
The Turning Point
As we re-emerge from the pandemic, 2021 stands to be a turning point year for public health. In The Turning Point’s weekly essays, Michael Stein and Sandro Galea reflect on what we learned during 2020, and what we are learning during 2021 that can guide us to the creation of a better, healthier world.


Will We Stop Being Afraid?
SARS-CoV-2 is going to always be with us, at some baseline level, as we relearn the etiquette of being together, and the process of becoming unafraid unfolds in 2022.
...moreWhen Do We Stop Counting?
When might we turn our attention back to the full range of illness around us, and balance the risk from Covid-19 with that from other diseases?
...moreWhy did we Keep our Schools Closed?
Why did schools stay closed when we knew that the risk of them staying closed probably outweighed the risk of them re-opening?
...moreTelling Different Stories with the Same Data
The stories we tell ourselves about our success and failure can be quite different, even in the face of seemingly objective data.
...moreThe Problem with Health Behavior
Recognizing that context shapes health behaviors, and that they are often driven by broad social phenomena, will help to promote healthy behavior in the future.
...moreEpistemic Humility During a Global Pandemic
Public health is having its moment in the spotlight. It’s worth a pause to consider current challenges, and how to avoid overstating what we know and the confidence with which we know it.
...moreThe Responsibilities of Experts
The Covid-19 moment has taught us that public health may not have been quite ready for the harsh glare of the global media spotlight.
...moreWhat’s Most Important
In the case of Covid-19, core to our thinking should be avoiding severity of disease and death. And as circumstances change that shape the risk of both, so should our thinking, our level of concern, and where we concentrate our energies.
...moreIntroduction
In The Turning Point’s weekly essays, we will look backward and forward. What lessons have we absorbed during 2020, and will we learn as 2021 unfolds, that can guide us to the creation of a better, healthier world?
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