Uncertain, Unknown, and Uneven: Communicating Evolving Science During Emergent Public Health Crises

HESI Executive Director Dr. Syril Pettit will be leading a session on Communicating Risk in Emergent Health Crises at the APHA 2022 Annual Meeting & Expo.

This panel discussion will engage perspectives from experienced public health practitioners on the challenges of effectively communicating evolving science to the community during an emergent public health crisis. In these situations, public health is challenged by rapidly changing scientific data, evolving resource availability and priorities, uncertain epidemiology, and quickly modulating interventional recommendations. The panelists will first be asked to briefly share their own experiences in responding to emergent public health crises in their communities. The session will then open to exchanges between the panelists and participants around best practices for conveying uncertainty in the available information on an emergent crisis, for characterizing unknowns around emergent disease pathology or interventions, and for handling the frequent absence of data relevant to underserved populations. While these issues are relevant for all communities, the session will include particular focus on the impact of these challenges on communication and health protection within underserved communities.