Roslien Lecture: Dr. Michael Osterholm, “Public Health in Crisis: What This Means to You”

A Fireside Chat with Dr. Michael Osterholm
Moderated by Dr. Mark Larson

The national public health response to the COVID pandemic has been heavily criticized for the lack of a clearly defined strategy, resulting in a lack of trust in public health by the general public. Now the Trump Administration’s national response to infectious diseases, and vaccines in particular, is no longer based on scientific evidence, but rather ideology. Dr. Osterholm has occupied a front row seat for the deliberations and decisions for the pandemic response and the current federal actions regarding vaccines and public health. The current status of public health worldwide is in crisis and should be a serious concern for all of us. Dr. Osterholm will explain why this crisis exists and what we must do to address it. He will highlight the findings detailed in his 2025 book, The Big One: How We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics.

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About Dr. Osterholm

Dr. Michael Osterholm

Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, is Regents Professor, McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair in Public Health, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, a professor in the Technological Leadership Institute, College of Science and Engineering, and an adjunct professor in the Medical School, all at the University of Minnesota.

In early 2025, Dr. Osterholm and colleagues founded the Vaccine Integrity Project, a key initiative dedicated to safeguarding vaccine use in the US. He is also author of the new book, The Big One: How We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics.

In November 2020, Dr. Osterholm was appointed to President-elect Joe Biden’s COVID-19 transition advisory board. From June 2018 through May 2019, he served as a Science Envoy for Health Security on behalf of the US Department of State. He is also on the Luther College Board of Regents.

He is the author of two additional, New York Times best-selling, books. In 2000, he authored Living Terrors: What America Needs to Know to Survive the Coming Bioterrorist Catastrophe, laying out why the biological attacks (like the 2001 anthrax attack) are a new reality and what we must do to prepare. His 2017 book, Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs, details the most pressing infectious disease threats of our day (including coronaviruses and pandemics) but lays out a strategy to address them.

In addition, Dr. Osterholm is a member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and the Council of Foreign Relations. In June 2005, Dr. Osterholm was appointed by Michael Leavitt, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to the newly established National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity. In July 2008, he was named to the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center’s Academy of Excellence in Health Research. In October 2008, he was appointed to the World Economic Forum Working Group on Pandemics. In addition to his role at CIDRAP, Dr. Osterholm has also served as an HHS special advisor and a representative on the interim management team to lead the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention. Previously, Dr. Osterholm served from 1975 to 1999 at the Minnesota Department of Health, the last 15 as state epidemiologist.

He has written more than 420 papers and abstracts, including 21 book chapters, and is a frequently invited guest lecturer on the topic of epidemiology of infectious diseases. He serves on the editorial boards of nine journals.

Dr. Osterholm has received numerous honors, including an honorary doctorate from Luther College; the Pump Handle Award, CSTE; the Charles C. Shepard Science Award, CDC; the Harvey W. Wiley Medal, FDA; the Squibb Award, IDSA; Distinguished University Teaching Professor, UMN; and the Wade Hampton Frost Leadership Award, APHA. He also has been the recipient of six major research awards from the NIH and the CDC. Recently, he was named to TIME’s 2026 TIME100 health list of the world’s 100 most influential leaders in health.

About Dr. Larson

Dr. Mark Larson

After graduating from Luther in 1978, and medical school at the University of Iowa, Dr. Mark Larson completed a residency in Internal Medicine and Fellowship in Gastroenterology at Mayo Clinic. Since 1989, he has been a Consultant in Gastroenterology at Mayo Clinic, specializing in interventional endoscopy and malignant and pre-malignant gastrointestinal conditions and syndromes. He remains very engaged in medical research and educational activities, and has also held a number of administrative positions, currently serving as the Medical Director of Mayo Clinic Care Network, which is a collection of domestic and international organizations that work collaboratively with Mayo Clinic.

About the Roslien Distinguished Lecture

Dr. David J. Roslien Distinguished Lecture in Science and Leadership aims to bring internationally recognized individuals who have made impacts on society through the use of cutting-edge science or global leadership in policy and programs to Luther College to engage with faculty and students.