Humans in Public Health

← Humans in Public Health11 nov 2025 · 19 min

Messy Data, Real Answers

Messy Data, Real Answers11 nov 202519 min

In a world teeming with health data—from smart watch accelerometry to millions of hospital system electronic records—how do researchers find out which medical treatments truly work? Biostatistician Rebecca Hubbard discusses the messiness of real-world data, the limits of randomized control trials and how both of these powerful—but imperfect—methods are essential for building trustworthy evidence in public health.