Jeremy Howick
{{Short description|Canadian-UK philosopher of science}}
{{Autobiography|date=January 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox medical person
| name = Jeremy Howick
| image = File:Jeremy Howick.jpg
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| birth_name = Jeremy Howick
| birth_place = Montreal
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| nationality = Canadian and British
| citizenship = Canadian and British
| education = Dartmouth College
London School of Economics
University of Oxford
| occupation = Philosopher, Epidemiologist
| years_active = 2009–present
| known_for = Doctor You
The Philosophy of Evidence-Based Medicine
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| website = {{URL|www.jeremyhowick.com}}
| profession = Philosopher, clinical epidemiologist, teacher
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| work_institutions = University of Leicester and University of Oxford
| specialism = evidence-based medicine, placebo and nocebo effects, empathy in medicine
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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.{{Cite web |url=http://www.ox.ac.uk/news-and-events/find-an-expert/dr-jeremy-howick |title=Dr Jeremy Howick |website=University of Oxford |language=en |access-date=2018-04-24}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/may/22/knew-they-were-sugar-pills-felt-fantastic-rise-open-label-placebos |title='I knew they were sugar pills but I felt fantastic' – the rise of open-label placebos |last=Fleming |first=Nic |date=2017-05-22 |website=the Guardian |language=en |access-date=2018-04-24}} He is the author of over 100 peer-reviewed papers, as well as two books, The Philosophy of Evidence-Based Medicine in 2011,{{cite book| author = Jeremy Howick| title = The Philosophy of Evidence-based Medicine| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=O8djbHBva5IC&pg=PA15| date = 2011-02-23| publisher = John Wiley & Sons| isbn = 978-1-4443-4266-6}} and Doctor You in 2017.{{Cite web |url=http://www.jeremyhowick.com/ |title=Homepage |website=Dr. Jeremy Howick |language=en-US |access-date=2018-04-24}} In 2016, he received the Dawkins & Strutt grant from the British Medical Association to study pain treatment.{{Cite press release |title=Scientists awarded research grants by the British Medical Association |date=2016-11-29 |url=https://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/news/scientists-awarded-research-grants-by-the-british-medical-association |language=en |access-date=2018-04-24 |website=University of Oxford}} He publishes in Philosophy of Medicine and medical journals.{{Cite journal |title=Jeremy Howick PubMed citations |journal = Biochemical Pharmacology|volume = 24|issue = 20|pages = 1903–4|language=en-US |pmid = 20|year = 1975|last1 = Barthel|first1 = W.|last2 = Markwardt|first2 = F.|doi = 10.1016/0006-2952(75)90415-3}} He is a member of the Sigma Xi research honours society.{{Cite web |url=https://www.sigmaxi.org/members/member-directory?fn=Jeremy&ln=Howick&disc=0&match=False |title=Sigma Xi Member Directory |language=en |access-date=2022-11-22}}
Early life and education
Howick, a native of Montreal, Canada, is a graduate of Westmount High School.{{cn|date=June 2025}} 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.{{cn|date=June 2025}} His PhD in Philosophy of medicine at the London School of Economics was conducted under the supervision of 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.{{Cite thesis|title=Philosophical essentials in evidence-based medicine: Evaluating the epistemological role of double blinding and placebo controls.|url=http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/2973/|publisher=London School of Economics and Political Science|date=2008|degree=phd|language=en|first=Jeremy|last=Howick}} He is the Director of the Oxford Empathy Programme{{Cite web |url=https://www.philosophy.ox.ac.uk/oxford-empathy-programme-new-design-draft |title=Oxford Empathy Programme |language=en |access-date=2020-08-14}} at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Oxford.
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.{{Cite web|url=http://www.worldrowing.com/athletes/athlete/4854/howick-jeremy
|title=World Rowing|website=World Rowing |language=en |access-date=2020-04-20}} He also competed in The Boat Race 1996 representing Oxford.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}
Career
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, and the Oxford Philosophy and Medicine Network.{{Cite web |url=https://www.philosophy.ox.ac.uk/oxford-philosophy-and-medicine-network |title=Oxford Philosophy and Medicine Network |language=en |access-date=2020-08-14}} His main post is at the University of Leicester where he is the director of the Stoneygate Centre for Excellence in Empathic Healthcare.{{Cite web |url=https://le.ac.uk/empathy |title=Stoneygate Centre for Excellence in Empathic Healthcare |language=en |access-date=2022-11-22}}
Howick designed a trial of placebo treatments for back pain for a BBC Horizon documentary.{{cite web|title=Placebos and Back Pain|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bmblb8|publisher=BBC|accessdate=20 February 2019}}
Research
Howick's research combines Philosophy of medicine with medical research (especially Evidence-based medicine.{{cite book |first=Jeremy H. |last=Howick |title=The Philosophy of Evidence-based Medicine |publisher=Wiley |page=15 |isbn=978-1-4443-4266-6 |date=2011-02-23}} Howick's book, "The Philosophy of Evidence-Based Medicine" is a critical defense of the Evidence-based medicine Hierarchy of evidence.
