The purpose of this project is to show the necessity of collaboration between medical research and public health to improve the outlook of our nation’s future. Case studies focusing on influenza, childhood obesity and HIV/AIDS show how the fields have intersected to address health problems in the past, and how they can continue to intersect in the present and the future. Finally, this study identifies key public health advocacy messages that need to be heard on a national level in order to bolster the intersection of medical research and public health.