[Vision2020] Faith Based Science

[Chasuk]

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 176-06
May 25, 2006

Address to Graduates of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore, MD


Good afternoon.  Thank you, Dr. Miller, for that kind introduction,
and for this wonderful recognition.

I've been given special degrees before, but being made an honorary
doctor by real doctors in front of future doctors is the ultimate and
may be about the best news my mother has ever heard.  Considering the
anemic academic record I amassed during my undergraduate years here at
Hopkins, this really reaffirms my belief that anything in life and at
JHU is possible.

Let me begin this afternoon by assuring you of two things.

First: I'm going to be brief.  And second:  I'm not going to play the
guitar and sing "I did it my way" like I'm told the commencement
speaker did last year.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, but
I think you graduates have undergone enough punishment to get your
degrees…and for humanitarian reasons, I won't pile on.

Still, before I impart some indispensable words of wisdom to you, I
want to say something about another important group.  I'm talking
about the parents who are sitting out there this afternoon, beaming
proudly and not even thinking about what it cost to get to this day -
or about what happens if you become an academic and have to move back
home to make ends meet.  So let's give them a big hand.  They deserve
it!

Now, like all good scientists, I've done some research in preparation
for this occasion.  And I've learned a lot about today's distinguished
graduates.  Here's what I found out:

Some of you will practice medicine or do research; others will manage
fancy Mexican restaurants in Federal Hill.

Some of you took anatomy with Doctor Rose; others actually enjoyed
anatomy with Doctor Rose.

Some of you have studied here for four years; others have for six,
seven, or eight - and I think one MD/PHD started just around the time
The Dome was built!

All of you, though, shared a few experiences:

Those first-year lectures in the beautiful, windowless confines of the
Wood Basic Science Building basement.

The glamorous and nutritious take-out dinners from "Taste of China."

And I know you all share a deep, personal satisfaction that whatever
happens in your professional life, you probably won't ever again live
in Reed Hall.

But you also share something quite serious.  Two things, in fact.
Each one of you has had two important principles deeply embedded in
you through your association with this amazing institution: An
unwavering allegiance to the power of science and a profound
commitment to use that power to help people.  And this is a good
thing, because now more than ever, these two fundamental concepts are
being ignored, or are under attack.

Today, we are seeing hundreds of years of scientific discovery being
challenged by people who simply disregard facts that don't happen to
agree with their agendas.  Some call it "pseudo-science," others call
it "faith-based science," but when you notice where this negligence
tends to take place, you might as well call it "political science."

You can see "political science" at work when it comes to global
warming.  Despite near unanimity in the science community there's now
a movement - driven by ideology and short-term economics - to ignore
the evidence and discredit the reality of climate change.

You can see "political science" at work with respect to stem cell
research.  Despite its potential, the federal government has
restricted funding for creating new cell lines - putting the burden of
any future research squarely on the shoulders of the private sector.
Government's most basic responsibility, however, is the health and
welfare of its people, so it has a duty to encourage appropriate
scientific investigations that could possibly save the lives of
millions.

"Political science" knows no limits.  Was there anything more
inappropriate than watching political science try to override medical
science in the Terry Schiavo case?

And it boggles the mind that nearly two centuries after Darwin, and 80
years after John Scopes was put on trial, this country is still
debating the validity of evolution.  In Kansas, Mississippi, and
elsewhere, school districts are now proposing to teach "intelligent
design" - which is really just creationism by another name - in
science classes alongside evolution.  Think about it!  This not only
devalues science, it cheapens theology.  As well as condemning these
students to an inferior education, it ultimately hurts their
professional opportunities.

Hopkins' motto is Veritas vos liberabit - "the truth shall set you
free" - not that "you shall be free to set the truth!"  I've always
wondered which science those legislators who create their own truths
pick when their families need life-saving medical treatment.

There's no question:  science - the very core of what you have been
living and breathing these past several years - is being sorely
tested.  But the interesting thing is this is not the first time that
graduates of the School of Medicine have faced such a challenge.  When
the institution was founded more than a century ago, medicine was
dominated by quacks and poorly-trained physicians.  In that world,
Johns Hopkins and its graduates became a beacon of truth, and trust
and helped to revolutionize the field.

Today, in just a few hours you will each evoke that same respect - and
with it, you will each bear the same responsibility: To defend the
integrity and power of science.

