Dr. Jonathan Weisbuch, Director of Public Health for Maricopa County, describes himself as "a doctor with one patient." However, that "patient" is the entire population of the county –- some 2.5 million people. He has spoken several times to Cronkite School Reporting classes on critical public health issues.
Here, he is critical of the state of public health reporting in the media but adamant in promoting its importance:

Weisbuch noted that conflict is built into the public health reporting system. First, he stressed the need for patients to freely communicate with physicians without fear of identification.

But that same physician is bound to protect the public against exposure to a patient's communicable illness.

He outlined his own role as director of public health.

In the following two clips, he discusses how he juggles the competing requirements of protecting the public health …and guarding patient confidentiality.

How does Maricopa County measure up against the United States average on key public health issues?

Bioterrorism: "A sword of Damocles" hanging over us.

But it isn't only new microbes we need to fear as agents of bioterrorism. Weisbuch traces the history of one of history's deadliest scourges, eradicated in a great victory for modern medicine. Or was it?

…Now what if that bug "got out of the box"?