Trusted Information on Public Health

Where can you find trusted information about public health? Ordinarily, I would say from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). I hope these critical institutions remain reliable authorities, but with the recent election results I think it’s wise to seek other independent sources. Today I focus on two that I find useful.

A screenshot of yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com

Dr. Katelyn Jetelina is the founder of “Your Local Epidemiologist,” a public health newsletter that reaches nearly 300,000 people in over 130 countries. Jetelina has a masters in public health and a PhD in epidemiology and biostatistics. She says that her “main goal is to translate the ever-evolving public health science so that people will be well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions.” This year she was named one of TIME magazine’s most influential people in health (that’s how I found out about her). You can find her website at https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com.

A screenshot of www.immunologic.org

Dr. Andrea Love is an immunologist and microbiologist with over a decade of experience in translational medicine and clinical research. She is “a subject-matter expert in infectious disease immunology, cancer immunology, and autoimmunity and is adept at translating complex scientific data and topics for the public and healthcare providers.” Love is the founder of Immunologic (https://www.immunologic.org), a “science and health education organization and newsletter geared toward addressing misinformation and misconceptions about scientific topics that are relevant to the general public.”

These two science communicators gain their credibility because they read, understand, and can explain the scientific literature. Their views usually reflect the scientific and medical consensus. Another way to learn about that consensus is from various scientific and medical professional organizations.

Jetelina and Love both try to reach readers and listeners who may have legitimate questions and concerns about public health controversies. I admire this, and since the election I keep telling myself to be like Katelyn and Andrea; don’t be consumed by frustration and fury, and don’t attack those who disagree with you. But then I compose something like this blog post and I find myself writing with anger and hate. I guess I need both their newsletters to keep me from boiling over, and to serve as examples of how to discuss complex topics rationally.

I follow both Jetelina and Love on Twitter (I refuse to call it “X”). But during the presidential campaign I found Twitter to be a cesspool. I’ve been staying off social media since election day (except, of course, to publish my weekly blog post on Facebook). I’m thinking about deleting my Twitter account, but I’ll probably return to Facebook eventually. I haven’t yet gathered the courage to watch the evening news. I just can’t stomach it. I’m self-medicating by reading P. G. Wodehouse stories, and I’m trying to address my anger management issues. It isn’t easy.

I worked at the National Institutes of Health for seven years. It’s a wonderful institution, which I have tremendous respect for. It pains me to even hint that they might not be the most trustworthy source of health information available. But as I look to the future, I just don’t know. Let’s hope for the best and prepare for the worst by subscribing to Jetelina’s and Love’s newsletters. And in these difficult times I can offer you one bit of good news: both newsletters are free!

For those who want a little more physics mixed in with your public health (and who doesn’t?), I recommend my blog (hobbieroth.blogspot.com) associated with my textbook Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology, and my book Are Electromagnetic Fields Making Me Ill? (the answer to the title question is no!). I will do my best to give you the truth, but with the storm clouds I see on the horizon I can’t promise I’ll always give it to you cheerfully. I do promise to delete the profanity before I publish any posts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0UbomAFYTQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWIJiv71Azs