Embracing both town and gown

Al Katz, MD, MPH –UH Office of Public Health Studies faculty and community health practitioner: embracing both town and gown.

Since graduating with an MPH in 1987, Al Katz has worked to improve the health of Hawai‘i’s communities by being a professor of epidemiology at the UH Office of Public Health Studies. In this role, he has engaged hundreds of students in the stories and methods of public health and inspired the careers of public health practitioners in Hawai‘i and around the world.

Epidemiology is the tool that anchors public health analysis. It may seem dry, but we know from talking with his students that Al spins his stories of epidemiological puzzles with humor and insight. 

“Although I have taught the material for close to 30 years, I try to keep each year’s lectures fresh with current examples and stories to unlock the logic of epidemiological problem solving,” he says.

“I believe in the wisdom of epidemiological evidence. I also love teaching, and I appreciate watching ‘the light go on’ as our students learn new ideas and skills. These are our future public health leaders!” he adds. 

Al’s father was a doctor, and he grew up learning about traditional medical care. He also grew up in an era when young people were talking a lot about social justice and the environmental conditions that impact health. He wanted to go to medical school, with the dream of working in community health. During his first year of residency at a county hospital, Al came face to face with the role of poverty, community violence, and historical trauma on health.

“I realized that one’s health is influenced by more than disease or its absence. It is influenced by our social circumstances and our social, political, and physical environment,” he says.

In an effort to find a niche where he might be even more effective, Al moved to Hawai‘i to complete his residency. He worked as a staff physician and briefly as medical director at the Waikiki Health Center, a federally qualified community health center. Two of his colleagues there had earned their MPH degrees and completed preventive medicine training. Al decided to do the same and, upon completion, he joined the UH Public Health faculty in 1988.

“My mentor was Dr. Robert Worth, a physician, humanitarian and pioneer in the field of public health in Hawai‘i and the Asia Pacific region. He brought his extensive field experiences into the classroom. By sharing his personal stories, he demonstrated the relevance of epidemiologic principles and inspired his students,” says Al.

Al continues to share his skills with the community, serving as a member of the Board of Health and working with the Hawai‘i Department of Health’s Harm Reduction Services Branch and the Life Foundation and CHOW Project (now merged into the Hawai‘i Health and Harm Reduction Center).

“To me, public health comprises all the activities that keep individuals and their communities healthy,” says Al. “This includes all the preventive activities that occur behind the scenes: keeping water and air quality at optimal levels; raising immunization rates to minimize vaccine preventable illnesses; working to reduce health disparities in underserved populations; enhancing mental health services. Public health is the foundation for community health.”

University of Hawai‘i Alumni