Peter Lurie, MD, MPH
Deputy Director
Public Citizen’s Health Research Group
1600 20^th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009

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This course was last taught Summer 2000
Information is current as of 12/15/01

Research-Based Health Activism

For this course, public health is defined broadly to encompass such areas as access to health care, food safety, tobacco use, illicit drug use, environmental exposures, occupational health, violence, public health aspects of medical illnesses such as AIDS or cancer.  It is our premise that the collection and presentation of relatively simple data in a form understandable to government regulators, Congress and the media can have a significant impact upon health policy in this country.  The course will provide a brief overview of methods relevant to activist research and present examples of research-based health activism that have affected policy.  The primary purpose of the course will be to organize students in teams of two to collaboratively develop a data-based project that can be used to influence health policy.  We encourage students to develop projects that reflect their own interests and abilities, but expect that most of the research will be quantitative in nature.  The main focus of the semester will be to write a detailed protocol for that project, in collaboration with Dr. Lurie and Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, the Ralph Nader-founded health advocacy group for which he works.  It is hoped that the project itself will subsequently be completed as part of the students’ Special Projects.  If of mutual interest, the Health Research Group is willing to work with students to complete the project and aid in dissemination. 

The course will emphasize interactive learning.  Classes will meet biweekly to maximize the opportunity for input into students’ projects.  Many class sessions will be comprised of students reporting on their progress in developing their protocols, followed by problem-solving sessions in which the instructor and the other students suggest methods for overcoming any obstacles identified. 

Reading Assignments (to be handed out in class): 

Reading assignments are intentionally light so that students can concentrate on preparing and executing their protocols. 

For May 25:  

Lurie P, et al. The Swine Flu vaccination debacle (unpublished book chapter)   
Lurie P, et al. Aspirin and Reyes Syndrome -- deaths that could have been prevented (unpublished book chapter) 

For May 30: 

Lurie P, Wolfe SM. Unethical trials of interventions to reduce perinatal transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus in developing countries. New England Journal of Medicine 1997;337:853-6.   
Moore S, Wolfe SM, Lindes D, Douglas CE.  Epidemiology of failed tobacco control legislation. Journal of the American Medical Association 1994; 272:1171-5.

For June 1: 

Lurie P, et al. The regulation of ethylene oxide in the workplace (unpublished book chapter)   
Dehlendorf CE, Wolfe SM. Physicians disciplined for sex-related offenses. Journal of the American Medical Association 1998;279:1883-8. 

Additional reading materials will be assigned as the class develops and students’ specific areas of interest become clearer. 

Course Requirements:

1. Regular attendance and active participation are expected and will be factored into your evaluation.     
2. The assigned readings must be done before the session in which they will be discussed.   
3. Working with a two-person team, you will prepare an approximately five-page protocol describing your research project.   
4. You will give an oral presentation of your research project to the class. 

Grading: 

Class participation: 20%  
Revised protocol: 55%  
In-class presentation: 25%   
Class participation will be used to assign grades when these fall on the borderline between two grades. 

Research-based Health Activism