Now, the second ideal that has been ingrained in you by Hopkins is a
commitment to use science to help people.  That's true at the Medical
School and it's true across Wolf Street at the Schools of Public
Health, and Nursing.  In fact, it is a calling that is at the very
essence of the entire East Baltimore campus.

When Johns Hopkins developed the original principles by which the
hospital should operate, he specifically decreed that it should "treat
the indigent sick of the city… without regard to sex, age, or color."

It may sound obvious that the goal of every doctor and scientist is to
use knowledge to improve the lives of others, but this cannot be taken
for granted anymore.  Look at some of the recent federal and state
governmental, medical, and scientific policies and then tell me that,
in every case, the end goal is always about helping the patient.  I
don't think so!

I work at the city level, dealing with real world problems and
delivering actual services.  We have to put the care and treatment of
our neighbors front and center.  We can't let ideology get in the way
of truth.

We have pursued a ground-breaking agenda built on facts, and on a
commitment to those who need it most.  A patient-driven program that
cares about outcomes, not incomes.  Let me give you some examples:

We have taken aim at tobacco - the country's biggest killer - by
raising cigarette taxes, running hard-hitting ad campaigns, helping
smokers quit, and wiping out smoking in bars, restaurants, and other
workplaces.

We have taken aim at AIDS by focusing on reducing risky behavior,
improving the quality of care, and expanding testing - because
knowledge is power.

We have taken aim at diabetes - the only major health problem in our
country that's getting worse - by beginning to address childhood
obesity and working to create the nation's first-ever population-based
diabetes registry.

And we have taken aim at unintended pregnancies by increasing access
to high-quality reproductive health care services for all our
citizens.  Last June, we became the first city in America to run a
public campaign to raise awareness and increase access to Emergency
Contraception.

None of these initiatives is steeped in ideology, but they are all
brimming with common sense.  To me, that's really the essence of good
public health policy, and it's the same approach that I hope you will
carry with you wherever you go, whether it's into research, practice,
teaching, or the private sector.

If you think about it, the cardinal rule of medicine - "Do no harm" -
really aims too low.  To improve health means being rigorous, being
inquisitive, keeping up to date with scientific progress, and always
pursuing the truth.  It also means thinking beyond just medicine, and
addressing the broader social, political, and economic issues that
affect health:  Housing, education, discrimination, and most of all,
poverty.

Addressing these issues will increase access to care and improve
patient outcomes, but there's no doubt, it will take courage and
strong leadership to make society confront them.  Fortunately, as
graduates of this institution, I believe you can be those leaders.

Let me conclude today with a story that I think illustrates everything
I've been talking about.

Although New York City is now, by far, the safest large city in
America, tragic crimes do continue.  Last November, a young New York
City police officer was gunned down during a traffic stop on the
streets of Brooklyn.  He was rushed to Kings County Hospital, where
doctors heroically tried to save him.  But despite their best efforts,
the officer's massive heart wounds were too severe and he died on the
operating table.

Moments later, Dr. Robert Kurtz - the hospital's Co-Director of Trauma
Surgery, who also worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital during the late
1960s - joined me and our Police Commissioner to address the press.
The doctor was exhausted, still in his scrubs, which were covered in
blood.

First, he talked about his patient.  He calmly and professionally
explained how his team had tried to save the officer… how they had
reopened the young man's chest after the first surgery had failed…how
he had held the officer's heart in his hands.  All to no avail.

This man's devotion to his patient was palpable, and powerful.  And so
was his commitment to the truth.  At that moment, having seen too many
gunshot victims in his ER over the years, he felt compelled to speak
out forcefully and publicly, to tell the assembled politicians and
press the truth about the problem of guns on our streets.

There's no question this single act did a great deal to spark a
renewed commitment in our fight against illegal guns, a scourge that
has created a true public health crisis in our city, and all cities.
Dr. Kurtz could have left the advocacy to others.  He could have said
that wasn't his job.  But leadership is part of his job, and part of
the job of all doctors.

Now, like him, you must fight - both to heal, and to be heard.  And,
despite the obstacles that will be placed in your path, you must lead
us to a stronger, safer, healthier world.  I have no doubt that you
will succeed.

Today, you celebrate.  Tomorrow, your great work begins.

So get up early.  Have that last 8A.M. beer at Jimmy's.  And then
welcome to the battle.  It is one we not only can win; it is one we
must win.

Congratulations on your graduation, and all the best in your lives and careers.