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WORK TITLE: The Anatomy of Deception
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WEBSITE: https://segorman.com/
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COUNTRY: United States
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RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Female.
EDUCATION:University of Pennsylvania, B.A. (with honors, summa cum laude), 2007; University of Oxford, master’s degree, 2008; Harvard University, Ph.D., 2013; Columbia University, M.P.H., 2015.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, founder, and public health expert. Harvard University, Boston, MA, research assistant, 2012-13; Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, NJ, global public health project manager, 2015-18; Jed Foundation, New York, NY, director of high school programming, 2018-20; Critica, cofounder, CEO.
WRITINGS
Contributor to publications, including Psychology Today, Lancet, International Journal of Women’s Health, PLOS Speaking of Medicine, Mediawell, and Time.
SIDELIGHTS
Sara E. Gorman is a writer and public health expert. She holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Oxford, Harvard University, and Columbia University. Gorman has held positions at organizations, including Harvard University, the pharmaceuticals company Johnson & Johnson, and the nonprofit, the Jed Foundation. She is also the founder of a nonprofit organization called Critica.
In 2017, she collaborated with her father, Jack M. Gorman, a physician, to write her first book, Denying to the Grave: Why We Ignore the Facts That Will Save Us. Writing in the Christian Century, Marilyn Chandler McEntyre noted: “This book is an appeal to both professional scientists and nonscientists to involve themselves in scientific conversations. Basic-and sometimes not so basic-scientific literacy is every adult’s prerogative and duty.” In the volume, Gorman and her father identify a surprising phenomenon, in which people refuse to abandon their beliefs, even when confronted with compelling evidence that they are wrong. Among their examples are parents who continue believing that vaccines cause autism in children, despite studies that clearly show that there is no link between the two. A reprint of the book was released in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reviewing that edition in Choice, S. Clerc suggested: “Targeting the current public health crisis makes this a unique and timely addition to the literature.” Clerc also categorized the book as “highly recommended.” Lynne Maxwell, reviewer in Library Journal, described the volume as “superb” and called it “perfect for fans of the subject and Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow.“
In her 2024 book, The Anatomy of Deception: Conspiracy Theories, Distrust, and Public Health in America, Gorman focuses on the misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. She connects that phenomenon to previous events in American history, including the AIDS epidemic and the 2008 economic upheaval. She identifies factors that have inspired that conspiracy theories and misinformation, as well as the effects of those beliefs and media. A Kirkus Reviews critic offered a favorable assessment of The Anatomy of Deception, noting: “Gorman’s work is equal parts tightly focused and wide ranging.” The same critic described the book as “a timely, significant examination of how Covid-19 affected many American systems, from health care to government.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Choice, April, 2022, S. Clerc, review of Denying to the Grave: Why We Ignore the Science That Will Save Us, p. 1026.
Christian Century, April 26, 2017, Marilyn Chandler McEntyre, review of Denying to the Grave, p. 35.
Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 2024, review of The Anatomy of Deception: Conspiracy Theories, Distrust, and Public Health in America.
Library Journal, August 1, 2016, Lynne Maxwell, review of Denying to the Grave, p. 111.
ONLINE
Sara E. Gorman website, https://segorman.com/ (September 9, 2024).
Sara Gorman, PhD, MPH is a public health expert and author based in New York. She has written extensively about psychology, misinformation, science denial, and behavioral science, among other topics. Her work has appeared or been reviewed in TIME, The New Yorker, Science, Scientific American, Psychology Today, The Atlantic, New York Magazine, Daily Kos, and NPR, among others.
Sara’s first book, Denying to the Grave: Why We Ignore the Facts That Will Save Us, was published by Oxford University Press in September 2016, and a revised edition was released in June 2021. The book examines the psychology of healthcare decision making and theorizes about public perception of risk. It includes tips for the general public about how to discriminate between valid and invalid science and pointers for public health professionals and doctors on how to communicate with people who don’t believe what science has taught us about health. The book has been translated into Chinese and Portuguese. Sara’s second book with Oxford University Press, The Anatomy of Deception: Conspiracy Theories, Distrust, and Public Health in America, is now available for preorder.
