A Q&A with Palak Raval-Nelson

As the health commissioner of the City of Philadelphia, Palak Raval-Nelson is charged with maintaining and improving the well-being of some 1.5 million of her fellow Philadelphians. In a Q&A, the lifelong public servant, who has been with the Department of Public Health for almost 30 years, touches on challenges, support systems, what the next crisis could look like and more. 

This conversation has been edited and condensed for length and clarity. 

How did this become your calling?

I was pre-med at Temple University and I got into med school. I decided I wanted to help people in a global sense, but I didn’t know how to navigate that journey. I happened to learn about the city’s health inspector position and applied for it. At the time, I was working in a lab conducting electrophysiology and cancer research. My supervisor at the lab was also a mentor – he said, listen, the grant funding is going to be what it is. So you should really think about this opportunity with the city. So I started as a health inspector – one of, I think, two women and three minorities. On my second day on the job, I was in training, conducting inspections in Kensington. We were able to remove expired infant formula from a bodega, so babies wouldn’t get sick, and parents who couldn’t read or speak English well weren’t affected. And it was at that moment that I fell head over heels in love with the profession of public health, specifically environmental public health. Since I was 5 years old, all I wanted to do was to help people.

Was there a childhood moment that triggered that desire to help?

I was born in India. My grandfather was the governor of our state. He also worked a lot with Indira Gandhi. In fact, I have a picture of them at my desk. It’s an old picture from when I was 3 years old, and I keep it with me because they were both civil servants with a lot of integrity. When the parliament wouldn’t support things, he would take his own paycheck to help people – he built a well in a small village that didn’t have fresh water. Having that kind of base of civil service in my blood, and then having an aunt, my dad’s sister, who was in med school, and being able to tag along with her, it all helped me realize that I was intrigued by science, but civil service was at the core for me.

Given the continued uncertainty over public funding and directives coming out of the government, how have your priorities for your department changed?

We’re focusing on the work at hand. And I will tell you, the mayor and the mayor’s team in the law department and our management, managing director's office, our budget director – they are so incredibly supportive. If there’s any concern about grant funding or an issue, we notify them immediately. There’s a plan to work directly with the Commonwealth, the governor’s office and everywhere else. It’s about focusing on what’s in front of you and also keeping an eye on the global picture, being ready with a model that’s been put in place to respond to any funding issues that arise. I’m sure you’ve heard in the news that funding is being clawed back for the COVID dollars given to all the jurisdictions around the country. It’s a fluid situation, and we're sorting it out.

What advice do you have for people thinking about making public health their career?

I will tell you, it is never the same day twice. Outside of my three children and my dog, it has been my life’s work. Public health – and public service in general – is the most rewarding thing that any one of us can do. I’m a very spiritual person, and I wholeheartedly believe that service brings us closer to identifying our patterns in life.