE, DOMINANT CULTURE IS THE WHITE CULTURE, AND SOMETIMES THIS INFORMATION IS NOT GATHERED PROPERLY. >> YES, YOU BROUGHT UP ACTUALLY A QUESTION I HAD FOR YOU, AND DR. MURTHY, I'D LIKE TO BRING YOU IN ON THIS TOPIC AS I'M SURE YOU'RE ALSO OVERLY AWARE OF THE MYTH THAT ASIANS ARE THE MODEL MINORITIES, AND THAT'S A STEREOTYPE THAT HAS JUST BEEN AROUND FOR SO LONG, AND I'VE BEEN A PART OF CONVERSATIONS WHERE PEOPLE ARE POINTING TO DATA INDICATING THAT EVEN WITH THE RELATIVELY STRONG REPRESENTATION OF ASIAN INDIVIDUALS IN STEM, SCIENCE, TECH KNOWLEDGE, TECHNOLOGY, MATHEMATICS, ENGINEERING AND MEDICINE, I'VE POINTED OUT THAT ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITIES TEND TO BE UNDERREPRESENTED IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS IN THESE FIELDS. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT? >> WELL, MONICA, I THINK YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT THAT THEY ARE UNDERREPRESENTED, AND WHAT VICTOR SAID IS REALLY SPOT-ON. IT'S AN UNUSUAL EXPERIENCE, I THINK, FOR AN FOR ASIAN AMERICANS EXISTING IN LARGE NUMBERS BUT ALSO FEELING INVISIBLE SOMETIMES, INVISIBLE IN THE STATISTICS AND IN THE PRIORITY OF CRITICAL NEEDS AND DISPARITY IN THE ASIAN COMMUNITY. HISTORICALLY THERE HAVE BEEN -- HAS BEEN HEALTHY ASIAN AMERICAN REPRESENTATION BUT YOU DON'T SEE -- YOU SEE THAT DWINDLE AS YOU MOVE UP THE LEADERSHIP RANKS. AND THERE ARE VARIOUS THEORIES AS TO WHY THAT IS, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE MANY OF US WHO LIKE VICTOR WERE RAISED TO BE QUIET, YOU KNOW, AND WERE RAISED TO NOT SPEAK UP UNLESS WE WERE ASKED A QUESTION, AND YOU KNOW, YOU COMPOUND THAT WITH THE FACT THAT MANY OF US, MYSELF INCLUDED, ARE SHY. THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE IT EASY TO SORT OF STAND OUT. BUT ALSO, I THINK IT REPRESENTS A CERTAIN WAY OF LOOKING AT LEADERSHIP, AND THIS GOES TO A BROADER ISSUE, A SOCIETAL ISSUE THAT'S NOT UNIQUE TO AMERICA, THIS IS MORE A FEATURE OF MODERN SOCIETY, WHICH IS HOW WE DEFINE STRENGTH. TOO OFTEN I THINK IN MODERN SOCIETY, WE DEFINE STRENGTH AS THE LOUDEST VOICE IN THE ROOM AS THE PERSON WHO HAS THE MOST PHYSICAL STRENGTH, WHO CAN BE MOST ASSERTIVE WITH THEIR POINTS OF VIEW, EVEN SOMETIMES BOWL OTHER PEOPLE OVER WITH THE STRENGTH OF THEIR ARGUMENT. BUT WHAT WE DON'T APPRECIATE, I THINK, AS MUCH IS THE OTHER FORMS OF LEADERSHIP, THE MORE EMPATHIC KIND OF LEADERSHIP, THE ONE THAT SEEKS TO BUILD CON 16 SU THE KIND OF LEADERSHIP THAT VALUES LISTENING FIRST AND REACTING LATER. THE TRUTH IS WE NEED DIFFERENT LEADERSHIP AT DIFFERENT TIMES, BUT I THINK HISTORICALLY, PEOPLE WHO ARE RAISED IN TRADITIONALLY ASIAN CULTURES TEND TOWARD A VERY DIFFERENT STYLE OF OPERATING AS COMPARED TO WHAT PERHAPS TRADITIONAL SOCIETY MAY DESCRIBE AS STRENGTH. AND AGAIN, I THINK IT'S -- I DON'T WANT TO PAINT TOO BROAD A BRUSH HERE, THERE ARE PLENTY