Heartening News

By John R. Finnegan, Jr.
Dean and Professor
Jan. 7, 2008

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported on the front page Sunday morning that Minnesota has one of the lowest death rates from heart disease in the nation. Since the mid-1990s we have led the nation in the rate of decline, some 45 percent. Those of us in public health and medicine have known about this success story for some time. As recently as December an American Heart Association national report confirmed it. The story went on to interview our own Dr. Russell Luepker about the heartening news as well as former faculty member Dr. Tom Kottke, a cardiologist at Regions Hospital, and Dr. Stan Shanedling of the Minnesota Department of Health. All agreed that Minnesota's success is due to many factors including a positive Minnesota attitude toward prevention, a low uninsured rate, and access to excellent health care. I want to add one more factor without which this success would not likely have occurred in the first place: the University of Minnesota itself.

The heart disease success story highlights for me the importance of public research universities like Minnesota. Even before we were a state, the pioneers of 1851 recognized the critical need of a public research university in creating a better future for everyone in a state that did not yet exist. Because University scientists in public health, medicine, and other sciences pioneered the science of cardiovascular disease prevention, treatment, and management, you and I get to live in a world that is a better place in this important aspect. If our predecessors had not invested in this work, put money into it for the common good and the long-term, and assured the ability of the University of Minnesota to carry it out, I imagine that I would be writing a different column today.

Each public health and medical success story contains its own inverted lessons on how to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Here they are: 1) Rest on your laurels, cease being vigilant, and fail to create the next generation of prevention and treatment research; 2) Cut public support of health sciences at the University; 3) Increase the number of uninsured persons; and 4) Make it more difficult to access the best prevention and care available. I hope that we fail miserably to act on these inverted lessons. Otherwise, my successor might be writing a very different column 30 years from now.

By the way, if you really want a better understanding of the science that made this difference in Minnesota, the nation and the world, check out this amazing interactive historic archive: http://www.epi.umn.edu/cvdepi/index.html The brainchild of Henry Blackburn, Mayo Professor Emeritus, and with the support of dozens of staff and colleagues around the world, it will give you as comprehensive an understanding of CVD science and epidemiology as you can find in one place. Long live the Web!