Rob Wallace book event, February 15, 2023
Howard spoke about evidence-based medicine and "science as ideology" at the international online launch of an important new book about the origins and outcomes of COViD-19 and similar pandemics:
Pandemic protection Researchers find equitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution can target risks in different geographical areas
How should the COVID-19 vaccine be distributed to achieve the greatest impact in reducing the risk of disease?
Researchers at The University of New Mexico, the Allende Program in Social Medicine in Albuquerque and the Global Institute of Public Health in India report in a new study of vaccine distribution in different parts of the world that vaccines are most effective when distributed in areas with the highest baseline risks.
The peer-reviewed study, published today in the journal BMJ (British Medical Journal) Evidence-Based Medicine, is thought to be the first study to gauge the effectiveness of vaccines across geographical areas in terms of absolute risk reduction.
Effective Prevention Absolute Risk Reduction Supports More Equitable Vaccine Distribution Policies
In a new study, New Mexico researchers using an alternative analysis based on evidence-based medicine found that the effectiveness of COVID vaccines is much greater in areas of the world with higher prevalence of infection – an approach that could lead to more equitable distribution of vaccines.
In a peer-reviewed paper published Dec. 12 in BMJ Open, the investigators calculated and compared absolute risk reduction (ARR) and the number needed to be vaccinated (NNV) in different geographical areas.
International Initiative for Promoting Political Economy
International Initiative for Promoting Political Economy
Socialism v. Capitalism: The Empirical Data w/Howard Waitzkin
Actually Existing Socialism Podcast
Premier episode! Dr. Howard Waitzkin joins the show to discuss his landmark 1986 study which compares physical quality of life (life span, literacy rates, education accessibility, infant mortality rate etc.) between capitalist and socialist nations at the same level of development.
The study demonstrates conclusively the material benefits of a socialist political economy. Some of the stuff we cover in this discussion includes origins of the study, it's startling conclusions, how it was received after publication (including criticisms), what this study would like replicated in 2022, and even how socialist countries have tackled COVID-19!
Links to the study itself and more information regarding this episode are freely accessible on the Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/69057149/
TAX RESISTERS DIVERT THEIR MONEY FROM WAR TO HUMAN WELFARE
Ella Fraser interview for Popular Resistance.org
“Howard Waitzkin, a medical doctor, a professor focusing on social medicine, and an activist, believes mass war tax resistance could serve as a wrench. For about four decades, Waitzkin has withheld federal income taxes proportional to the amount that would go toward military spending. He redirects some of his income tax funds toward “creatively constructive purposes that move beyond capitalism,” including a program he coordinates that provides medical and mental health services to active-duty GIs who can’t access them in the military.”
In this interview, Waitzkin discusses how he resists taxes, his perceptions on why most people in the U.S. dutifully pay up, the possibilities for resisting policing through tax resistance and more.
Plenary Presentation at the University of Puerto Rico School of Public Health
Howard has taught public health several times at the University of Puerto Rico. Students and faculty members invited him back to give the plenary presentation on Latin American social medicine at an event to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the doctoral program in public heath, with specialization in the social determinants of health. Howard gave the presentation in Spanish. Please contact Howard if you’d like to receive the slides for this presentation.
Conference in Thessaloniki, Greece
Howard was invited to give the keynote presentation at a conference concerning the “COVID19 Pandemic, modern threats it poses to Public Health and their socio-economic implications,” at the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Bonus Episode of Social Medicine on Air
Howard joined Brendan Johnson and Jonas Attilus of “Social Medicine on Air.” However, Dr. Waitzkin ended up flipping the conversation and interviewing the hosts for what would later air as a bonus episode.
The podcast can be accessed here for free.
Social Medicine on Air
Brendan Johnson and Jonas Attilus of “Social Medicine on Air” invited Howard to come on their podcast for a couple discussions centering Rinky Dink Revolution and the lives of medical students and others who practice social medicine today.
Here is how Brendan and Jonas described the episode:
Howard Waitzkin speaks with us today about reimagining life and medicine after capitalism. A humble giant in the field of social medicine, Howard helps to unpack how capitalism is destructive for the earth, for healthcare systems, and for social life. How can individuals and communities work towards non-violent, "rinky-dink" action against the systems which are destroying us?
The podcast can be accessed here for free.
Rinky Dink Panel Discussion
For the Critical Dialogue Series, Howard was once again joined by the Medical Students Journal Club of the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Rockford, IL.