OF ASIAN AMERICANS WHO ARE VERY, VERY VOCAL AND ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT I'M DESCRIBING, BUT I THINK WHAT THAT POINTS TO, AND THIS IS NOT JUST A CHALLENGE WITH ASIAN AMERICANS, I THINK WE'VE SEEN THIS WITH WOMEN AS WELL WHO HAVE BEEN UNDERREPRESENTED IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS, AND OFTEN IT'S BECAUSE THE GREAT VALUE AND STRENGTH THAT THEY BRING IN LEADERSHIP IS OFTEN NOT APPRECIATED, OR I THINK FULLY VALUED IN CERTAIN WORKPLACES THAT MAY BE STRUCTURED MORE TRADITIONALLY, OR THAT MAY DEFINE STRENGTH IN A MORE TRADITIONAL WAY THAT I DESCRIBED EARLIER. SO THIS, I THINK, IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO RE-THINK WHAT WE VALUE IN LEADERS. AND TO RECOGNIZE THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS TO LEAD, AND TO LOOK CLOSELY AS VICTOR SAID ALSO AT OUR DATA. BECAUSE THE DATA DOESN'T LIE IF IT'S COLLECTED ACCURATELY AND SOURCED PROPERLY, RIGHT, AND WHAT THE DATA IS TELLING US VERY CLEARLY RIGHT NOW IS WE HAVE A LOT OF ASIAN AMERICANS CONTRIBUTING AT LOWER RUNGS OF THE LADDER IN SCIENTIFIC ADGED MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS AND NOT NEARLY ENOUGH REPRESENTED AS YOU GO FURTHER UP THAT LADDER. >> MONICA, ACTUALLY I HAVE SOME DATA, BECAUSE TOM LEE, CALVIN -- AND MYSELF HAVE WRITTEN A PAPER IN THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL, IT'S ACCEPTED, WILL BE COMING OUT VERY SHORTLY. WE LOOKED INTO THIS. FIRST LET ME PROVIDE YOU A LITTLE BACKGROUND. THEY CALL THIS THE BAMBOO CEILING, BUT YOU KNOW, LESS THAN -- STUDIES SHOW THAT LESS THAN 1% OF CEO OF MAJOR CORPORATIONS ARE OF EAST ASIAN DESCENT, AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE BAY AREA, PARTICULARLY IN THE TECH WORLD WHERE 50% ARE ASIANS, THREE TIMES WHITE PEOPLE ARE, IN FACT, CEOs. BUT IN HEALTHCARE, WHICH IS WHAT VIVEK IS TALKING ABOUT, WE NOW REPRESENT 25% OR MORE OF THE STUDENT POPULATION, AND YET 6% OF HEALTHCARE LEADERS. SO RUSSELL REYNOLDS WROTE ABOUT THIS. THEY SAY THAT LEADERSHIP, C-SUITE IN UNITED STATES ARE LOOKED AT -- THERE'S TWO QUALITIES THAT THEY CALL LOUD AND SOFT. THOSE QUALITIES LOUD, WHICH IS RISK TAKING, HEROIC AND GALVANIZING, AND SOFT IS PRAGMATIC, RELUCTANT, VULNERABLE IN CONNECTING, THAT THERE'S CERTAINLY A BIAS OF WHAT WE BELIEVE IS GOOD LEADERSHIP QUALITIES, WHICH IS MORE THE LOUD QUALITY. SO I AGREE WITH VIVEK, AND I WOULD SAY THAT I HAVE ADAPTED, YOU KNOW, I GUESS I CAN BE PUT INTO THE LOUD QUALITY, BUT I CAN TELL YOU, I WAS VERY DIFFERENT. AND THAT'S AN ADAM AN ADAPTATION ISSUE, BUT SHOULD IT BE, IS IT THE RIGHT THING TO DO? YOU CAN DEBATE THIS. