Professor Dr. Alison Thompson

Biography

Alison Thompson is an Associate Professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, where her research focuses on the ethical issues arising from public health policies, particularly their intersection with the general public. She examines ethical concerns related to infectious diseases, outbreak communications, vaccine hesitancy, and pandemic influenza planning. One of the main challenges in public health policies she addresses is their ethical implications and how they can become perceived as controversial. The polarizing nature of these policies often puts the public and the scientific community at odds, resulting in segments of the population being distrustful of health institutions. Her work seeks to understand how to restore public trust through effective dialogue between the scientific community and the public. This includes a focus on how journalism can communicate scientific findings in an accessible manner.

Research Interests