Overview
Dr. Brian Southwell is an adjunct professor with Duke's Department of Medicine and also has worked with the Social Science Research Institute and the Energy Initiative. Southwell directs the Science in the Public Sphere program at RTI International and also is a faculty member at UNC-Chapel Hill. He hosts The Measure of Everyday Life, a weekly public radio show, is the author of Social Networks and Popular Understanding of Science and Health (Johns Hopkins University Press), and edited Innovations in Home Energy Use: A Sourcebook (RTI Press) and Misinformation and Mass Audiences (University of Texas Press).
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Adjunct Professor in the Department of Medicine
·
2021 - Present
Medicine, General Internal Medicine,
Medicine
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society
·
2022 - Present
Duke Science & Society,
University Initiatives & Academic Support Units
Recent Publications
Acknowledging Uncertainty and the Scientific Process Increases Perceived Trustworthiness and Understanding of Public Health Risk Communication.
Journal Article J Public Health Manag Pract · January 2026 OBJECTIVES: The aim is to determine if comprehensive messages about public health situations that acknowledge uncertainty and explain scientific processes increase perceived trustworthiness and scientific understanding relative to less enhanced messages fo ... Full text Link to item CiteOne voice and vision: How the RISE network built a collective identity as the foundation for strategic dissemination.
Journal Article Harm Reduct J · December 8, 2025 BACKGROUND: A collective identity is a set of shared values and value propositions that an investigator network projects as they deliver data and knowledge generated through their studies to community partners, policymakers, research participants, public h ... Full text Link to item CiteUnderstanding and Addressing Misinformation About Science
Journal Article · April 21, 2025 Full text CiteRecent Grants
Misinformation First Aid
Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Craig Newmark Philanthropies · 2020 - 2025Misinformation First Aid
Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation · 2020 - 2020View All Grants
Recent Artistic Works
The Measure of Everyday Life
Radio Television Program January 4, 2015 Archived episodes of The Measure of Everyday LifeView All Artistic Works
Education, Training & Certifications
University of Pennsylvania ·
2002
Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania ·
1997
M.A.
University of Virginia ·
1995
A.B.