The novel coronavirus has catapulted the world into uncharted territory.  As arguably the most disruptive pandemic of our generation, it has forced the entire globe into a state of panic and confusion.  More than ever, the public has had to rely on experts for guidance and solace.  But in an atmosphere of significant political polarization and distrust of public institutions, our efforts to control the pathogen has been all the more difficult.  While this moment poses a formidable challenge, medical and economic experts have been working extremely hard to attenuate the damage of this global pandemic.  

In this episode, I get the wonderful opportunity to discuss paths towards recovery with such an expert.  Dr. Zoë M. McLaren is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and an Affiliate of the Health Econometrics and Data Group at York University.  Dr. McLaren’s research builds the evidence base to guide health and economic policy by developing rigorous applied econometric approaches that leverage existing data to answer important questions

She received her Ph.D. in Public Policy and Economics from the University of Michigan and her B.A. from Dartmouth College.

Highlights: 

• How the pandemic became politicized;
• how the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control made difficult recommendation decisions under uncertainty; 
• how institutions build and maintain trust;
• how the US could have responded better at the beginning of the pandemic;
• the importance of testing and how often we should do it;
• why communities of color have been affected the hardest;
• the importance of evidence-based policymaking;
• what is herd immunity;
• why some people are skeptical about vaccination and how health professionals should respond;
• when will life return to 'normal?

Make sure to give Dr. McLaren a follow on Twitter @ZoeMclaren.