Visual Epidemiology is a project at Yale University that seeks to create a bridge between academic research and the general public. Primarily using filmmaking, we will work with researchers and organizations to translate their data driven research into a story driven narrative – answering what their research means through the individual. Importantly, products will not be ‘health videos’ or a regurgitation of academic discourse: they will be aesthetic and cathartic; story-driven with compelling narratives that meet a high level of professionalism – both as works of art and as academic scholarship. Creating a two way bridge, we hope to address the dire need of expanding the public’s understanding and engagement of contemporary health issues, and provide a tool to researchers to use in conferences and in the classroom that brings relevant, lived experience into the academic discussion.
Examples of our work include:
The “Story of a Girl” Project:
They Go to Die:
For inquiries, please contact:
Jonathan Smith, PhD, MPH
Yale School of Public Health
jonathan.p.smith@yale.edu