ÌÇÐÄVlog

By Gina Lovasi, PhD, MPH, the Dana and David Dornsife Dean and Professor of Epidemiology at ÌÇÐÄVlog's Dornsife School of Public Health

What makes someone want to listen to a scientist? Expertise matters. Evidence matters. Trust matters. But a recent conversation at Dornsife reminded me of another ingredient that deserves more attention: joy.

We were fortunate to welcome , host of , for the inaugural talk in our 2026-27 Population Health Spotlight Series. I am so grateful to Ana Martínez-Donate’s work organizing the series, and leading the conversation.

Ira Flatow has spent decades making science accessible, entertaining, and interesting to broad audiences. His reflections offered an important lesson for those of us working in public health: enthusiasm is not just a way to package a message. It can be part of the message itself.

Science is full of discoveries that invite wonder, yet we often feel pressure to begin with the “so what?”— to justify our work in terms of immediate applications, measurable impact, or the next funding opportunity. Those questions matter. But if we focus only on the answers we can already explain, then we risk losing the curiosity that leads us to ask better questions in the first place.

Flatow reminded us that communicating science well means inviting people into the process, not simply delivering conclusions. It means explaining how things work without talking down to an audience, making room for uncertainty and disagreement, and finding unexpected ways to spark interest. “Science is not a set of facts but a process for discovering the truth about nature,”  he shared.

A , for example, can open a door to a scientific phenomenon, expanding the audience curiosity and engagement well beyond what it would have been from sharing the technical explanation at the outset. Flatow shared that “Seventy-five percent of our listeners are motivated to study some part of what they hear after listening to something on Science Friday.” Whimsy can bring science down from the ivory tower and into conversations we share. 

This lesson feels especially important in public health. We have consequential work to do, often under difficult circumstances. We need to communicate clearly amid misinformation, build trust across differences, and make the case for sustained investment in research and healthier communities. These responsibilities are serious, but seriousness need not mean solemnity. When we share what excites us about our work, we give others a reason to care, to ask questions, and perhaps to see possibilities they had not imagined.

Joy is not an indulgence that we can set aside until the hard work is done. It is a crucial ingredient in the work itself. It helps sustain our curiosity, gives us the courage to try something new, and makes our communication more compelling and human. We are more likely to pursue work wholeheartedly—and to invite others to join us—when we can convey not only why it matters, but why it moves us.

As we continue our work at the Dornsife School of Public Health, I hope we make room for that kind of enthusiasm: the pleasure of discovery, the delight of a surprising connection, and the generosity of sharing what we have learned. The challenges facing public health call for rigor and persistence. They also call for people who can communicate with heart. And sometimes, the best way to help others see the importance of our work is to let them see our joy in doing it.

Watch Ira Flatow's conversation with Ana Martinez-Donate: