Dr. Julia Marcus: COVID-19 Stigma and the Importance of Humanizing People

Everybody Hates Me: Let's Talk About Stigma

Dr. Julia Marcus, PhD, MPH is an infectious disease epidemiologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, and Adjunct Faculty at The Fenway Institute. Her research focuses on improving the implementation of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent new HIV infections and promote sexual health. In addition to her research, Dr. Marcus has contributed timely op-eds on current events, including a series of articles in The Atlantic on public health communication during the coronavirus pandemic. You can follow her on Twitter and learn more about her research.
We talk about the blame, shame and judgment underlying COVID-19 stigma, and how it harms prevention initiatives. We also discuss the danger in focusing on individual risk practices rather than the responsibilities of larger social and institutional structures. Dr. Marcus encourages us take action (and create heat) for positive social change.
Episode hosted by Dr. Carmen Logie. Supported by funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Canada Research Chairs program. Original music and podcast produced by Jupiter Productions, who have various production services available to support your podcast needs.