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, I CAN TELL YOU WHEN I FIRST WENT TO DUKE AS CEO, 45,000 EMPLOYEES, PEOPLE DID LOOK AT ME AND SAY, AND I HAVE PEOPLE SAID TO ME, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE TOO DIFFERENT, YOU DON'T SHARE SOME OF YOUR PERSONAL STUFF, WHICH ASIANS DON'T. PERSONAL FAMILY STUFF, YOU'RE NOT AS OPEN. THEN WE DID A -- ANALYSIS OF LEADERSHIP, AND I GOT INTROVERT. SO I LOOK BACK AND SAY, HOW DID I END UP WITH INTROVERT? BECAUSE MY STRENGTH ASK YOU TO SAY WHAT'S YOUR FIRST REFLEX RESPONSE TO THIS QUESTION? AND MY REFLEX RESPONSE IS STILL VERY MUCH PRODUCT OF MY CULTURE, MY UPBRINGING, I WOULD DO THIS. BUT I'VE COMPENSATED FOR IT BY DOING THAT. IT'S A REALLY INTERESTING LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FOR YOUNGER PEOPLE WHERE WE WANT TO BE. I THINK THERE'S ROOM FOR BOTH. CLEARLY, SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, INSPIRATIONAL LEADERSHIP, GALVANIZING IS GOOD, AND OTHER TIMES IT'S REALLY GOOD TO BE VULNERABLE AND CONNECTING. BUT TO USE ONE FORM OF JUDGMENT, WHICH IS JUDGED BY THE MAJORITY, THAT THAT'S WHY WE CHOOSE YOU AS A LEADER, I THINK THAT OVERLOOKS A LOT OF IMPORTANT QUALITIES THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE. AND THAT, I THINK, VIVEK, IS AT LEAST THE PAPER WE WROTE, ABOUT THE QUESTION ABOUT STEREOTYPING OF TRAITS OF LEADERS, AND WHY IT IS POSSIBLY THE WAY IT IS. >> WELL, I HOPE YOU REMEMBER TO SEND ME THE PAPER ONCE IT'S PUBLISHED. IT WOULD BE GREAT TO READ IT. BECAUSE THE POINTS THAT YOU MAKE ARE VERY WELL TAKEN WITH REGARD TO LEADERSHIP, WHAT A LADIER LOOKS LIKE, SOUNDSLIKE AND BEHAVES LIKE AND THAT CAN DIFFER BASED ON PHENOTYPIC CHARACTERISTICS AND OTHER THINGS. I'D LIKE TO MOVE US TO MAYBE ONE MORE TOPIC, AND THEN WE'LL CHECK AND SEE IF THERE ARE QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE. SO DR. MURTHY, LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT AN AREA WHICH WE KNOW IS IMPORTANT TO YOU, IT'S IMPORTANT TO BOTH OF YOU AND THAT YOU'VE WRITTEN EXTENSIVELY ABOUT. THERE ARE REPORTS THAT PHYSICAL DISTANCING, OTHER LOCKDOWN MEASURES HAVE EXACERBATED ANXIETY, LONELINESS, MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES DUE TO COVID. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW TO DEAL WITH MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES, AND WHAT MEASURES CAN YOU SUGGEST, ESPECIALLY FOR ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITIES AND OTHER RACIAL ETHNIC MINORITIZED COMMUNITIES WHERE THERE'S A STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH SEEKING HELP FOR MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS? >> MONICA, IT'S A TIMELY QUESTION BECAUSE DURING THIS PANDEMIC, THE RATES OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION HAVE INCREASED IN OUR COUNTRY, AND THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALSO STRUGGLED WITH A GREATER DEGREE OF LONELINESS AND SENSE OF ISOLATION IN THEIR LIVES. AND THIS IS COMPOUNDED BY THE FACT THAT THERE IS, AS YOU SAID, THIS UNFORTUNATE STIGMA AROUND MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS, AND