Former Sen. Tom Harkin gave a lecture on public health policy in the 21st century and discussed other health topics at the UI.

By Annie Laird
[email protected]

Former Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, became the University of Iowa College of Public Health’s first visiting scholar Wednesday night and gave a lecture titled “Making Public Health Policy in the 21st Century.”

Keith Mueller, the interim dean of the College of Public Health, began the event by giving a brief history of Harkin’s career and then presented the former senator with an award.

“I’m pleased to present Sen. Harkin with this award honoring him as the college’s initial visiting scholar,” Mueller said. “We look forward to hearing from his in-depth knowledge and vast experience in forming public-health policy and thank him for his years of service in championing public health.”

Harkin accepted the award and made a joke about not doing very well in school for a visiting scholar.

“My parents would be somewhat astounded to think I was a visiting scholar,” he said. “My dad only had a sixth-grade education. My mother was an immigrant with very little formal education. So, the fact that I’m a visiting scholar is not something in my gene pool.”

He then went on to thank the college for the award.

The former senator then quickly began diving into his past with public-health policy.

He spoke at great length about preventative health care and “how not enough attention” is paid to it nor enough money put into funding it.

“In 1991, I made a brief run for president, and I remember at the time, one of the things I was campaigning on was that we don’t have a health-care system in America, we have a sick-care system,” Harkin said.

Breanna Scorza, a postdoctoral researcher at the College of Public Health, said it was the main idea that stuck with her throughout the lecture.

“I think he’s absolutely right in that we need to stop waiting until we’re sick to get help and start working more toward preventative health care,” she said.

RELATED: Community members celebrate ADA advent

Though Harkin’s run at the presidency didn’t get far, the next year, he used his influence in the Senate to change the name of the CDC from the Centers for Disease Control to how it is now known: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Harkin stressed the idea of preventative care.

“We’ve got to keep funding up for public health,” he said. “About 50 percent of illnesses today are preventable diseases, and only 3 percent of health spending goes towards wellness and prevention.”

Harkin discussed the idea of health literacy, which he explained was not just being well-read in topics of health but understanding that the body, by default, should be healthy.

After that is established, everyone must then figure out how to go against society’s urging to be unhealthy and to keep the body in that default position, Harkin said.

While taking questions, one member of the audience posed a question about public health in this highly polarizing political climate, but Harkin argued the climate should have little effect on the matter.

“We’re better off if people are healthy,” Harkin said. “We save money in the long run. It doesn’t matter if you’re right-wing or left-wing, up or down. Even in a highly politically charged atmosphere, I think this is one area where we might make progress.”

Click below for more photos

[masterslider id=”122″]