Opinion: Physician and Rep. Raul Ruiz: The infectious disease doctor shortage threatens future pandemic preparedness

In 2009, I was practicing in the emergency department when the H1N1 pandemic emerged. Then, I saw firsthand the vital role infectious disease physicians played in not only facilitating a coordinated public health response, but also helping patients, providers, and the public navigate the uncertainty that comes with confronting a novel virus. While on the frontlines of that pandemic, I depended on our community’s infectious disease specialists as I worked in real-time to provide patients with the answers and care they needed.

Ten years later, when an even deadlier novel virus swept the country, I encountered that same uncertainty navigating a novel public health threat — this time representing the same communities I once served as a physician. And when Covid-19 struck, the vulnerabilities in our nation’s health care system were laid bare for the world to see. By the end of 2020, more than 350,000 Americans had died of Covid, and health care workers were pushed to the brink. Since then, we have been able to close the door on the worst of these challenging times with the help of investments in public health infrastructure through the American Rescue Plan.

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