Sara is also CEO and co-founder of Critica, a community committed to making rational decisions about health and safety. Critica’s mission is to develop and test new methods of advancing public acceptance of scientific evidence and promoting informed health decision-making. As an evidence-based science communication organization, Critica is at the cutting edge of improving public understanding of health, medicine, and science.
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EDUCATION
Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, May 2015 Masters of Public Health, Health Policy and Management, Rosenfield Scholar in Sexual and Reproductive Health
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, May 2013 PhD, English Literature
University of Oxford, Magdalen College, United Kingdom, June 2008 Master of Studies in English Literature
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, May 2007 B.A. with Honors in English and Minor in Psychology, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
BOOKS
Gorman, Sara E. Modern Medicine: Conspiracy Theories and Distrust in the 21st Century. Oxford University Press, forthcoming 2024.
Gorman, Sara E. and Jack M. Gorman. Denying to the Grave: Why We Ignore the Science That Will Save Us. Oxford University Press, 2021.
Gorman, Sara E. and Jack M. Gorman. Denying to the Grave: Why We Ignore the Facts That Will Save Us. Oxford University Press, 2016.
ARTICLES/BOOK CHAPTERS
Gorman, Sara E. and Jack M. Gorman. “Using Data to Stem the Tide of Gun Violence in the U.S.” Psychology Today (May 2, 2022), https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/denying-the-grave/202205/using-data-stem-the-tide-gun-violence-in-the-us.
Gorman, Sara E. “This Might Hurt a Little: Finding Common Ground in Vaccine Hesitancy.” Mediawell (February 17, 2021), https://mediawell.ssrc.org/expert-reflections/finding_common_ground_in_vaccine_hesitancy/.
Gorman S, Gorman J. The Social Psychiatry and Neurobiology of Intergroup Conflict. Islamophobia and Psychiatry: Recognition, Prevention, and Treatment, ed. H. Steven Moffic, John Peteet, Ahmed Zaharia Hankir, Rania Awaad. Springer International, 2019.
Gorman S, Currier J, Beckerman KP, Hall E. Women’s issues. Comprehensive Textbook of AIDS Psychiatry: A Paradigm for Integrated Care, ed. JM Gorman, M Cohen, JM Jacobson, P Volberding, S Letendre, Oxford University Press, 2017.
Gorman, Sara E. and Jack M. Gorman. “Everything You Need to Know about Conflicts of Interest.” Psychology Today (January 11, 2017), https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/denying-the-grave/201701/everything-you-need-know-about-conflicts-interest.
Gorman SE, Gorman JM. “Why We Shouldn’t Dismiss People Who Deny Facts.” TIME Magazine (September 6, 2016), http://time.com/4466692/denying-to-the-grave/.
Gorman, Sara E. and Jack M. Gorman. “Why Do People Buy Guns?” Psychology Today (August 17, 2016), https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/denying-the-grave/201608/why-do-people-buy-guns.
Gorman SE, Martinez JMM, Olson J. An assessment of HIV treatment outcomes among utilizers of semi-mobile clinics in rural Kenya. AIDS Care 2014; 27(5): 665-668.
Gorman S. How can we improve global infectious disease surveillance and prevent the next outbreak? Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases 2013; 45(12): 944-947.
Gorman, S. Legal and medical bases for granting asylum in the USA to women with female genital mutilation: a systematic review. The Lancet 2013;382: 15.
Gorman, Sara E. “A new approach to maternal mortality: the role of HIV in pregnancy.” International Journal of Women’s Health 2013;5: 271-4.
Gorman, Sara. “Is disease eradication always the right path?” PLOS Speaking of Medicine (March 20, 2013).
Gorman, Sara. “What can we learn from disease stigma’s long history?” PLOS Speaking of Medicine (November 27, 2012).
Gorman, Sara. “Culturally Sensitive Psychiatric Care for Refugees: A Reassessment.” Health and Human Rights (October 25 2012).
Gorman, Sara. “Why the United States Needs Better Confidentiality Laws for Minors with HIV/AIDS.” PLOS Speaking of Medicine (September 4, 2012).
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS
Gorman, Sara. “Countering Online Misinformation About a COVID-19 Vaccine Using a Novel Protocol,” Society for General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting, 22 April 2021.
Gorman, Sara. “Behavioral Science and the Psychology of Healthcare Decision Making,” University Seminar, Columbia University Global Mental Health Program, New York, NY 12 February 2018.
