Monthly Archives: May 2012

Are social determinants of health actually determinants?

Posted on May 30, 2012 by epihealth

There has obviously been a tremendous proliferation of research on what has long been labeled “social determinants of health.” The wording, however, is unfortunate. “Determinants” suggests determinism–a mechanistic set of influences that do not allow for the possible, for the … Continue reading →

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Public Health: Responsibility to whom?

Posted on May 28, 2012 by epihealth

In clinical medicine, responsibility is to the individual patient. I have often thought that in public health, our responsibility is to the population–to the group, the collective, the strange amalgam of “society.” As somebody put it, “the responsibility of physicians … Continue reading →

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