For many years, there has been debate about the degree to which physicians should assume public roles, that is, their degree of social responsibility for addressing health-related matters beyond providing care to individual patients.1-5 Physician leaders, social commentators, and professional organizations' mission statements have often supported the physicians' assumption of public roles.1-4,6 These are at odds, however, with some education and practice environments that do not foster physicians' engagement with broader public health issues.7,8