Gorman, Sara. “Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds,” presentation at TEDMED 2017, Palm Springs, CA, 2 November 2017.
Gorman, Sara. “Maximizing Benefits of Pharmaceutical Therapy: Communication Skills for Optimal Patient Outcomes,” continuing education session at New Jersey Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting, Atlantic City, NJ, 14 October 2017.
Gorman, Sara, “New Methods for Science Journalism: Taking Reader Psychology into Account,” panel presentation at Online News Association Conference, Dublin, Ireland, 19 May 2017.
RESEARCH AND EVALUATION EXPERIENCE
The Jed Foundation (JED), New York, NY
Director, Research and Knowledge Dissemination, April 2020-present
Run large-scale research projects relating to mental health and suicide prevention among young adults, including BIPOC mental health, mental health of undergraduate student parents, mental health of LGBTQ+ youth
Conduct original research on a variety of topics related to mental health and suicide prevention among young adults and publish findings in academic settings as well as for a general audience
Represent the organization as a key thought leader, communicating research findings externally through public speaking engagements and publications (in both peer-reviewed journals and popular media)
Oversee evaluation of JED’s major programs, including higher education programming (JED Campus) and high school programming (JED High School)
Harvard Department of Epidemiology, Boston, MA
Research Assistant to Dr. Michelle Williams, Chair, September 2012-September 2013
Developed international course on mental health in Latin America in collaboration with Ministry of Health of Mexico
Analyzed data & co-authored manuscript on sleep disorders among children with special needs in Chile
PUBLIC HEALTH STRATEGY AND PROGRAMS EXPERIENCE
The Jed Foundation (JED), New York, NY
Director, High School Programming, February 2018-April 2020
Ran all aspects of a national emotional health and suicide prevention program for high school students
Managed $1M annual budget and relationships with a diversified set of major donors
Devised and oversee strategy for high school program to ensure adherence to best practice in the field
Oversaw web and social media assets, resulting in quadrupled traffic to the website in 6 months
Cultivated partnerships with a broad array of major institutions, including New York City Department of Education and WebMD
Supervised development strategy and participate in writing and submission of new grants
Created and implemented measurement and evaluation framework for the program
Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, NJ
Global Public Health Project Manager, June 2015-February 2018
Lead initiative on community mental health care in Rwanda, including multi-stakeholder partnerships and $1M budget
Devise and govern strategy for the mental health program to ensure adherence to best public health practices
Manage $3M annual budget and ensure achievement of outcomes for mental health program
Design and implement monitoring & evaluation frameworks for the global health division’s programs
Received Johnson & Johnson’s Standards of Leadership Award for outstanding business results in 201
QUOTED: "Gorman's work is equal parts tightly focused and wide ranging."
"a timely, significant examination of how Covid-19 affected many American systems, from health care to government."
Gorman, Sara E. THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION Oxford Univ. (NonFiction None) $29.99 9, 3 ISBN: 9780197678121
An in-depth study of medical mistrust in post-pandemic America.
Gorman, a public health expert and author of Denying to the Grave, uses interviews she conducted with subjects from a range of backgrounds to show how medical mistrust and belief in conspiracy theories connect to the current political climate, as well as how the Covid-19 pandemic influenced Americans' lack of confidence in the health care system and the government's ability to care for its people. Though the author focuses on the current pandemic era, she makes relevant arguments about how our current situation has been building through disasters like the 2008 financial crisis, the AIDS epidemic, and ongoing attacks on funding for social services in the U.S. "The loss of trust in the healthcare system is not independent of the loss of trust in other prominent institutions of our democracy--everything is in fact connected," writes Gorman. She also examines how egregious experiments of the past, including but not limited to the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, have further alienated Black Americans, though she argues that present-day systemic racism is an even deadlier deterrent for many people of color in seeking health care. In that way, Gorman's work is equal parts tightly focused and wide ranging, tackling many related issues of our age with expert research and highly readable storytelling. "It feels as though every event in the United States is inevitably shrouded in a dark cloud of distrust and conspiracy theories," she writes, "and sometimes that smog is so thick and so opaque that we feel absolutely lost in looking for a clear path forward." Throughout the book, Gorman not only helps readers understand the grave mistakes of the past; she also offers suggestions to find a path forward.
