Every global crisis leaves behind two legacies. One is the visible, measurable toll it takes—lost lives, fractured systems, economic decline. The other is trickier to perceive: how well-prepared we were, and how effectively we communicated amidst chaos. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw firsthand that having accurate data and responsive policies wasn’t enough. What failed too often wasn’t just our infrastructure, but our ability to communicate well, build trust, and work across disciplines. These deficiencies were costly.

Ann-Elisabeth Samson sits down with Dr. Prativa Baral, a 2021 alumni scholar of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation and Assistant Professor at McGill University. Dr. Baral's research intersects global health, crisis leadership, and the role of effective science communication. With experience advising the WHO, World Bank, and UN, and as co-founder of Let Science Connect, she unpacks what happens when misinformation flourishes and public trust falters, shedding light on why science communication is as critical as the data itself.

Resources

• Let Science Connect Website
• Canadian COVID-19 Immunity Task Force Website
• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Website
• McGill University, Department of Global and Public Health Website
• Medicins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) Website
• Your Local Epidemiologist by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina Website
• Learn more about Dr. Prativa Baral

Dr. Prativa Baral is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Global and Public Health at McGill University and a Faculty Associate at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. As an infectious disease epidemiologist and science communicator, her work explores the intersection of global health, crisis leadership, and public trust. She has advised organizations including the WHO, World Bank, and United Nations on pandemic preparedness, health systems resilience, and misinformation.

Dr. Baral is the co-founder of Let Science Connect, an initiative equipping researchers to communicate clearly across disciplines and with the public. Her research focuses on building early warning systems, strengthening crisis leadership, and designing responsive public health infrastructures. A 2021 Scholar of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, she brings a systems-level approach to both science and policy—working to ensure societies aren’t just reacting to emergencies, but actively shaping their readiness.

Dr. Baral holds a PhD from Johns Hopkins University, MPH from Columbia University and a BSC from McGill University. She is currently developing McGill’s Pandemic and Emergency Readiness Lab with Dr. Joanne Liu, former international president of Médecins Sans Frontières.

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