The Infodemic — and the Scientists Fighting Against It | Jessica Malaty Rivera | TED (Level 1)

Jessica Malaty Rivera is an epidemiologist and science communicator. At a TEDNext event, she talked about leadership in public health. She said science is connected to politics because good data should inform policies, but science should not be used as a weapon. Rivera believes trust is important. Many people have lost trust in science. She listens to people and shares her own stories, like being a mother, to connect with them. She says stories change minds more than data alone. She also says public health messages are often an afterthought. We spend billions on research but not enough on communication. A vaccine only becomes a vaccination when people understand and accept it. Rivera wants to train more scientists to communicate clearly. Her goal is to make hard health topics easier to understand. She says speaking up about science and injustice is always worth it.