Jump to content

Jeremy Howick

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jeremy Howick
Born
Jeremy Howick

Montreal
NationalityCanadian and British
CitizenshipCanadian and British
EducationDartmouth College
London School of Economics
University of Oxford
Occupation(s)Philosopher, Epidemiologist
Years active2009–present
Known forDoctor You
The Philosophy of Evidence-Based Medicine
Medical career
ProfessionPhilosopher, clinical epidemiologist, teacher
InstitutionsUniversity of Leicester and University of Oxford
Sub-specialtiesevidence-based medicine, placebo and nocebo effects, empathy in medicine
Websitewww.jeremyhowick.com

Jeremy Howick is a Canadian-born, British residing clinical epidemiologist and philosopher of science. He researches evidence-based medicine, clinical empathy and the philosophy of medicine, including the use of placebos in clinical practice and clinical trials.[1][2] He is the author of over 100 peer-reviewed papers, as well as two books, The Philosophy of Evidence-Based Medicine in 2011,[3] and Doctor You in 2017.[4] In 2016, he received the Dawkins & Strutt grant from the British Medical Association to study pain treatment.[5] He publishes in Philosophy of Medicine and medical journals.[6] He is a member of the Sigma Xi research honours society.[7]

Early life and education

[edit]

Howick, a native of Montreal, Canada, is a graduate of Westmount High School. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Engineering from the Dartmouth College, and graduate degrees from The London School of Economics and the University of Oxford. His PhD in Philosophy of medicine at the London School of Economics was conducted under the supervision of Professors Nancy Cartwright and John Worrall, with a thesis entitled Philosophical essentials in evidence-based medicine: Evaluating the epistemological role of double blinding and placebo controls, published in 2008.[8] He is the Director of the Oxford Empathy Programme[9] at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Oxford.

International Rowing

[edit]

As a freshman at Dartmouth College, Howick learned to row. He subsequently competed in internationals for Canada at the 1994 World Championships, and won a silver medal at the 1994 Commonwealth Games.[10] He also competed in The Boat Race 1996 representing Oxford.[citation needed]

Professional background

[edit]

Howick has worked at the University of Oxford, including at the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine since 2007. Together with Muir Gray, he founded the Oxford Empathy Programme,[9] and the Oxford Philosophy and Medicine Network.[11] His main post now is at the University of Leicester where he is the director of the Stoneygate Centre for Excellence in Empathic Healthcare.[12]

Broadcasting

[edit]

Howick designed a trial of placebo treatments for back pain for a BBC Horizon documentary.[13]

Research

[edit]

Howick is known for his research which combines Philosophy of medicine with medical research (especially Evidence-based medicine, which he mostly defends.[14] Howick's book, "The Philosophy of Evidence-Based Medicine" came to define a sub-discipline within the Philosophy of Medicine[3] and has been used to develop a course on the History and Philosophy of Medicine at the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. The book is a critical defense of the Evidence-based medicine Hierarchy of evidence.

His research currently focuses on empathy, where his main contribution has been to evaluate empathy in healthcare the same way drugs are evaluated, namely with systematic reviews of randomised trials.[15][16] He recently conducted a study showing that the definition of empathy is not as confusing as previously assumed.[17]

His work on placebo effects culminated in a book The Power of Placebos: How the Science of Placebos and Nocebos Can Improve Health Care.[18] His research in this area also includes a systematic review suggesting that the magnitude of placebo effects is similar to the magnitude of drug effects, most notably for treating pain (although the latter includes the placebo effect).[19] and another suggesting that 'honest' placebos (that patients know are placebos) can also be effective.[20]

His research has been translated for popular audiences in his book Doctor You.[21]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Dr Jeremy Howick". University of Oxford. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  2. ^ Fleming, Nic (22 May 2017). "'I knew they were sugar pills but I felt fantastic' – the rise of open-label placebos". the Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  3. ^ a b Jeremy Howick (23 February 2011). The Philosophy of Evidence-based Medicine. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-4443-4266-6.
  4. ^ "Homepage". Dr. Jeremy Howick. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Scientists awarded research grants by the British Medical Association". University of Oxford (Press release). 29 November 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  6. ^ Barthel, W.; Markwardt, F. (1975). "Jeremy Howick PubMed citations". Biochemical Pharmacology. 24 (20): 1903–4. doi:10.1016/0006-2952(75)90415-3. PMID 20.
  7. ^ "Sigma Xi Member Directory". Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  8. ^ Howick, Jeremy (2008). Philosophical essentials in evidence-based medicine: Evaluating the epistemological role of double blinding and placebo controls (phd thesis). London School of Economics and Political Science.
  9. ^ a b "Oxford Empathy Programme". Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  10. ^ "World Rowing". World Rowing. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  11. ^ "Oxford Philosophy and Medicine Network". Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  12. ^ "Stoneygate Centre for Excellence in Empathic Healthcare". Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  13. ^ "Placebos and Back Pain". BBC. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  14. ^ Howick, Jeremy H. (23 February 2011). The Philosophy of Evidence-based Medicine. Wiley. p. 15. ISBN 978-1-4443-4266-6.
  15. ^ Howick J, Lewith GT, Mebius A, Fanshawe TR, Bishop FL, van Osch M, Van Dulmen AM, Christelis N, Kaptchuk T, Mistiaen P (August 2017). "Positive messages may reduce patient pain: A meta-analysis". European Journal of Integrative Medicine. 11: 31–38. doi:10.1016/j.eujim.2017.03.005.
  16. ^ Howick J, Moscrop A, Mebius A, Fanshawe TR, Lewith G, Bishop FL, Mistiaen P, Roberts NW, Dieninyte E, Hu XY, Aveyard P, Onakpoya IJ (July 2018). "Effects of empathic and positive communication in healthcare consultations: a systematic review and meta-analysis". Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 111 (7): 240–252. doi:10.1177/0141076818769477. PMC 6047264. PMID 29672201.
  17. ^ Howick, Jeremy; Bennett-Weston, Amber; Dudko P.A., Maya; Eva, Kevin (2025). "Uncovering the components of therapeutic empathy through thematic analysis of existing definitions". Patient Education and Counseling. 131. doi:10.1016/j.pec.2024.108596. PMID 39657390.
  18. ^ Howick, Jeremy (14 November 2023). The Power of Placebos: How the Science of Placebos and Nocebos Can Improve Health Care. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 9781421446387.
  19. ^ Howick J, Friedemann C, Tsakok M, Watson R, Tsakok T, Thomas J, Perera R, Fleming S, Heneghan C (May 2013). "Are Treatments More Effective than Placebos? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis". PLOS One. 11 (1): e62599. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...862599H. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0062599. PMC 3655171. PMID 23690944.
  20. ^ Charlesworth JE, Petkovic G, Kelley JM, Hunter M, Onakpoya I, Roberts N, Miller FG, Howick J (May 2017). "Effects of placebos without deception compared with no treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis". Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine (Systematic review and meta-analysis). 10 (2): 97–107. doi:10.1111/jebm.12251. PMID 28452193. S2CID 4577402.
  21. ^ Howick, Jeremy H. (19 October 2017). Doctor You. Hachette. ISBN 9781473654235.
[edit]


Stub icon

This United Kingdom biographical article related to medicine is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://wiki.riteme.site/w/index.php?title=Jeremy_Howick&oldid=1264230922"