His research focuses on empathy, where his main contribution has been to evaluate empathy in healthcare the same way drugs are evaluated, with systematic reviews of randomised trials.{{cite journal | vauthors = Howick J, Lewith GT, Mebius A, Fanshawe TR, Bishop FL, van Osch M, Van Dulmen AM, Christelis N, Kaptchuk T, Mistiaen P | title = Positive messages may reduce patient pain: A meta-analysis | journal = European Journal of Integrative Medicine | volume = 11 | pages = 31–38 | date = August 2017 | doi = 10.1016/j.eujim.2017.03.005| url = https://philpapers.org/rec/HOWPMM }}{{cite journal | vauthors = Howick J, Moscrop A, Mebius A, Fanshawe TR, Lewith G, Bishop FL, Mistiaen P, Roberts NW, Dieninyte E, Hu XY, Aveyard P, Onakpoya IJ | title = Effects of empathic and positive communication in healthcare consultations: a systematic review and meta-analysis | journal = Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine | volume = 111 | issue = 7 | pages = 240–252 | date = July 2018 | pmid = 29672201 | doi = 10.1177/0141076818769477| pmc = 6047264 }} He recently{{when?|date=June 2025}} conducted a study showing that the definition of empathy is not as confusing as previously assumed.{{Cite journal|last1=Howick|first1=Jeremy|last2=Bennett-Weston|first2=Amber|last3=Dudko P.A.|first3=Maya|last4=Eva|first4=Kevin |date=2025|title= Uncovering the components of therapeutic empathy through thematic analysis of existing definitions|journal= Patient Education and Counseling |volume=131| doi=10.1016/j.pec.2024.108596|pmid=39657390|doi-access=free}} His systematic review found that 1 in 10 patient safety incidents are caused by poor communication.{{cite journal |last1=Keshtkar |first1=L |last2=Bennett-Weston |first2=A |last3=Khan |first3=AS |last4=Mohan |first4=S |last5=Jones |first5=M |last6=Nockels |first6=K |last7=Gunn |first7=S |last8=Armstrong |first8=N |last9=Bostock |first9=J |last10=Howick |first10=J |title=Impacts of Communication Type and Quality on Patient Safety Incidents: A Systematic Review |journal=Annals of Internal Medicine |date=15 April 2025 |doi=10.7326/ANNALS-24-02904 |pmid=40228297}}
Howick's work on placebo effects culminated in a book The Power of Placebos: How the Science of Placebos and Nocebos Can Improve Health Care.{{cite book|first=Jeremy |last=Howick|title=The Power of Placebos: How the Science of Placebos and Nocebos Can Improve Health Care|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |isbn=9781421446387|date=2023-11-14}} 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).{{cite journal | vauthors = Howick J, Friedemann C, Tsakok M, Watson R, Tsakok T, Thomas J, Perera R, Fleming S, Heneghan C | title = Are Treatments More Effective than Placebos? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis | journal = PLOS One | volume = 11 | issue = 1 | pages = e62599| date = May 2013 | pmid = 23690944| pmc = 3655171 | doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0062599 | bibcode = 2013PLoSO...862599H | doi-access = free }} and another suggesting that 'honest' placebos (that patients know are placebos) can also be effective.{{cite journal | vauthors = Charlesworth JE, Petkovic G, Kelley JM, Hunter M, Onakpoya I, Roberts N, Miller FG, Howick J | title = Effects of placebos without deception compared with no treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis | journal = Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine | volume = 10 | issue = 2 | pages = 97–107 | date = May 2017 | pmid = 28452193 | doi = 10.1111/jebm.12251 | s2cid = 4577402 | type = Systematic review and meta-analysis | doi-access = free }}
His research has been translated for popular audiences in his book Doctor You.{{cite book|first=Jeremy H. |last=Howick|title=Doctor You|publisher=Hachette |isbn= 9781473654235|date=2017-10-19}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.jeremyhowick.com/}}
- [http://www.ox.ac.uk/news-and-events/find-an-expert/dr-jeremy-howick Find an Expert: Dr Jeremy Howick]
- {{Google Scholar id|v1fV-KEAAAAJ | name= Jeremy Howick}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Howick, Jeremy H.}}
Category:Dartmouth College alumni
Category:British epidemiologists
Category:Philosophers of science
Category:21st-century British philosophers
Category:People from Quorn, Leicestershire
Category:Academics of the University of Oxford
Category:Academics of the University of Leicester
Category:British medical researchers
Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
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