I think a year from now, what I'll remember most from this interview was the discussion of genetic correlations between certain diseases. In the interview, it's brought up as a question that if some people's genes predispose them to diseases like tuberculosis, then it might be possible those genes are also associated with other diseases, like diabetes. I found the discussion of genetics in general to be really interesting, but I especially found this idea of a correlation between diseases that, on the surface, don't appear to be highly linked to be very intriguing as well. I think out of everything discussed in the video, the idea of correlations like these is what will stick with me the most.
Personally speaking, this interview and its discussion of data visualization and models helped clarify certain points about epidemiology and the practice of informing the public when it comes to matters of epidemiology. I think this hearing from an epidemiological expert about how epidemiological data is constructed and then shared, and her personal opinions on it, helped me gain a better understanding of just how scientists make predictions about health practices and policies and the spread of certain diseases. With this knowledge, I think I'll be better able to understand epidemiological phenomena and I'll be able to carry that with me in the future, should another pandemic hit or even just in understanding predictions for yearly health concerns like the flu.
Video Link: https://www.labxchange.org/library/items/lb:HarvardX:fceecb84:lx_simulation:1?fullscreen=true
Hi, Adjoa! I also think it's interesting how diseases that seem unrelated from the outside may share similar roots for genetic predisposition. It sounds like you learned a lot about how epidemiological data is collected and interpreted from this interview; I'll have to give this interview a listen!