Carnegie Mellon University

Knowledge to (and from) the People

Knowledge to (and from) the People


Wednesday, November 7
Baker Hall 246-A
4:30pm

A lecture by:
Caroline Jean Acker

When illegal activities such as use of banned drugs create problems like the spread of infectious disease, researchers are faced with the challenge of studying populations who strive to keep their illegal behaviors private and undetected. Meanwhile, experts and pundits often claim to know what is best for stigmatized or otherwise marginalized populations. This talk will explore several episodes in which partnerships among stigmatized populations, activists, and researchers developed reliable public health knowledge under such challenging conditions. It will also examine instances of expert knowledge being challenged or overturned when the target populations’ voices were included in policy development.