EVEN AROUND LONELINESS MORE BROADLY, AND SOME OF THIS IS ACCENTUATED IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. I STILL REMEMBER GROWING UP IN MY EXTENDED FAMILY, WE HAD AN UNCLE WHO WAS REALLY STRUGGLING WITH DEPRESSION, AND MY FIRST REAL EXPERIENCE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS, YOU KNOW, I STILL REMEMBER BEING IN HIGH SCHOOL AND RECEIVING A CALL FROM HIS ROOMMATE THAT HE HAD TAKEN HIS LIFE, ACTUALLY IN HIS HOUSE, AND IT WAS PAINFUL TO GO THROUGH, BUT I REMEMBER IN THE AFTERMATH OF THAT, WHILE MY IMMEDIATE FAMILY, MY PARENTS WERE VERY OPEN ABOUT HOW WE DISCUSSED THAT, THERE WERE MANY OTHERS IN MY EXTENDED FAMILY THAT SAID, LET'S NOT TELL ANYONE ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE NOT ONLY WILL PEOPLE LOOK AT US BADLY, BUT OTHER FAMILIES MAY NOT WANT TO MARRY INTO OUR FAMILY. THAT WAS A BIG THING. FOR THOSE WHO ARE EITHER FROM INDIAN AMERICAN FAMILIES OR KNOW ANY INDIAN FAMILIES, THAT'S A VERY BIG DEAL, IN TERMS OF YOUR FAMILY BEING MARRIAGE-ELIGIBLE. SO THAT WAS A REAL CONCERN. BUT LOOK, I THINK IN THIS MOMENT, MORE PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED, I THINK, THAT DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND LONELINESS THAT PERHAPS IN MORE RECENT TIME, AND THAT GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK MORE OPENLY ABOUT THE SHARED EXPERIENCE TO BE HONEST ABOUT THE FACT THAT STRUGGLING WITH DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IS NOT A SIGN THAT YOU ARE BROKEN, IT'S A SIGN THAT YOU ARE HUMAN, YOU'RE HAVING A VERY DIFFICULT EXPERIENCE THE WAY ALL OF US DO AT VARIOUS POINTS IN OUR LIFE. THERE ARE SOME THINGS WE CAN DO THAT I THINK WILL BE VERY HELPFUL. I THINK, NUMBER ONE, I THINK WELL HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT OUR CONNECTION WITH ONE ANOTHER, OUR RELATIONSHIPS ARE AN EXTRAORDINARY SOURCE OF NOT JUST JOY, BUT BUT ACTUALLY OF HEALTH, PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL-BEING AND WHEN PEOPLE STRUGGLE, IT INCREASES THEIR DEPRESSION FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. IN THIS MOMENT I FIND THERE ARE SIMPLE BUT POWERFUL PRACTICES THAT CAN HELP US STRENGTHEN THAT SENSE OF CONNECTION AND HENCE ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE FEELINGS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY THAT MAY COME UP FROM TIME TO TIME. SPENDING, FOR EXAMPLE, 15 MINUTES A DAY, MAKING SURE THAT YOU ARE REACHING OUT TO PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT. MAYBE IT'S JUST A SIMPLE MESSAGE TO SAY I'M THINKING ABOUT YOU, MAYBE IT'S A PHONE CALL TO TALK TO A FAMILY MEMBER OR GOOD FRIEND. THAT CAN MAKE AN EXTRAORDINARY DIFFERENCE WHEN DONE CONSISTENTLY. THE SECOND IS TO REALIZE THAT THE QUALITY OF OUR TIME WITH OTHERS MATTERS, AS MUCH IF NOT MORE THAN THE QUANTITY OF TIME. IF YOU'RE LIKE ME, YOU PROBABLY