Public health research has long explored the reasons behind vaccine skepticism and barriers to health care — but the way those themes translate to how a pet owner cares for their furry best friend is less understood.
Associate Professor Simon Haeder studies health care access for both people and pets. He shares what excites him about his work and how understanding attitudes around pets fills in a more complete picture of the health care landscape.
Question:
What drew you to a career in public health?
The best thing about public health is that it attracts lots of people with different life experiences and different academic backgrounds, but everyone is committed to making society better. I also like the connection between academia and the real world. Public health as a discipline values contributions to both.
Question:
You research health care access for both people and pets. How are these areas similar, and how are they different?
People often ask me how I got into working on pet health issues. I tell them that I kind of slipped into it because of my own dog, Kimba. When I started thinking about pet health more and my own experiences with Kimba, I realized so many of the things I had been reading about for years very much apply to pets as well — challenges in access to care, disparities, rising prices, scope of practice concerns, private equity, even insurance. It’s all there! And, of course, issues around vaccinations.
Question:
You recently published research about vaccine hesitancy among pet owners. Why is it important to understand this public health issue?
A lot of people smirk a bit when I tell them about my work, but pets and pet health are important topics that deserve more attention. Pets are important to many people — as companions, as working animals or as service animals.
Dealing with a sick pet from a vaccine-preventable disease can be emotionally taxing and incredible costly. For some, that cost can be prohibitive, and in the worst case, the loss of a pet is often devastating. There are also important health implications, both for the public as well as for veterinarians and other professionals dealing with pets. Lastly, it contributes to a more complete picture of understanding broader societal phenomena like declining trust in experts and medicine.
Question:
What’s one thing you’re currently working on that you’re excited about?
In graduate school, one of my professors told us that you really have to find stuff you are excited to work on if you want to be to be successful in academia, otherwise you will be miserable from the time you get up to the time you go to bed. That stuck with me. So, I am really excited about all the things I work on. If I had to pick one thing, I would say my work on administrative burdens. I think it is a crucial issue in policymaking today and I have a bunch of work in the pipeline that will offer novel insights here.
Question:
What is your advice for students trying to identify their career interests in public health?
Everyone has to find what works best for them, but I think a helpful starting point is to be curious and try to experience many different things. For me, my default answer is “yes,” and the best opportunities have not been planned or thought out. I try to expose myself to lots of different experiences, people and ideas, and I am OK when things don’t go anywhere.
Question:
What’s the best part about being at Ohio State so far?
It has really been about how welcoming people have been to me. Lots of people from all over campus have reached out, from the law school to the veterinary college to Nationwide Children’s Hospital. It’s a challenging time in higher education and public health, but I think there is a such a great community on campus that there is much reason for optimism as well.
