January 25, 2019

In Science We Trust

48 minutes

From anti-vaxxers to climate change deniers and even flat-Earthers, there’s a lot of mistrust in science. But how did we get here in the first place? How did we lose public trust in science and medicine — and is there a way to rebuild it? In this episode of The Pulse, we explore these questions — and the fallout for health and innovation when trust in science disappears.

Also heard on this week’s episode:

Harvard University public health researcher David Williams talks about the wrongdoings and mistakes that have contributed to distrust of healthcare among minorities.

One day in 2015, FBI agents with guns burst into physicist Xiaoxing Xi’s house, and arrested him for economic espionage. Did a wider mistrust of Chinese scientists send the government to his door?

Historian Audra Wolfe discusses the role scientists played in the arms race — and the impact on people’s trust in science. Her new book is “Freedom’s Laboratory: The Cold War Struggle for the Soul of Science.”

There’s a new national initiative working to uncover the things that build trust among doctors and patients. Richard Baron of the ABIM Foundation says that sometimes, it’s about little things — like not mispronouncing a patient’s name.

Drexel University’s Mike Yudell — a public health historian and ethicist — digs into the “mad scientist” trope, explaining what it says about public perceptions of science.

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By WHYY

4.6

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