A timely, significant examination of how Covid-19 affected many American systems, from health care to government.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Gorman, Sara E.: THE ANATOMY OF DECEPTION." Kirkus Reviews, 1 July 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A799332873/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=76ceae42. Accessed 24 Aug. 2024.
QUOTED: "Targeting the current public health crisis makes this a unique and timely addition to the literature."
"highly recommended."
Gorman, Sara E. Denying to the grave: why we ignore the science that will save us, by Sara E. Gorman and Jack M. Gorman. Rev. and updated ed. Oxford, 2021. 439p bibl index ISBN 9780197547458 cloth, $34.95; ISBN 9780197547472 ebook, contact publisher for price
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"What ... causes smart people to make decisions and adopt positions that have no factual basis?" is the question these authors struggle to answer in this updated volume. To this end, Sara Gorman (cofounder of nonprofit Critica) and Jack Gorman (Franklin Behavioral Health Consultants) employ a mix of behavioral, neurobiological, political, sociological, and psychological concepts to explore why intelligent people become science deniers. Chapter titles reveal major influences: "Conspiracy Theories" (chapter 1), "Charismatic Leaders" (chapter 2), "Confirmation Bias" (chapter 3), "Causality and Filling the Ignorance Gap" (chapter 4), "Avoidance of Complexity" (chapter 5), "Risk Perception and Probability" (chapter 6). As the authors argue, many traits that lead to science denial originate in essential human tendencies, e.g., pattern perception and causality assumptions, both needing to be checked against reality. Two chapters have been added to this updated version ("Science Denial in Crisis," and "The Attack on Health and Science Institutions") to address the escalation of denial since 2016, especially after the emergence of COVID-19. In their conclusion the authors suggest steps to mitigate science denial, including more interesting science education for children and adults, establishing a corps of "scientific first responders," and improving journalistic practices. Targeting the current public health crisis makes this a unique and timely addition to the literature. Summing Up: *** Highly recommended. All readers.--S. Clerc, Southern Connecticut State University
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 American Library Association CHOICE
http://www.ala.org/acrl/choice/about
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Source Citation
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Clerc, S. "Gorman, Sara E. Denying to the grave: why we ignore the science that will save us." CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, vol. 59, no. 8, Apr. 2022, p. 1026. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A698835064/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b80cdaf8. Accessed 24 Aug. 2024.
QUOTED: "This book is an appeal to both professional scientists and nonscientists to involve themselves in scientific conversations. Basic-and sometimes not so basic-scientific literacy is every adult's prerogative and duty."
Denying to the Grave: Why We Ignore the Facts that Will Save Us
By Sara E. Gorman and Jack M. Gorman
Oxford University Press, 328 pp., $29.95
A few notable people in places of public responsibility still believe that climate change is a hoax. Some people, harboring suspicions most have long since laid to rest, refuse to vaccinate their children. Way too many others, ignoring statistics that connect gun ownership to accidental deaths, keep guns where children might find them. And way too many still wrangle antibiotic prescriptions from doctors who know the dangers of antibiotic overuse and the futility of treating viral diseases with antibiotics. Antiscientific behaviors are dangerous and astonishingly common.
Sara Gorman, who holds advanced degrees in English literature and public health, and medical doctor Jack Gorman not only review the most accessible scientific evidence against several popular misconceptions but also consider the most common reasons why intelligent, educated people can be persuaded of positions that fly in the face of compelling scientific evidence. These reasons include the lure of charismatic leaders, the appeal of plausible and imaginative conspiracy theories, confirmation bias (the tendency to take in and interpret new information only in a way that confirms one's already-existing beliefs), and a very human tendency to avoid complexity.
I have to acknowledge my own susceptibility to all of the above. I was also grateful for the authors' willingness to acknowledge the limits of scientific evidence. "In science we can never be 100% sure," they write, though on some questions science can be "very close to totally sure." They also acknowledge that emotional responses to perceived threats, which evolved to protect us, can be of practical use. Problems arise, though, when those "adaptive reactions are applied in maladaptive ways."
