The Story Behind Public Health Week with Dr. Caswell Evans Jr.

Dr. Caswell Evans Jr., Professor & Associate Dean of Prevention & Public Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a former president of the American Public Health Association, visited the SPH on April 5 to discuss how National Public Health Week came about.

Evans shared information from his experience as APHA president, as well as from his time at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, where he first implemented a public health week.

The idea for public health week came from a meeting between Evans and Bailus Walker, a former APHA president and friend of Evans'. The two discussed what it would take to get traction for a national public health week.

Evans decided to work toward a smaller version of that in Los Angeles. His first public health weeks had a slow start gaining supporters outside of the local media, but they slowly began to grow in popularity, he said.

Evans said he continued to push for a public health week in Los Angeles County because it required minimal effort from the involved parties, but it would highlight the work they do year-round.

"You can do what you normally do- just celebrate what you normally do as public health week," he said.

He said his team capitalized on making the event fun and on making public health visible, encouraging creativity among the different departments and organizations.

"Each entity was expected to do something that they were really invested in," he said.

The event grew every year, and gathered interest from outside parties as well. Evans' staff began to package primers on how other organizations, cities, states, etc. could implement a public health week of their own.

Public health week continued to grow in popularity until it was eventually adopted nationwide under the Clinton administration.

"Back then I had no idea public health week would be what it is today," he said.

He said he believes in giving stuff away and, through that, empowering others to take whatever piece they want and to build on that with their own vision.

Evans also stressed the importance of focusing on the organization, not the individual. He said having good friends who provide support in times when you need support is critical.

"If you're gonna do something that's bold, you've got to have the strength, and the fire and the guts to see it through," he said.