HAVE HAD MANY CONVERSATIONS IN RECENT YEARS WHERE YOU ARE MULTITASKING, TALKING TO A FRIEND, YOU'RE CATCHING UP, BUT YOU'RE ALSO FLIPPING THROUGH INSTAGRAM OR REFRESHING YOUR INBOX OR CLEANING OUT A QUICK EMAIL THAT YOU THINK DOESN'T REALLY TAKE MUCH MENTAL BANDWIDTH, CONVINCING YOURSELF YOU CAN STILL FOCUS ON THE CONVERSATION. >> TOO OFTEN. >> YEAH, AND I'VE DONE THIS TOO, ALL OF US HAVE. IT'S PART OF LIVING IN AN ERA WHERE THESE DEVICES THAT WE HAVE ARE JUST EXTRAORDINARY EASY TO USE AND THEY'RE IN OUR POCKETS, THEY'RE VERY AVAILABLE. BUT THE DATA IS VERY CLEAR THAT WE CAN MULTITASK AS HUMAN BEINGS. WHAT WE DO IS, WE RAPIDLY TASK-SWITCH FROM ONE TO ANOTHER. WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT YOU MIGHT THINK THAT YOU'RE LISTENING TO YOUR FRIEND WHEN YOU'RE ACTUALLY TYPING OUT AN EMAIL BECAUSE YOU CAN RECALL THE WORDS THAT THEY'RE SAYING, BUT YOU'RE NOT PROCESSING THE NUANCE WITH WHICH THEY'RE SAYING IT, YOU'RE MAYBE MISSING OUT ON SOME OF THE TONE, WHICH IS SO MUCH OF HOW PEOPLE COMMUNICATE. NOT JUST THROUGH WORDS BUT THROUGH THESE OTHER WAYS. AND SO IF YOU HAVE THE EXPERIENCE, THOUGH, OF HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH SOMEONE WHERE THEY WERE LISTENING DEEPLY TO YOU, WHERE THEY WERE FULLY PRESENT, WHERE YOU AND THEY WERE BOTH SHARING OPENLY, THEN YOU KNOW FIVE MINUTES OF THAT KIND OF CONVERSATION CAN BE MORE POWERFUL THAN AN HOUR OF DISTRACTED CONVERSATION. SO ONE OF THE GREATEST GIFTS YOU CAN GIVE PEOPLE IS YOUR PRESENCE, YOUR ATTENTION. THE THIRD THING I WILL JUST MENTION IS THE POWER OF SERVICE. AT TIMES WE FEEL DISEMPOWERED, WHEN WE FEEL ANXIOUS, DEPRESSED AND LONELY, SEEKING OUT OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE OTHERS CAN BE ONE OF THE MOST THERAPEUTIC THINGS THAT WE DO. THIS WAS A REALIZATION TO ME JUST A FEW YEARS AGO. BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT WHEN WE SERVE OTHERS, AND SERVICE, KEEP IN MIND, IS NOT JUST VOLUNTEERING IN A SOUP KITCHEN OR VOLUNTEERING FOR HABITAT FOR HABITAT FO R HUMANITY. SERVICE CAN BE DROPPING FOOD OFF TO A FRIEND WHO'S STRUGGLING, PAUSING TO ASK HOW SOMEONE IS DOING AND WAITING TO HEAR THE ANSWER. IT COULD BE OFFERING TO VIRTUALLY BABYSIT FOR A FRIEND WHO MIGHT BE STRUGGLING TO TELEWORK WHILE HOMESCHOOLING THEIR KIDS AND EVEN JUST 10 MINUTES OF RELIEF CAN BE A BIG DEAL. THERE ARE MANY WAYS WE CAN SERVE. BUT WHEN WE SERVE OTHER PEOPLE, WE NOT ONLY HELP THEM AND FORM A CONNECTION, BUT WE REMIND OURSELVES THAT WE HAVE VALUE TO BRING TO THE WORLD. THIS IS ONE OF THE GREAT PRICES OF LONELINESS, DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, IS IT CAN ROB US OVER TIME OF OUR SELF-WORTH. IT CAN MAKE US FEEL THAT WE HAVE NO VALUE TO BRING TO THE WORLD, AND SERVICE REMINDS US OF THAT. SO THESE ARE SOME SMALL, SIMPLE THINGS WE CAN DO TO STRENGTHEN OUR SENSE OF WELL-BEING, BUT FINALLY JUST