Leana S. Wen

“Addiction is a disease, just like diabetes and heart disease.”

“The most critical key to getting good medial care is a trusting relationship between you and your doctor.”

“If children cannot see, they cannot learn; if they have untreated medical conditions, they cannot focus in school.”

“People depend on Planned Parenthood for breast exams, cervical cancer screenings, H.I.V. testing and family planning.”

“When I was 10 years old, my neighbor died in front of me of an asthma attack, because he and his family were undocumented immigrants and his grandmother was afraid of what would happen if they called an ambulance for help.”

“As a public health official, paid sick leave is first and foremost an issue of health - of people's lives.”

“No one should die of cervical cancer because they can't access quality, affordable reproductive health care.”

“The moment I gave birth to my son, Eli, was the happiest in my life. He changed my world. My identity had always been shaped by my career - I thought of myself first as a physician and a public health official - but suddenly I thought of myself first, second, and third as a mother.”

“The controversial idea of abolishing private insurance in favor of a single, government-run program certainly deserves some rigorous back-and-forth. But not at the expense of issues with a much greater impact on our health.”

“We must offer mental health services in the community, where people are, including in our schools.”

“Birth control is an important part of women's healthcare. It allows women to plan and time their pregnancies, and reduces preterm births and maternal complications.”

“Routine pap and HPV screenings save thousands of women from dying of cervical cancer every year.”

“The higher the rate of covid-19 in a community, the more likely any one individual you come into contact with has the virus and the riskier your interactions become.”

“Because cervical cancer generally progresses slowly, early diagnosis is often crucial to detecting the disease when there are curative treatment options available.”

“If the goal is to reduce gun deaths and ensure safe, legal firearm usage, activists on both sides should stop fearing data and start embracing it.”

“It is imperative that we address the barriers to access and the systemic racism that we know is contributing to our astronomically high maternal mortality rates. The onus must be on the health care system to make necessary changes.”

“While women's healthcare extends far beyond reproductive healthcare, its politicization is harming women's overall health and well-being.”

“Improvements in global public health must begin locally, and must be driven by leaders who will learn the hard lessons from COVID-19.”

“We must start 24/7 ERs dedicated to addiction and mental health.”

“Addressing motor vehicle crashes as a public health issue didn't stop people from driving cars, but it did make being on the road a lot safer.”