The Art of Health and the Science of Trust

Lecture description: Health is often described as a science, and trust as something more human, intuitive, or relational. But improving health requires both lenses: the artful practice of listening, storytelling, timing, humility, and connection — and the science of how trust is built, broken, measured, and repaired.

 Join Dr. Jay Butler and Dr. Anne Zink for a thoughtful, informative, and hopefully funny fireside chat exploring the art and science of health, public health, communication, and trust. Together, they will reflect on lessons learned in Alaska and beyond: how data can guide decisions, how stories give data meaning, how trust shapes whether science is heard, and how nuance matters when working with communities through uncertainty, crisis, and change.

 This conversation will look backward and forward — sharing lessons from the past while asking what we can carry ahead to improve the health and well-being of Alaska and beyond. Audience participation will be encouraged, with time for questions, discussion, and reflection.

 Bios:  Dr. Anne Zink is an emergency physician, public health leader, educator, and communicator with deep experience in health policy, emergency preparedness, data modernization, and health systems change. As Alaska’s former Chief Medical Officer, she led statewide public health strategy through COVID-19 and advanced practical, trust-based approaches to complex health challenges. She now serves as a Senior Fellow and Lecturer at the Yale School of Public Health, co-founder of PopHIVE, and founder of ZinkWise Consulting. Her current work focuses on national efforts to democratize health data through collaborative, distributed models of population health information, and on rural health transformation in Alaska and beyond.

 Jay C. Butler, MD,  is Dean of the College of Health at the University of Alaska Anchorage. A nationally recognized infectious disease physician and public health leader, he previously served as Associate Director for Infectious Diseases in the CDC's Office of Readiness and Response and as Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases at the CDC. He also served as Alaska's Chief Medical Officer and State Epidemiologist and directed the CDC's Arctic Investigations Program in Anchorage.

Throughout his career, Dr. Butler has led responses to major public health emergencies, including the 2001 anthrax attacks, the SARS outbreak, and the COVID-19 pandemic. He also served as Deputy Response Official for the Federal Unified Coordination Group for H5N1 avian influenza.

Dr. Butler earned his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina, his MD from Vanderbilt University, and completed specialty training in internal medicine, pediatrics, infectious diseases, and epidemiology. He has authored more than 150 scientific publications and book chapters and has served as Governor of the Alaska Chapter of the American College of Physicians and President of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. His work has also focused on reducing the harms of addiction and improving health care for people experiencing homelessness or incarceration.

This event is part of UAA’s College of Arts and Sciences Community Lecture Series “The Art and Science of Our World: Exploring the Wonder of Nature”. Please join us as we celebrate knowledge, inspire curiosity, and strengthen the bonds that make our community unique.