I left Southland for medical school at Otago. Even then, I had many opinions about public health, and I was lucky to have them tested by some of New Zealand's best epidemiologists, Charlotte Paul, Nigel Dickson, David Skegg, and, later, Michael Baker and Philip Hill—yes, for us epidemiologists, the pandemic was a little like a family reunion. But seriously, over the last year, in particular, I've been grateful for the rigorous education I received.