Predicting the Current Pandemic (ft. Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding)

So today is a special day, because we have Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding (Eric Ding) in the metaphorical house! He’s an epidemiologist known to many for sounding the alarm on coronavirus, but he’s a lot more than that. He’s a health economist at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, and a Senior Fellow at the Federation of American Scientists in Washington DC. 

His work focuses on the intersection of public health and public policy. He also currently works on behavioral interventions for prevention, Medicare cost and quality improvements, drug safety, evidence guideline improvements for nutrition, diabetes/obesity prevention, and public health programs in the US. He was also noted in his role as a whistleblower and leader of a key two-year-long investigation into the controversial drug safety and risk data of Vioxx®, Celebrex®, and Bextra® that drew FDA and national attention. He was also recognized for his role in the New York Times, and in the book Poison Pills: The Untold Story of the Vioxx Drug Scandal.

On this episode, we discuss:

• Whether or not it's worth it to rely on imperfect data in the face of a crisis
• The cost/benefit analysis of keeping the US shut down, and whether or not all of this economic carnage is worth it
• If other health issues will be forgotten, with COVID-19 eating up all the oxygen in the room
• How it feels to be right about something so destructive

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