The techniques that make health messages more effective—personalization, customization, targeted delivery—are the same tools driving the spread of inaccurate health claims at scale. Dr. Matthew Kreuter, WashU’s Kahn Family Professor of Public Health and founding director of the Health Communication Research Laboratory, is an expert on effective and equity-oriented health communications and has been thinking about these issues for decades.

In this episode, Salma and Dr. Kreuter trace the evolution from pamphlet racks to algorithm feeds. They discuss why well-intentioned public health messaging can backfire and highlight the importance of listening. They explore why certain terms have become counterproductive, the costs of communicating false certainty, and why public health can’t message its way out of complex problems.

Tune in for a candid discussion about the double-edged nature of communication in the algorithm age, and why the future of health communication may depend less on what we say than on how well we listen.

Useful resources:

• Kreuter MW, Farrell DW, Olevitch LR, Brennan LK. Tailoring Health Messages. 0 ed. Routledge; 2013. doi:4324/9781315045382
• Johnson KJ, Weng O, Kinzer H, et al. iHeard STL: Development and first year findings from a local surveillance and rapid response system for addressing COVID-19 and other health misinformation. Dinga JN, ed. PLoS ONE. 2023;18(11):e0293288. doi:1371/journal.pone.0293288
• Schneider T. Rich trove of data on social needs waits to be tapped. WashU Public Health. August 12, 2025. https://schoolofpublichealth.washu.edu/rich-trove-of-data-on-social-needs-waits-to-be-tapped/
• Health Communication Research Laboratory. iHeard St. Louis. https://stl.iheard.org
• Health Communication Research Laboratory. 211 counts. https://211counts.org/home/index
• Williams D. What is misinformation, anyway? Conspicuous Cognition. December 1, 2024. https://substack.com/@conspicuouscognition/p-151889774

Host: Dr. Salma Abdalla Editors: Catalina Melendez Contreras and Zachary Linhares Marketing: Kinkini Bhaduri Music: Eden Avery / Melting Glass from Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/2fqOXWpHab/

What is epidemiology and how do we ensure that research is done right in this field? Dr. Matthew A. Fox, Professor in the Departments of Epidemiology and Global Health at Boston University School of Public Health, has dedicated his career to ensuring that epidemiologists get it right.

In this episode, Salma and Matt explore what epidemiology actually is, and is not, and discuss the importance of formulating research questions and hypotheses. They dive into how flaws in methods selection, researchers’ incentives, and funding pressures can skew study results. Matt reflects on the pivotal role of the pandemic in challenging scientific status quo and highlights the importance of research transparency and good communication of research—even questioning the relevance of scientific journals as they exist today.

Tune in to learn more about the world of epidemiology and the importance of rigor, diligence and transparency in research.

Useful resources

• SERious Epi podcast: https://seriousepi.blubrry.net/
• Free Associations podcast: https://populationhealthexchange.org/feature/free-associations-podcast/
• Fox MP, MacLehose RF, Lash TL. Applying Quantitative Bias Analysis to Epidemiologic Data. Springer International Publishing; 2021. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-82673-4
• Lesko CR, Fox MP. An evolved interpretation of Austin Bradford Hill’s causal viewpoints and their influence on epidemiologic methods. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2025;194(6):1476-1481. doi:10.1093/aje/kwae367
• Gelman A. What if I were to stop publishing in journals? Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science. March 11, 2014. https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2014/03/11/stop-publishing-journals/
• Mastroianni A. The rise and fall of peer review. Experimental History. December 13, 2022. https://www.experimental-history.com/p/the-rise-and-fall-of-peer-review

Host: Dr. Salma Abdalla Editors: Catalina Melendez Contreras and Zachary Linhares Marketing: Kinkini Bhaduri Music: Eden Avery / Melting Glass from Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/2fqOXWpHab/

How can we capture complex social phenomena impacting health in research? Dr. Maria Glymour, Professor and Chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health, has focused her research on the social factors influencing dementia and cognitive function in old age.

Salma and Maria analyze the dementia research landscape and discuss the key elements of the research process to capture complex social phenomena affecting health outcomes. From asking the right questions, to identifying appropriate methods and data, thinking about who the evidence will be useful for, and understanding the potential influences of funders, the conversation explores how research can help change policies. Maria breaks down the differences between causal inference, descriptive research, and associational research, using examples from her own work. She illustrates how these methodological distinctions depend on the questions that want to be answered and the intended audience.

Given it’s doctoral application season, Maria also reflects on some of the main questions for applicants to ask themselves and emphasizes the need for applicants to highlight the specific passions that make their applications unique. As she puts it: “How much of your essay do you think anyone else could write?”

Listen to discover how you can apply these principles to your own work and make a meaningful impact in health scholarship, regardless of the step you are at in your career.

Useful resources

• Berkman, Lisa F., Ichiro Kawachi, and M. Maria Glymour (eds), Social Epidemiology, 2 edn (New York, 2014; online edn, Oxford Academic, 1 Mar. 2015), https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780195377903.001.0001.
• Glymour, M. What to look for in an epidemiology PhD program: 1. top priorities. Published October 12, 2017. Accessed August 28, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-look-epidemiology-phd-program-1-top-priorities-maria-glymour/?trackingId=WDv%2BbYDyTDq3ln%2BF%2FJF32Q%3D%3D
• Glymour, M. What to look for in an epidemiology PhD program: 2. Epi in a Medical School or a School of Public Health? Published October 20, 2017. Accessed August 28, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-look-epidemiology-phd-program-2-epi-medical-school-maria-glymour/?trackingId=NgnbKtTMTwqcjl2T5fg03A%3D%3D
• Glymour, M. What to look for in a PhD program: 3. Will an interdisciplinary program make you an intellectual leader or an isolated dilettante? Published November 11, 2017. Accessed August 28, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-look-phd-program-3-pros-cons-interdisciplinary-programs-glymour/?trackingId=NgnbKtTMTwqcjl2T5fg03A%3D%3D
• Glymour, M. Epidemiology and why I love it: some advice for people considering graduate school. Published August 5, 2018. Accessed August 28, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/epidemiology-why-i-love-some-advice-people-graduate-school-glymour/?trackingId=NgnbKtTMTwqcjl2T5fg03A%3D%3D
• Glymour, M. Public Health Graduate Programs: What To Look For. Published October 9, 2023. Accessed August 28, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/public-health-graduate-programs-what-look-maria-glymour/?trackingId=NgnbKtTMTwqcjl2T5fg03A%3D%3D

Host: Dr. Salma Abdalla Editors: Catalina Melendez Contreras and Zachary Linhares Marketing: Kinkini Bhaduri Music: Eden Avery / Melting Glass from Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/2fqOXWpHab/