News and Events
2025-2026 Events
2025 Isidore I. Benrubi Lecture in the History and Ethics of Public Health
September 16, 2025
DEFENDING PUBLIC HEALTH, SCIENCE, AND DEMOCRACY IN A TIME OF PERIL
We hosted a conversation with Robert Wood Johnson Foundation President and CEO Richard Besser, in conversation with New Yorker contributor and Dean of the Journalism School, Jelani Cobb. Dr. Besser discuss why he and RWJF have continued to speak forthrightly in defense of public health and the study of racism, inequality, and exclusion, even in a climate increasingly hostile to its study. Dean Jelani Cobb will add his perspectives from the field of journalism, an institution that has come under similar attack.
Alex and Sophie Rosner Seminar Series
History Now: A New Lecture Series Bringing History to Public Health Audiences
The series is open to the public, and free lunch is served at most events. For more information, contact centerhistoryethics@cumc.columbia.edu.
Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025 | 11:45 AM - 1 PM
Fighting Authoritarianism in History: The Case of Soviet Union Dissidents
Dr. Benjamin Nathans, Winner, Pulitzer Prize (2025)
Alan Kors Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania
Tuesday, November 11, 2025 (new date) | 11:45 AM - 1 PM EST
The Attack on Scientific Research: What's the Path Forward?
Dr. Holden Thorp, Editor, Science
Professor of Chemistry, George Washington University
Featured News
Read about Center for History & Ethics research and faculty.
A Dialogue on Standing Up for Public Health and Democracy
Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Columbia Journalism School Dean Jelani Cobb spoke at the Columbia Mailman School.
Center Professors Featured in PBS Series on Public Health
The four-part documentary series titled Invisible Shield premiered on March 26.