Free speech and Public Health

Kristina Fiore

Public health expert Leana Wen, MD, didn’t speak at the American Public Health Association (APHA) annual meeting in Boston this week because of credible threats against her, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

Wen was slated to speak at a panel discussion that focused on countering backlash against public health.

Groups reportedly planned to create a scene by shouting down speakers and preventing the panel from continuing, and there were reports that Wen could be accosted in a bathroom, sources said.