Professor Jeremy Youde1
1Portland State University, Portland, United States
Biography:
Jeremy Youde is Dean of the College of Urban and Public Affairs at Portland State University. His research focuses on questions of global health governance, global health politics, the role of philanthropy in global health, and international responses to infectious disease outbreaks. He is the author of five books and numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, and he has been featured in publications like the Financial Times, Time, Slate, Vox, and Nature. He previously held appointments at the University of Minnesota Duluth, Australian National University, Grinnell College, and San Diego State University.
Abstract:
Scientific experts play a crucial public role during national and international emergencies. Governments, as well as international organisations, incorporate expertise into their decision-making processes. Politicians and bureaucrats refer to scientific expertise to justify responses to and priorities during an emergency. But who is the expert? The assemblage of expertise requires a mixture of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary work in a highly contentious political environment. The panel examines how individual experts understood and managed diverse positions on multi/interdisciplinarity and intersectionality during the Covid-19 pandemic. The three presentations present how, in contexts including the United States, Sweden, Australia, and the World Health Organisation, experts serving on scientific committees came to appreciate their respective roles and responsibilities during the crisis. The panel presents findings from a three-year research project on the study of science and society during crisis. The presentations will outline the risks, as well as benefits, of the contribution of expertise to decision-making processes in real time.