REMEMBER, EACH OF US WHO SPEAKS UP ABOUT OUR CHALLENGES WITH MENTAL HEALTH OR LONELINESS, WE MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR OTHERS TO DO THE SAME. WE GIVE PEOPLE PERMISSION TO STAND IN STRENGTH WHEN WE DO THE SAME. SO I JUST WANT TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT AS HARD AS IT IS, GIVEN THE STICK MA WE STIGMA WE HAVE, MANY UFERS ARE GOING THROUGH SIMILAR EXPERIENCES, MYSELF AS WELL. IT'S NOT SOMETHING TO BE ASHAMED OF, I THINK APPROACHED THE RIGHT WAY, IT CAN BRING US TOGETHER AND HELP US STRENGTHEN ONE ANOTHER. >> THAT'S FANTASTIC. I THINK I MADE ALL OF THOSE NOTES. WE ONLY HAVE ONE MINUTE LEFT SO I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO GIVE THE LAST WORD HERE TO DR. DZAU, OUR HONOREE, WITH A QUESTION FROM THE AUDIENCE THAT I THOUGHT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT AND WE'LL WRAP WITH THIS: HOW CAN PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERS CONTINUE -- YOU MENTIONED TRUST. HOW CAN THEY CONTINUE TO BUILD TRUST WB WITHIN OUR COUNTRY AND ACROSS THE WORLD? BIG QUESTION. 30 SECONDS. >> 30 SECONDS. UM, WE NEED TO BE CLEAR IN OUR COMMUNICATION. WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT WHEN WE DON'T KNOW AN ANSWER, THAT WE DON'T KNOW AN ANSWER. WE NEED TO BE ALWAYS ADAPTIVE AND BEING ABLE TO TELL PEOPLE WHEN NEW EVIDENCE EMERGES, THAT THIS IS WHAT IT IS. I THINK A LOT OF MISTRUST IS MISUNDERSTANDING. PUBLIC HEALTH, SAME THINGS THAT IS KIND OF SPECULATIVE, NOT BASED ON DATA OR THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT IT LEADS PEOPLE TO SAYING THAT IS THE FACT THAT YOU JUST TOLD US, AND THEN TWO WEEKS LATER, YOU TELL US SOMETHING DIFFERENT. EVEN THE ISSUE OF WEARING A MASK OR MANY OTHERS. SO I THINK PROBABLY HEALTH LEADERS HAVE TOK BASED TO BE BASED IN SCIENCE. THEY HAVE TO BE ABLE TO ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT THEY DON'T KNOW AND WHAT THEY DO KNOW. THEY NEED TO COMMUNICATE CONSISTENTLY AND CLEARLY, AND THEN THEY SHOULD ALWAYS PUT THE WELFARE, HEALTH OF OTHERS ABOVE THEIR OWN NEEDS. >> THAT IS FAN FANTASTIC. AS WE WRAP UP THIS SESSION, VERY FASCINATING, VERY THOUGHT-PROVOKING. ON BEHALF OF THE ORGANIZERS OF THIS EVENT, I EXTEND SINCERE THANKS AND GRATITUDE TO BOTH OF OUR GUESTS FOR TAKING TIME OUT OF THEIR VERY BUSY SCHEDULES TO BE WITH US TODAY. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE PLANNING COMMITTEE AT THE NIH, OTHER GROUPS, SISTER FEDERAL AGENCIES FROM FDA, CDC, HRSA, WHO WORKED HARD TO PUT THIS EVENT TOGETHER IN A SHORT TIME. AND THANK YOU TO THE VIEWERS FOR JOINING US TODAY. TAKE CARE. >> THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. TAKE CARE. >> THANK YOU. GREAT CONVERSATION WITH YOU. >> THANK YOU FOR A WONDERFUL CONVERSATION. I ENJOYED IT THOROUGHLY. THANK YOU, VICTOR, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH, VIVEK.