Public Health
Patterns of health and illness across populations, and what changes them.
What counts as evidence: Population-level health data, surveys, or program evaluation, analyzed for patterns and disparities.
- Public datasets (CDC, WHO, county health departments) are detailed and free.
- Distinguish individual-level claims from population-level patterns — they don't always transfer.
- If evaluating a program or intervention, define your outcome measure before looking at results.
- Health data on real people needs extra care with privacy, even when it's technically public.