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about theory...
2/ Many epidemiologists are not trained in social or health behavior theory. Its value is often overlooked in a field that values quantitative analysis.
3/ When I think about the most forward-thinking epidemiologists I know re: #SARSCoV2 and #COVID19, a common bond is a grounding and training in social theory...
4/ Future-gazing epidemiologists like @JuliaLMarcus, who has an undergrad double major in sociology and women’s studies...
5/ Visionary, truth-telling epidemiologists like @HealthEquityDoc, who has an MPH in health behavior and a PhD in social epidemiology...
6/ The thing is, solid theory gives us a basis for predicting likely outcomes in novel situations...
7/ And the novel coronavirus #SARSCoV2 has presented many novel situations...
8/ The problem with data divorced from theory is that statistics can lie. And we humans are fallible and susceptible to suggestion. The theoretical grounding of the researchers that I respect most helps keeps them clear-eyed & ethical.
9/ When people tell @JuliaLMarcus that shaming folks & involving criminal justice is an effective tool for slowing the spread of #COVID19, she’s going to have a few questions for you...
10/ When someone in spring 2020 tells @HealthEquityDoc that we are “all in the same boat” re: chances of getting exposed to #SARSCoV2 and dying of #COVID19, she too is going to have some questions...
https://iaphs.org/racism-in-the-time-of-covid-19/
https://iaphs.org/racism-in-the-time-of-covid-19/
11/ I’m continually impressed by the powerful insights that come from epidemiologists who draw from our conceptual and methodology traditions but also tested and validated theory.
