Investigative Epidemiology
Putting your head above the parapet
Part of the joys of studying at the Liverpool Tropical School of Medicine is the weekly Wednesday lunchtime lectures. This week we were treated to investigative journalist Deborah Cohen (@deb-cohen), an award winning medically qualified TV, print and radio reporter, as well as being an editor on the British Medical Journal.
Dr Cohen gives us a glimpse of her dark world, interviews ‘on’ and ‘off’ the record; brown envelopes; the manipulation of the evidence for the pandemic flu; Roche withholding oseltamivir data, and the ‘pick and mix’ approach animal researchers take in publishing their studies.
The final question of the day: “What do you think about the treatment of Bawa-Garba?” was met with, “…lets turn the recording equipment off”. I’ve left you with two articles regarding the issue from Deborah Cohen but she promises more to come and I hope her skills and passion will assist all those involved.
Deborah Cohen Articles
- Oseltamivir: another case of regulatory failure?
- Oxford TB vaccine study calls into question selective use of animal data.
- Infographic: MVA85A Study Timeline
- Back to blame: the Bawa-Garba case and the patient safety agenda
- How should doctors use e-portfolio in the wake of the Bawa-Garba case?
- Search Deborah Cohen articles
Further reading
- Wiesbauer F. Epidemiology Essentials. Medmastery
Dr Neil Long BMBS FACEM FRCEM FRCPC. Emergency Physician at Kelowna hospital, British Columbia. Loves the misery of alpine climbing and working in austere environments (namely tertiary trauma centres). Supporter of FOAMed, lifelong education and trying to find that elusive peak performance.