Spotlight of the Week: Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha — The Pediatrician Who Refused to Look Away
In 2015, the world came face to face with a public health crisis in one of America’s most vulnerable communities: Flint, Michigan. Images of discolored water and children suffering from inexplicable rashes began circulating online. But it took the relentless courage of one pediatrician to uncover the truth and hold the powerful to account.
That pediatrician was Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a physician, scientist, activist, and author whose leadership in the Flint water crisis has become a defining example of advocacy in the face of denial.
Born in Sheffield, England, in 1976, Dr. Hanna-Attisha is the daughter of Iraqi immigrants who fled Saddam Hussein’s authoritarian regime. Her father, a metallurgical engineer, moved the family to Michigan to pursue academic opportunities. Her mother, an educator, helped fellow immigrants settle into a new life in the United States.
From an early age, Dr. Hanna-Attisha was driven by a passion to serve. A childhood car accident and the compassionate care she received from a female doctor of color deeply influenced her decision to enter medicine. She would go on to earn a Bachelor of Science and Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan, followed by a medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. She completed her residency at Children’s Hospital of Michigan and later became an associate pediatric program director in Flint.
The Flint Water Crisis
Flint, once a symbol of middle-class prosperity tied to the auto industry, had become a city marred by poverty and neglect. In 2014, in a cost-cutting move, city officials switched the municipal water source from Lake Huron to the heavily polluted Flint River. What followed was a cascade of public health failures. The city did not add necessary anti-corrosion chemicals to the water supply, leading to lead from aging pipes seeping into homes and schools.
Lead is a neurotoxin with no safe level of exposure, especially for children, whose developing brains are permanently harmed by even minimal contact.
Despite early warnings from whistleblowers and scientists, officials denied the problem. It wasn’t until Dr. Hanna-Attisha began analyzing blood samples from her young patients that the gravity of the crisis was fully understood. Her findings showed that the percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels had nearly doubled since the water switch, and even tripled in some neighborhoods.
On September 24, 2015, bypassing the traditional peer-reviewed process due to the urgency, she released her findings publicly. She was immediately met with intense backlash. State officials attempted to discredit her research and reputation. Yet she persisted, knowing that the health of thousands of children was at stake.
Her science was eventually validated, and public apologies followed. Thanks to her efforts, Flint received over $350 million in state and federal aid, and the national spotlight was turned toward environmental justice and governmental accountability.
Beyond Flint: Reimagining Public Health
Dr. Hanna-Attisha’s advocacy did not stop with crisis response. In 2016, she founded the Pediatric Public Health Initiative, a comprehensive partnership between Michigan State University and Hurley Children’s Hospital focused on addressing the long-term impact of the water crisis on children.
She also authored the acclaimed memoir What the Eyes Don’t See, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, which recounts the Flint water crisis and her role in exposing it. The book serves as both a powerful personal narrative and a call to action for social change.
In recent years, she launched Rx Kids, a groundbreaking public health program that provides unconditional cash support to every pregnant mother and newborn in Flint, regardless of income. The initiative, the first of its kind in the United States, is designed to combat infant poverty by addressing economic inequality at its root.
As Dr. Hanna-Attisha says, “Poverty makes kids sick. So I wanted to prevent it.”
Honors and Recognition
Dr. Hanna-Attisha’s work has earned widespread recognition. She was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and USA Today’s Women of the Century, and received the Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling, the PEN Freedom of Expression Award, and numerous honorary degrees.
She serves on several boards, including the Flint Child Health and Development Fund, Physicians for Human Rights, and ACCESS. She is currently the Associate Dean for Public Health at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and holds the C. S. Mott Endowed Professorship of Public Health.
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha represents what it means to lead with integrity, science, and moral clarity. Her work is a powerful reminder that change often begins with one person choosing to do what is right, even when it is difficult.
This week, we honor Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha for her unshakable commitment to truth, her relentless fight for children, and her groundbreaking efforts to build a healthier, more just society.