Simply recognizing our proneness to fallacies doesn't protect us from them. We are left with the task of discerning when our suspicions, our counterfactual hunches, or our fears might be justified. There are, after all, some actual conspiracies: Booth had a team behind him when he killed Lincoln. And sometimes the data really does bear out our hunches without the help of confirmation bias. What most of us need to distinguish fact from fancy is enough understanding not only of facts but also of scientific methods to assess plausibility. Data isn't enough. All data needs interpretation. To interpret data properly, to get beyond vague assertions about what "studies" show, we need guidance from good scientific popularizers-people who can simplify without dumbing down. "When scientists think about communicating with nonscientists," the authors write, "they generally operate from the 'knowledge deficit' model, the idea that nonscientists simply lack the facts." But the Gormans are convinced by research that nonscientists interested enough to pose questions are generally more competent than the experts think. Explaining how a vaccine works, offering a convincing alternative line of reasoning, or discrediting a charlatan is most effectively done by those experts who are able to imagine why one might buy into false premises or a flawed narrative.
We need those imaginative bridge-builders. Leaving science to scientists is dangerous-never more than now. An informed citizenry needs to know about good science, and it needs leaders who listen to scientists. As in the case of climate change, the earlier one is told the facts, the better. Unfortunately, the authors observe, "only after the false notions become imbedded in people's minds does the scientific community mount any meager attempt to counteract it."
This book is an appeal to both professional scientists and nonscientists to involve themselves in scientific conversations. Basic-and sometimes not so basic-scientific literacy is every adult's prerogative and duty. Posing science as a threat to faith has had far-reaching negative consequences. So has the insidious notion that science can be made to serve profit (as some powerful climate-change deniers are currently demonstrating). The authors acknowledge that biased research can be bought. For that reason, all of us need to be "sober and watchful" as we consider the claims of infomercials and unidentified "studies."
There are, of course, more things in heaven and earth than science can account for. But the things of this earth-when they are looked at through lenses, tracked, traced, counted, measured, and monitored-yield up a good many of their secrets to empirical method. If we miss those things, we are also surely less likely to be wise and discerning about the nature of their Creator.
Reviewed by Marilyn Chandler McEntyre, who teaches medical humanities at the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program. Her latest book is Word by Word: A Daily Spiritual Practice (Eerdmans).
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 The Christian Century Foundation
http://www.christiancentury.org
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McEntyre, Marilyn Chandler. "Denying to the Grave: Why We Ignore the Facts that Will Save Us." The Christian Century, vol. 134, no. 9, 26 Apr. 2017, pp. 35+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A492664565/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=6490a59c. Accessed 24 Aug. 2024.
QUOTED: "superb."
"perfect for fans of the subject and Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow."
Gorman, Sara E. & Jack M. Gorman. Denying to the Grave: Why We Ignore the Facts That Will Save Us. Oxford Univ. Sept. 2016. 328p. illus. notes, index. ISBN 9780199396603. $29.95. PSYCH
In this superb book, Sara E. Gorman (project manager, Johnson & Johnson Global Public Health) and psychiatrist Jack M. Gorman (CEO & chief scientific officer, (Franklin Behavioral Health; The Essential Guide to Psychiatric Drugs) collaborate to explain why many people deny scientifically established facts, even in the face of compelling evidence. In addition, they provide "guiding principles" designed to address the problem. To illustrate their point, the authors focus on the example of parents who believe that childhood vaccines cause autism. While research studies confirm that there is no causal connection and also discredit rogue articles maintaining a link, medical professionals must still defend the efficacy of, and necessity for, vaccinations. Why? Using tenets from social psychology and behavioral economics, the authors elucidate ways in which conspiracy theories, charismatic leaders, confirmation bias, causality and filling the ignorance gap, avoidance of complexity, and risk perception and probability factor into denialism. Ultimately, they propose early and enhanced education in the scien tific method to cultivate necessary critical thinking. VERDICT Perfect for fans of the subject and Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow.--Lynne Maxwell, West Virginia Univ. Coll, of Law Lib., Morgantown
Maxwell, Lynne
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
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Source Citation
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Maxwell, Lynne. "Gorman, Sara E. & Jack M. Gorman. Denying to the Grave: Why We Ignore the Facts That Will Save Us." Library Journal, vol. 141, no. 13, 1 Aug. 2016, p. 111. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A459805102/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b62a2625. Accessed 24 Aug. 2024.