Leaders from public health and the philanthropic community attend FPHNYC event to discuss the future of public health in NYC and honor CEO Sara Gardner’s legacy.
Sara Gardner has led the Fund for Public Health NYC (FPHNYC) for more than 17 years, growing the capacity and impact of the dedicated nonprofit partner of the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene. In advance of the upcoming end of her tenure as CEO in early 2026, FPHNYC organized a panel discussion and reception to celebrate the public health achievements of the past two decades and to consider how NYC can continue to maintain a robust public health system.
Center photo: Dr. Michelle Morse, Sara Gardner, Dr. Uché Blackstock, and Irfan Hasan
Photos by Ashika Kuruvilla and Elizabeth Pawlowski, NYC Health Department
Joining Sara for an insightful panel discussion about the future of public health were Dr. Michelle Morse, NYC’s Acting Health Commissioner and FPHNYC Board Chair, Dr. Uché Blackstock, CEO of Advancing Health Equity, and Irfan Hasan, VP for Grants at The New York Community Trust.
“A functioning public health system is crucial to individuals, communities, businesses, and institutions; public health also directly impacts economic and national security. New York City is lucky to have a well-established citywide ecosystem that supports public-private partnerships, bringing government agencies, community-based organizations, businesses, and philanthropies to work side by side. There’s widespread recognition that health is all of our responsibility.”
Sara Gardner, CEO, FPHNYC
Attendees also heard via video from former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, an alumnus of the CDC and NYC Health Department. Dr. Daskalakis urged people not to let misinformation erode the power of science to inform public health policy and public engagement. The NYC Health Department and FPHNYC remain absolutely committed to science and equity. However, government cannot do this work alone. Please consider a one-time or recurring gift to FPHNYC.