By Marie Denoia Aronsohn
Millions view him on MSNBC almost every night: Dr. Irwin Redlener, the seventy-something pediatrician, who is also the founder of Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness.
As a contract consultant for the news and commentary cable network, Redlener has, for the past eighteen months, helped Americans make sense of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the same time that he’s been educating the country about pandemics, the pediatrician has been struggling with his own very personal health questions.
The man who can point to a dizzying list of accomplishments—from co-founding the Children’s Health Fund, which serves New York’s children; authoring two books: The Future of Us: What the Dreams of Children Mean for Twenty-First-Century America and Americans at Risk: Why We are Not Prepared for Future Megadisasters and What We Can Do Now; organizing rock concerts to raise funds for indigent communities impacted by disasters; helping the victims of famines in Africa—isn’t sure what to do next.
I spoke with Redlener about his activist approach to public health, as well as his rock and roll connections. He’s a Columbia professor who has, for decades, been partnering with music giants to do social good. Along the way, he’s worked with Paul Simon to create and sustain the Children’s Health Fund, an advocacy and service organization that provides pediatric care to underserved communities in New York and the American South. He’s worked with Marc Anthony, Joan Baez, and lately, Cher, helping them parlay their celebrity into projects that were helpful to the poor and the homeless. Most recently, Dr. Redlener worked with Cher to encourage COVID vaccination.
Here’s a big question: what’s next for you?
