MythInformed Science
Misinformation isn’t just a problem for governments and health systems. For all kinds of organisations, misinformation erodes trust, derails communication strategies, and undermines hard-won credibility. It can also drive a wedge between families and friends.
MythInformed Science is for leaders and communicators on the front lines of that fight. Each episode, hosts Jamie Brehaut and Justin Presseau sit down with leading experts to have conversations about misinformation: where it comes from, how it spreads, and what actually works to counter it.
Jamie is a psychologist focusing on implementation science, the science of effecting real change in healthcare systems. Justin is basically the same thing, but a newer, better-looking model. Both are senior scientists at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and professors in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Ottawa.
This show talks to top people wrestling with the very real problems caused by misinformation. It provides practical intelligence to those responsible for protecting their organizations against an increasingly complex information environment. Every episode ends with clear ideas about how to combat misinformation more effectively.
Produced in collaboration with PodCraft Productions and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Episodes
5 episodes
Empathy first, facts later | Dr. Kumanan Wilson
When someone rejects the evidence, the instinct is to hit back with better facts. Dr. Kumanan Wilson, a general internal medicine specialist who has spent two decades studying vaccine hesitancy, says that move can backfire. He recalls trying to...
AI Is Not Magic | Dr. Douglas Manuel
AI in healthcare is often talked about as something magical. Dr. Douglas Manuel, a family and public health physician, senior scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and organizer of Ottawa's recent symposium on AI in health resear...
Changing Minds with Changing Science | Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw
Misinformation actors have a favourite move: point to scientists who changed their recommendations and say, see, you can't trust the experts. Jeremy Grimshaw, one of the world's leading authorities on evidence synthesis, has a systematic answer...
Silence Is Not a Strategy | Dr. Ami Palmer
Silence is one misinformation strategy — it's just the wrong one. And when organizations do speak up, they often make the same mistake: assuming that better information changes minds. Dr. Ami Palmer, clinical ethicist and health misinformation ...
Treating Misinformation Like a Public Health Crisis | Dr. Trevor Arnason
Ottawa's Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Trevor Arnason, joins Jamie and Justin to reflect on what five years of COVID has taught public health units about misinformation. He shares how Ottawa Public Health responded in real time to a false clai...