Trustworthy Public Health Advocacy. Reconciling Different Roles for Epidemiologists During a Health Emergency
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In this commentary on Giubilini et al.’s 2025 paper, Expertise, Disagreement, and Trust in Vaccine Science and Policy: The Importance of Transparency in a World of Experts, I argue that building public trust during health emergencies requires more than addressing uncertainty, expert disagreement and gaps in knowledge—it demands trustworthy public health advocacy. Such advocacy must be explicit, transparent, and evidence-based. I expand Giubilini’s et al. argument and I focus on additional issues specific for epidemiology and public health. I point out that trust hinges on recognizing the multiple roles epidemiologists play in public discourse, that epidemiologists should be explicit about assuming the role of an advocate for specific public health policies, and that these policies are not only compulsory but also oriented toward public health rather than individual interests.
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