| Exactly a year to the day before that, on September 20th 2006, I was in an Institute of Medicine Workshop on Ethical and Legal Considerations in Mitigating Pandemic Disease, when Harvey Fineberg, M.D., Ph.D., President of the IOM, gave a powerful and inspiring speech urging scientists and physicians to rise to the occasion, when called upon, to speak truth to power on the dangers and consequences, the knowns and unknowns, the tremendous number of difficult issues around influenza science, our medical and public health responses, the inadequacy of our institutions and resources, the economic and policy implications, the ethical and legal dilemmas - in short, all the challenges that we face when planning for an influenza pandemic.
It was the first time I attended such a meeting. It was also the first time I got in front of a microphone and spoke on issues of policy to government officials. Looking back, I believe that were it not for Dr Fineberg's moving and powerful encouragement, I would not have had the courage to stand up and speak on that day, and I would not have done half the things that I've done, nor spoken nor written on half the issues that I've worked on in the past year.
His query was this, When it comes time to speak, are we able to say what tptb need to hear, for the benefit of mankind, rather than what they want to hear? Will we let our fear of their displeasure, our concerns over our jobs, our funding prospects, perhaps the anger of our colleagues, stop us from telling the truth, the whole unvarnished truth, and nothing but the truth? Will we be ashamed of our inadequacies as men and women of science, such that we feel compelled to put up the face of false confidence, and pretend that we DO know what we are talking about, when in fact we don't? Will we be able to rise to what is demanded of us, and put the wellbeing of our fellow countrymen front and center, but do so at a time when such actions are derided and the world is asleep to the danger, when opposing the tide of opinion is going to be our daily chore? Will we be willing to risk our personal fortune for an illusive goal somewhere in the unknown future? It was, is, a tall order. It was a gauntlet thrown upon those of us who had the honor to be in the room that day.
It was something utterly unforgettable.
Were it not for that one moment of inspiration, when I raised my hand and was called upon to be the first person to speak after Dr Fineberg, when I shared with the room how SARS killed 300 people in Hong Kong, brought that rich and well-run city to a standstill, caused a sharp drop in GDP and massive unemployment, that a 1918-like pandemic would kill 35,000 in the same timeframe, and that I cannot imagine how a public health crisis 100 times more severe than the most severe one known to that city can possibly be dealt with with any conventional public health measures on the books, and that therefore I would suggest that we need to sweep all our books off of our tables and start from a clean slate, to approach the problem as if we have never known any other public health crises before, and strive to find new and novel ways of mitigating such a disaster - were it not for that one moment that lit a spark somewhere in the deepest part of my being, I would not have had the fortune to walk that strange and uplifting path that I did in this past year.
That path was trodden, that part of my personal history has been written, in the past year, and much of that was documented within these diaries, to be shared with all who care to look.
But, at the risk of stating the obvious, speaking truth to power presupposes there IS some entity, some person in power who is on the receiving end of what is being spoken. Someone who is willing to listen, when they are not required to listen. Someone who is personally well assured of a brilliant future and yet strives to go beyond what is required of his office, to try and do better, to find that extra piece of insight, to discover that extra source of talent, to bring on board yet another perspective and try on what each has to offer. To surpass even himself everyday, but not for any other reason than the humanity and the vision that reside within.
I was not aware of it then, but the IOM was again the venue for my great awakening, when in the second meeting I went to, something in what I spoke about, of bereaved parents and the duties of those who hold office, struck those in the room as extraordinary and profound. And yet, it was not, to me. It was nothing more than a bit of folk wisdom, a bit of mommy-wisdom.
The point is, how many leaders would have taken notice of something spoken by an unknown woman walking in from off the street, however profound, and acted on it? How many would have forgotten it after that transient moment "oh, geez, she's right."? How many would have continued to encourage input and participation from someone unaffiliated, without the right credentials, with nothing more than the power of words, to hold tptb accountable - how many of those in power would have done the opposite, tried to avoid and ignore such 'unprofessional' and unsolicited input, and breathed a sigh of relief, of "good riddance" when that person is silenced?
The kind of leadership that Dr Venkayya has demonstrated, in the short time that I've had the honor to be aware of it, is not the kind that puts one in any Halls of Fame. Much of what I do know, of his vision and his passion, is known only intuitively and not explicitly, simply by reason of the necessities of his office. And yet, ignorant as I was, and still am, I can easily imagine another in the same position who would have worn the word with a capital L, and gone around displaying it for all the world to see, instead of quietly and with humility stood and listened for yet another piece of feedback, of where and how he/we might do better, in this great and important work that is bigger than any one of us.
It might have been me who had the courage, some would say the gumption, to stand up and speak truth to power, but were it not for Dr Venkayya's vision and ability to grasp the moment, I could easily have said exactly the same things and we would have passed each other like two ships in the night, and I would not have had the opportunity to play a part, however minor and transient, in helping to tackle one of the toughest challenges ever thrown to humanity. And many on our forum who would never have dreamt that what they thought could possibly be important, would have never become empowered to go forth and be leaders in their community.
It was an honor like no other, and I am truly humbled by it.
This was/is leadership at its most profound, leadership that seeks the betterment of others not oneself; it is the embodiment of an idea that is unspoken but lived, so unconsciously and naturally that I'm not sure he is aware of it, the idea of empowerment of the individual, the idea that the lowest and most insignificant amongst us can and do make important contributions to the wellbeing of society, and that bringing them into the dialogue is the most important thing we can possibly do to help a community stand on its own feet, to become resilient in the face of catastrophe.
It is the kind of vision that the world needs.
It is an idea whose time has arrived.
I pray that we see more of the same, in whoever follows Dr Venkayya's footsteps. |
