When the pandemic was in its early stages, Haven said she was excited and hopeful it might mean a larger discussion about having more funding for public health. But, as things have progressed, Haven isn’t so sure what the outcome for public health will be in the future.
“It makes me a little skeptical for what things are going to look like moving forward when our lives kind of go back to normal,” she said. “Will there be long-term ramifications? Will there be more support for public health? I'm not so sure.”
There has been an emphasis on epidemiology and infectious diseases during the pandemic and the role public health plays in that, but Haven emphasized that public health is much more than vaccinations and COVID-19 tests.