In a post late last year, I used the phrase “contrarian Covid takes”. On Twitter, Lars Henning asked, “what exactly does it…
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Bias Where Is the Line Between Being Critical & Contrarian? Thoughts On a PlagueRead more
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Bias Peeling Back the Layers of “Medical Conservativism”Read more
I don’t know when describing yourself as a “medical conservative” became a thing. I only noticed it recently, persistently popping up among…
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Bias This “Waning Immunity” Argument Against the FDA’s Covid Vaccine Approval Is a Scientific QuagmireRead more
I sure don’t envy the people under all that pressure at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. They’ve been at the brunt…
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Bias A Communication Research Unicorn! Decent Evidence You Can Change People’s Minds & Actions Via Social MediaRead more
The field of research on communication interventions is heavily littered with studies that are too small, too indirect, and too riddled with…
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Bias Peering Through the Smoke at a Duel Over Covid’s Infection Fatality RateRead more
This is one of my older cartoons. Unfortunately, the problem it’s depicting hasn’t gone out of style. But now it strikes me…
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Bias The Pioneering Crossover Trials for Covid Vaccines and What We’ll Find OutRead more
As results for the big phase 3 trials for the BNT-Pfizer and Moderna were looming, a debate ramped up: when would the…
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Bias Radical Vaccine Trial Transparency & Press Release Readouts: What’s the Problem?Read more
Every time a drug company press release of vaccine trial results blasts through the media, it’s followed by criticism of “science by…
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Bias Clinical Trials Are Vital for the Rest Of Us. Are They a Good Deal for the Participants?Read more
“People on a trial tend to do better”. Ordinarily, when I see someone make that point, I agree. But last week, when…
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Bias Let’s Be Serious About Bias in Protocols of Systematic ReviewsRead more
A detailed pre-specified protocol is supposed to be the superpower of a systematic review: its contents literally put the “systematic” into review…
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Bias A Cartoon Guide to Conflict of Interest Claims, Fair & FoulRead more
Claims of conflicts of interest have been one of the – let’s call it interesting – parts of being in debates…
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Bias The Renewed Debate About Blinding in Clinical TrialsRead more
Things can go really off the rails in clinical trials. Take the most influential trial of the Mediterranean diet…
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Bias Open Badges Redux: A Few Years On, How’s the Evidence Looking?Read more
A couple of years ago, I took shots at the way a small, uncontrolled study from 2016 of badges to encourage…