Vivek emphasized that in order to improve health, everyone has to participate in the movement and make their voices heard. “Everyone has a message to share,” Vivek said. “The country suffers if you don’t put your voice out there.”
Specifically, he highlighted three steps for individuals to publicly express their ideas: 1) be clear on your message, 2) tell engaging stories that illustrate your ideas to people, and 3) be as authentic as you can possibly be.
For Vivek, the issue of authenticity became especially salient when opponents of his nomination for Surgeon General picked up on a tweet he had posted years earlier speaking out against gun violence. Looking back, Vivek said that he did not regret posting that tweet despite the challenges he faced as a result of it.
“I feel better about myself knowing that I was authentic,” Vivek remarked. “If I had to choose between a life hiding in the shadow versus a life in the light of authenticity that may be more difficult, I would choose the latter.”
At the end of the conversation, Vivek encouraged the Fellows to speak up. He said that neither Congress nor politicians alone would be able to fix all the problems associated with poor health and health disparities. “We [the people] will have to build a movement for health and justice,” Vivek said.
"As a future physician, what resonated with me the most was this,” Daneshjou said in response to the conversation. “Vivek described the pursuit of health as the pursuit of justice because in an equitable world, everyone would have the wellbeing to pursue their dreams."
Gerald Chunt-Sein Tiu is pursuing an MD and PhD in genetics at Stanford University. He is a 2015 recipient of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans.