Creating Support Systems for Employees and Researchers Receiving Public Harassment

We describe the FlagIt report and response system to inform the development of other potential support systems for employees and researchers receiving public harassment.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many members of the public health community have been subject to pushback against public health measures and harassment from members of the public. This harassment can take many forms, including harmful or vulgar emails, social media posts, or phone calls; doxxing (making private identifying information public); and other intimidation or bullying against the recipient. After Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (Bloomberg School) faculty and staff reported receiving such harassment related to their public health work, the School established the FlagIt report and response system to support any individuals (faculty, staff, or students) within the Bloomberg School community facing such harassment. Development of this system is described in our JPHMP article entitled, “Development of the FlagIt Report and Response System for Concerning or Harassing Messages Related to Public Health Work.”

The FlagIt system is structured around a dedicated FlagIt email inbox, enabling any member of the Bloomberg School community to report harassing or concerning messages related to public-facing work to the FlagIt email box. The Johns Hopkins University public safety investigators receive the messages sent to the FlagIt inbox; review, inventory, and investigate all reported messages; and attempt to identify potential perpetrators. The investigators then share their findings with the reporter within 2 business days. The inbox also has an autoreply message sharing available institutional resources and contacts for immediate support. In addition to the automated response and the investigative findings, faculty FlagIt team volunteers also reach out to the reporter to ask how they are doing, show solidarity, and offer additional support if needed. More information on the FlagIt system at the Bloomberg School is available on the school website.

In the development and implementation of the FlagIt system, it became clear that the most important component of any institutional response to individuals facing harassment is a clear demonstration of institutional support for the individual. The creation of such a system itself is a signal that that the institution is engaged in assisting individuals facing pushback or harassment. Additionally, users of the FlagIt system have reported that the check in emails from volunteer faculty monitoring the system and the information from security personnel on their investigative efforts have been comforting and provide an important sign that they are not “alone” in facing this harassment.

Read the article in JPHMP

Given the potential for continued pushback against public health measures and harassment against public health researchers and practitioners, other public health institutions and agencies may consider implementing similar report and response systems. Such systems do not need to be costly and, as the FlagIt system was able to do, may be able to deploy existing capabilities of the institution to better support members of their community. Efforts to support and protect the public health workforce are more important now than ever with worker burnout and a continued exodus from the field threatening the viability of our public health system and the nation’s capacity to respond to ongoing public health threats. Our JPHMP article, “Development of the FlagIt Report and Response System for Concerning or Harassing Messages Related to Public Health Work,” may provide useful guidance for public health institutions and agencies interested in developing similar systems.

Tara Kirk Sell, PhD, MA, is a Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and an Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her work focuses on improving public health policy and practice in order to reduce the health impacts of disasters and terrorism.

Beth Resnick, DrPH, MPH, is a Practice Professor and Assistant Dean for Public Health Practice at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public health.  She is a member of the University of Minnesota’s Consortium for Workforce Research in Public Health (CWORPH) focusing on workforce recruitment, retention, health, and well-being.