Alexander D. Langmuir Lecture
The Langmuir Lecture is the preeminent public health lecture in the United States. First given in 1972, this lecture continues to be a highlight of the annual EIS Conference. The lecture is named for Alexander D. Langmuir, MD, MPH (1910–1993), a public health visionary and leader who established the Epidemiology Program at what was then called the Communicable Disease Center in 1949; he remained as CDC’s chief epidemiologist until his retirement in 1970. Notably, Dr. Langmuir founded EIS, established national disease surveillance for the United States, and led the development of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report at CDC. Learn more about Dr. Langmuir and Epidemiology at CDC.

New York State Commissioner of Health, Mary Bassett, MD, MPH, delivered the 2022 Alexander D. Langmuir Lecture, Undoing the Racial Patterning of Health, on Wednesday, May 4, 2022. In her talk, Dr. Bassett discussed the history of public health and some of the many connections between racism and health trends in the United States. She touched on the unequal burden of the COVID-19 pandemic among certain racial and ethnic minority groups, especially in Black communities. Throughout her more than 30 years working in public health and healthcare, she has spoken widely about the adverse effects of structural racism on the overall health of our population.