Jeremy Howick
Selected Publications
- Golomb Beatrice A, Erickson Laura C, Koperski Sabrina, Sack Deanna, Enkin Murray, and Howick Jeremy (2010) What's in placebos: who knows? Analysis of randomized, controlled trials. Ann Intern Med, 153(8):532-5.
- Howick Jeremy, Glasziou Paul, and Aronson Jeffrey K (2010) Evidence-based mechanistic reasoning. J R Soc Med, 103(11):433-41.
- Howick Jeremy (2009) If children understand drawing straws and flipping coins, research participants can understand randomization. Am J Bioeth, 9(2):19-20.
Dr Jeremy Howick
Biography
I’m interested in two main areas. Both bridge the gap between medical practice and philosophy; the aim of both is to improve healthcare.
(1) The philosophy of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM). While many researchers have attacked the EBM view that randomized trials provide ‘best’ evidence, the EBM stance on ‘theory’ (‘mechanisms’) and clinical expertise have all but been ignored. This line of research has culminated in a book, The Philosophy of Evidence-Based Medicine (Blackwell/Wiley, forthcoming March 2011).
(2) Methodological and ethical issues surrounding ‘placebos’. What are ‘placebos’? What counts as a ‘legitimate placebo control’? Are ‘placebo’ controls ethical when there is an established therapy? I research the nature of the ‘placebo’, how to construct ‘legitimate’ placebo controls, and whether ‘placebo’ controls are ethical when we have an established therapy.
My research is relevant to both science and policy, and has practical implications for improving healthcare. I am an active member of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) working group that provides guidance to systematic reviewers, and I am chairing a committee in charge of re-designing Oxford’s Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (OCEBM) ‘Table of Evidence’. My work with GRADE and the OCEBM affects policy directly because it defines the rules of evidence policy-makers employ when making decisions.
