Applied Epidemiology and Scientific Communication

Science is full of remarkable questions. I help investigate them, understand them, and tell their stories.

Applied Epidemiology • Outbreak Investigation • Scientific Communication

I work at the intersection of epidemiology and scientific communication, helping public health organizations, research institutions, and health and life science companies investigate health questions, make sense of complex evidence, and communicate what the science actually shows.

Sometimes that means investigating an outbreak or unusual health event.

Sometimes it means digging into surveillance data, research, or emerging evidence to understand what may be happening and why.

Sometimes it means translating complex findings into plain language.

And sometimes it means sitting down with the scientist behind the work and asking the question that never made it into the journal article.

My headquarters is a converted New York City apartment that has quietly evolved into an office, podcast studio, and home base for curious minds.

I believe good public health and good science communication begin in much the same place:

with curiosity, evidence, and the right questions.

Whether you’re investigating an emerging health problem, evaluating evidence, explaining a new technology, communicating risk, or bringing important research to a wider audience, I help turn complex science into something useful, accurate, and human.

Who I Work With

I work with public health organizations and government partners investigating or responding to outbreaks, emerging health threats, unusual patterns, and other applied epidemiologic questions.

I work with universities and research institutions seeking to understand, translate, or communicate research beyond academic audiences.

I work with health, life science, biotechnology, and biosecurity organizations that need someone who can understand the underlying science before figuring out how to communicate it.

And I work with foundations and mission-driven organizations translating evidence into real-world public health action.

What I Do

Applied Epidemiology & Outbreak Investigation

This is the detective work of public health.

I support projects involving:

• Outbreak and cluster investigation
• Emerging and unusual health events
• Surveillance and epidemiologic data interpretation
• Literature reviews and evidence synthesis
• Exposure and risk-factor investigation
• Public health research and analysis
• Development of epidemiologic reports, briefs, and recommendations
• Translation of findings for decision-makers and public audiences

I’m particularly interested in outbreak investigation, unusual exposures, emerging health threats, and health events where the cause isn’t immediately obvious.

What happened? Who is affected? What do the data tell us? What don’t we know yet?

Those are the questions I like.

Scientific & Public Health Communication

Complex science shouldn’t have to become simplistic science in order to be understandable.

I help organizations translate research, epidemiologic findings, and technical information into clear, evidence-based communication without sacrificing nuance or accuracy.

Projects can include:

• Scientific and public health writing
• Evidence-based articles and explainers
• Risk communication
• Reports and briefs
• Message development
• Research translation
• Educational content
• Scientific accuracy and claims review

Uncertainty matters, too. When the evidence isn’t conclusive, I believe that should be communicated clearly rather than quietly edited out of the story.

Expert Interviews & Scientific Storytelling

Some of the most interesting parts of science never make it into the abstract.

Through thoughtful interviews with researchers, epidemiologists, clinicians, founders, engineers, and public health leaders, I help organizations uncover and communicate the people, ideas, questions, and stories behind their work.

Expert conversations can become podcast episodes, written features, educational articles, newsletters, multimedia content, webinars, or other long-form scientific content.

A Slightly Unusual Combination

My background spans medicine, epidemiology, public health, outbreak response, and scientific communication.

That means I can approach a project from both sides.

I can dig into the science and ask whether the evidence supports the story.

And then I can figure out how to tell that story so somebody outside the research team actually wants to hear it.

For some projects, the epidemiology is the work.

For others, understanding the epidemiology is what makes the communication better.

Often, it’s both.

How Partnerships Work

Projects can be structured as project-based engagements or ongoing consulting partnerships, depending on the work.

For larger or evolving projects, ongoing partnerships allow me to understand the science deeply, follow the evidence as it develops, and provide continuity across research, analysis, and communication.

I intentionally limit the number of projects I take on so I can stay closely involved in the work.

Interested in Working Together?

If you’re investigating an interesting public health question, making sense of complex evidence, or trying to communicate important science, I’d love to hear what you’re working on.

Email Dr. Eeks at: erin@bloomingwellness.com

Unpaid collaborations are not available at this time.

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The Causes or Cures Podcast:

Causes or Cures is Dr. Eeks’ independent podcast exploring health and public health through conversations with researchers, scientists, physicians, epidemiologists, and other experts from around the world.

The show covers everything from emerging research and unusual outbreaks to medical mysteries, public health history, strange case reports, and the occasional scientific rabbit hole.

At its core is a simple question:

What’s actually going on here?

Hundreds of expert interviews later, that question still hasn’t gotten boring.

Underwriting and sponsorship opportunities are available. The audience includes public health professionals, researchers, physicians, professors, scientists, health enthusiasts, and curious people around the world.

Check Out Some of Dr. Eeks Health Communication Blogs:

The Precautionary Principle: Locked in the Trunk on a ‘Merican Chemical Joyride

War and the Art of the Napkin Risk/Benefit Analysis

The Ridiculous Panic Over Misinformation

Truth-Seeking: A Caveat to Be Aware Of

What Killed Skip? A Story of Causation

Mastering Where a Short Attention Span Meets Public Health Science:

Those Amazing Sounding Headlines (Absolute Risk Reduction vs Relative Risk Reduction)

Case Fatality Vs Mortality (Using Bird Flu as an Example.)

We Used to Do What on Planes? (Part of the “Weird Public Health” Series.)

The Plural of Anecdote isn’t Misinformation (What an Anecdote Does and What it Doesn’t)

If you’re the kind of person who enjoys asking “Wait…what?”

You’ll probably enjoy the Eeks Weekly newsletter.

Expect podcast guests, behind-the-scenes stories, weird public health, health news that makes you say “WTF?”, and the occasional life musing.

Check out the Public Health is Weird series HERE! :)