We are facing multiple converging threats: climate change, political upheaval, and worsening social and environmental conditions that encourage infectious disease transmission and the emergence of pandemics. How should we think about surveillance data, epidemiological analysis, mathematical modeling, and evidence-based response to public health challenges in this context, both acute and chronic? Here I will discuss three case studies to illustrate i) the changing landscape of infectious disease surveillance data and modeling based on lessons learned from working in remote Amazonian populations, ii) the role of community-based organizations in India in collecting and analyzing data to respond to climate change, and iii) surveillance and response to extreme weather events around the world. Finally, I will discuss the role of academia in public health and the critical moment we find ourselves in currently.