A Modern Playbook for Trust Across the Health Ecosystem

Public trust in health care delivery, public health, and biomedical innovation is at a historic low. While many place the blame on the COVID-19 pandemic and the proliferation of social media, the reality is that distrust is a deeply rooted structural challenge that has plagued the U.S. for centuries. It is tied to historical movements for medical freedom and centuries of systemic discrimination and earned mistrust among minoritized communities. Today, this crisis is compounded by a lack of shared values and facts and the rising dominance of tribal identity over objective science. The Coalition for Trust in Health & Science is working across the entire health ecosystem to bring a new approach to trust-building. Approaches targeting macro- and micro-level interventions have promise in establishing, rebuilding, and/or maintaining trust between the field and the American people.