ASPPH President and CEO Dr. Laura Magaña has published a new Academic Public Health Perspectives article, “Research as a Foundation for Sustainable Health Systems”, examining the essential role research plays in preparing future public health leaders and strengthening health systems. The article explores how evidence-based decision-making can help organizations navigate today’s complex challenges while building more resilient, equitable, and sustainable systems for the future.

Dr. Magaña argues that research is far more than a scholarly endeavor. It is a cornerstone of academic public health that equips students with the critical thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills needed to address increasingly complex public health challenges. As health systems confront demographic shifts, climate change, emerging infectious diseases, workforce shortages, technological disruption, and persistent health inequities, she emphasizes that evidence-based leadership has become a strategic imperative.

The article highlights three transformational shifts shaping the future of health systems: moving from hierarchical organizations to collaborative networks, from prioritizing efficiency alone to building resilience, and from simply adopting new technologies to ensuring innovation remains human-centered and grounded in evidence. Throughout, Dr. Magaña underscores the unique responsibility of academic institutions to prepare leaders who can generate knowledge, translate evidence into action, and build partnerships across sectors.

The article concludes with a call for governments, universities, healthcare organizations, philanthropic foundations, and the private sector to invest in research capacity and evidence-based leadership as essential foundations for healthier, more resilient communities.