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Invited Commentary: Some Social Epidemiologic Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic
Editorial   Open access   Peer reviewed

Invited Commentary: Some Social Epidemiologic Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Alina S Schnake-Mahl and Usama Bilal
American journal of epidemiology, v 192(6), pp 861-865
Jun 2023
PMID: 36617304
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwad001View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

COVID-19 social epidemiology health equity pandemic
In their commentary, Dimitris et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2022;191(6):980-6) present a series of challenges modern epidemiology has faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, including challenges around the scientific progress, epidemiologic methods, interventions, equity, team science and the needed training to address these issues. Here, two social epidemiologists that have been working on COVID-19 inequities reflect on further lessons with an added year of perspective. We focus on two key challenges: dominant biomedical individualistic narratives around the production of population health and the role of profit in policy making. We articulate a need to consider social epidemiologic approaches, including acknowledging the importance of considering how societal systems lead to health inequities. To address these challenges, future (and current) epidemiologists should be trained in theories of population health distribution and political structures of governance. Last, we close with the need for better investment in public health infrastructure as a crucial step to achieving population health equity.

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being
#10 Reduced Inequalities

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Web of Science research areas
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
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