Hey everybody, it's Jeff Bennett. Welcome to another episode of Settlein. My guest is Gideon

Myerwitz Katz, an epidemiologist, data analyst, and one of the most trusted explainers of public health and

risk in the digital age. Known for his clear-eyed analysis and knack for cutting through misinformation,

Gideon's work has helped millions make sense of everything from COVID data to chronic disease, health policy, and the way numbers shape our lives.

His writing and research have become essential reading for anybody trying to navigate health, behavior, and public communication.

So we'll talk about how he approaches data, what the pandemic taught us and didn't, and why clarity and transparency matter now more than ever. So settle in and

enjoy our conversation with Gideon Meyerwitz-Kats. So Gideon, thanks for speaking with me.

Ah, it's my pleasure. You are an epidemiologist by training. You've also become one of the most

trusted voices online explaining health and science to the public. What drew you to this line of work?

Honestly, it was a bit of a... I stumbled into it. I finished an undergraduate degree in

psychology a long time ago, and I was looking at my career options as someone who didn't want to

become a psychologist, which I realized too late.

And I saw that the University, Sydney University here in Australia was offering a degree in a

master of public health. And I had just finished reading a book by a doctor called Ben Goldacre, called Bad Farmer,

where he talked a lot about epidemiology.

And I thought, you know what?

Why not?

I'll go into some debt and do some more study.

And, yeah, more than a decade or about 14 years on, it's turned out pretty well.

Would it epidemiologists actually do?

Yeah, well, it's a great question.

Epidemiology is the study of human disease.

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