The topic of discussion was Howard’s publication, Rinky Dink Revolution: Moving Beyond Capitalism by Withholding Consent, Creative Constructions and Creative Constructions.
Panelists include Howard Waitzkin and Bill Ayers.
Panel on "Concerning Violence"
For the Critical Dialogue Series, Howard joined the Medical Students Journal Club of the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Rockford, IL, in order to dive deeper into "Concerning Violence,” the first chapter of Frantz Fanon’s Wretched of the Earth.
Panelists include Dr. Lou Turner, Dr. Lewis Gordon, Dr. Howard Waitzkin, and Dr. Firoze Manji.
Focus Discussion on US and Korea
“Moving Beyond Capitalism for Our Health: Focus on US and Korea.”
On Thursday, November 21st, 2019, Howard spoke at the Fulbright Korean-American Educational Commission located in Seoul, Korea. He highlighted the contemporary state of healthcare in the two nations, and how their struggles are interwoven, despite differences in condition and geographic location. The link between the two? Capitalism and its effect on our health.
COMET 2019
On June 27th, Dr. Howard Waitzkin presented at the Conference for Communication, Medicine and Ethics (COMET) at the University of South Australia.
Howard delivered the Aalborg Lecture in Humanities and Medicine, "Patients communicating with practitioners about social problems: What does capitalism have to do with it?”
People's Health Institute Workshops in Seoul
On June 15 and 22, 2019, Dr. Howard Waitzkin gave two all-day workshops for activists on Health Care Under the Knife: Moving Beyond Capitalism for Our Health, at the invitation of the People's Health Institute, Seoul, Korea.
Black Agenda Report Interview
Black Agenda Report is a news, analysis and commentary publication out of the black left. The organization and its contributors have been providing independent and critical perspectives on a wide variety of topics and issues that deserve our praise and solidarity.
Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor hosted Howard to answer five questions about his most recent book, Health Care Under The Knife: Moving Beyond Capitalism for Our Health.
Natural Land Institute Interview
Mira Lee and Howard Waitzkin have lived in their current home since 2012. In 2013 they started planting native plants. NLI certified their property in the summer of 2018 as a Conservation@Home site.
Even though they live in town, their home is on the Rock River and provides a rural setting, especially with their variety of wildflowers and trees. The Natural Land Institute did an interview with Howard and Mira to find out a bit more about this process of conservation at home.
Click their logo below to find out more!
Howard's Statement on War Tax Resistance
Due to my values as a conscientious objector (CO), which derive from religious and ethical beliefs, I continue to experience profound ethical conflicts about paying for war through my taxes. For many years during and after the Vietnam War, I resisted half of my income taxes (the percentage of taxes that pays for past and present wars), leading to encounters with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) officials who entered into dialogue with me. I contributed the money that I didn’t pay for war taxes to humanitarian projects, including various efforts to help active duty GIs and veterans. I argued and continue to argue that I and others like me who are conscientiously opposed to war should not suffer from the Constitutional contradiction of being recognized officially as a CO yet being required to pay taxes for war.
Touring US Bookstores
2018 was filled with book events and touring across the US. From New Mexico to Illinois, California and back out East in Maine, New York, and Washington, DC, Howard tried to ensure that his most recent publication, Health Care Under the Knife: Moving Beyond Capitalism for Our Health, reached local communities.
Here is a partial list:
April 28, 2018 - Sherman’s Bookstore, Portland, ME
May 17, 2018 - Seminary Coop Bookstore, Chicago, IL
June 2, 2018 - Left Forum 2018, New York, NY
June 5, 2018 - Bluestocking Bookstore and Activist Center, New York, NY
June 7, 2018 - Turtle Creek Books, Beloit, WI
October 1, 2018 - Bookworks, Albuquerque, NM
September 24, 2018 - University of New Mexico Bookstore, Albuquerque, NM
November 26, 2018 - University of Illinois College of Medicine, Rockford, IL
December 3, 2018 - California Nurses Association, Oakland, CA
December 4, 2018 - UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Those that believe in the need for radical change in the way our health care system currently operates should have a chance to be heard and discuss their concerns.
Social Medicine Consortium 2018
The SMC hosted our third annual conference at the Red Rock Event Center in Churchrock, NM in partnership with COPE.
Thank you for all that helped to make the day a success!