Harriet A. Hall
Harriet A. Hall (born on July 2, 1945) is a retired family physician, former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon and skeptic who writes about alternative medicine and quackery for Skeptic and Skeptical Inquirer.
Career
Dr. Hall received her B.A. and M.D. from the University of Washington. She was only the second woman to do her internship in the Air Force and was the first female graduate of the Air Force family practice residency at Eglin Air Force Base.[1]
Hall says she was a "passive skeptic" for quite some time, only reading the literature and attending the various meetings.[2] She met Dr. Wallace Sampson at a Skeptic's Toolbox workshop in Oregon. He convinced her to write an article for the Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine[3] testing so-called "Vitamin O" products she had seen advertised in the mail.[4] She then began writing articles for Skeptical Inquirer.[5][6] When she spoke to Michael Shermer at The Amazing Meeting about the book The God Code, he encouraged her to write a review of it for Skeptic Magazine.[7] She wrote other articles for that publication, and since late 2006 she has had a regular column in it titled The SkepDoc.[2] This is also the name of her web site.[8]
She has been an outspoken critic of alternative medicine, often questioning its effectiveness. "If it were shown to be truly effective, it would be part of regular medicine."[9] In her work she emphasizes the importance of following the scientific evidence for or against any remedy. When asked about the anti-cold remedy Airborne she said, "There's more evidence for chicken soup than for Airborne. In the absence of any credible double-blind studies to support the claims for Airborne, I'll stick to hand washing."[10]
She has publicly criticized the recommendations and products of Daniel G. Amen in an article at Quackwatch[11] and elsewhere, saying "Amen's recommendations defy science, common sense and logic."[12] She has also criticized many other proponents of alternative therapies, including Andrew Weil.[13]
She is an advisor to Quackwatch[14] and an Associate Editor of the Science-Based Medicine blog.[1]
She has spoken at Center for Inquiry,[15] the Science-Based Medicine Conference,[16] The Amazing Meeting 7[17] and The Skeptics Toolbox,[18] all in 2009. She has been interviewed on podcasts such as The Reality Check,[3] Skepticality[19] and The Skeptic Zone.[2]
In 2008 she published an autobiography focusing on her experiences as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force (she retired as a full Colonel). As a female physician, Air Force officer, pilot and flight surgeon she was a minority in several respects, and encountered prejudice. The title of the book refers to an incident after her first solo flight when an airport official told her, "Didn't anybody ever tell you women aren't supposed to fly?"[17][20]
Starting in the January 2010 issue, Dr. Hall had a regular 250-word column in O, The Oprah Magazine debunking common health myths.[21] Her relationship with the magazine was rocky, and the column ended in the June 2010 issue.[22]
Dr. Hall is on the board and a founding member of the recently (2009) formed Institute for Science in Medicine. In 2010 Dr. Hall was elected a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.[23]
On August 21, 2010 Dr. Hall was honored with an award recognizing her contributions in the skeptical field, from The IIG during its 10th Anniversary Gala.[24]
Personal life
She is married, and resides in Puyallup, Washington[3] with her husband Kirk (who is also retired from the Air Force). She has two grown daughters.[17]
Selected publications
Dr. Hall maintains a complete list of her publications on her website. Below are selected highlights and publications mentioned in this article.
- Hall, Harriet A. (Spring/Summer 2003), "Analysis of Claims and of an Experiment to Prove That Oxygen is Present in "Vitamin O"", Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine 7 (1): 29–33
- Hall, Harriet A. (May/June 2003), "Wired to the Kitchen Sink: Studying Weird Claims for Fun and Profit", Skeptical Inquirer (Committee for Skeptical Inquiry) 27 (3): pp. 46–48, http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/cranial2.html, retrieved August 8, 2009
- Hall, Harriet A. (Fall/Winter 2003-2004), "Chiropractic Information in a Public Library", Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine 7 (2): 78–86
- Hall, Harriet (2005, rev. 2007). "A Skeptical View of SPECT Scans and Dr. Daniel Amen". Quackwatch. http://quackwatch.org/06ResearchProjects/amen.html. Retrieved August 8, 2009
- Hall, Harriet A. (Spring/Summer 2005), "Blind-spot Mapping, Cortical Function, and Chiropractic Manipulation", Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine 9 (1): 11–15
- Hall, Harriett (2005). "Seek & Ye Shall Find: The God Code (Book Review)". Skeptic (The Skeptics Society) 11 (4)
- Hall, Harriet A. (May/June 2006), "Teaching Pigs to Sing: An Experiment in Bringing Critical Thinking to the Masses", Skeptical Inquirer 30 (3): pp. 36–39, http://www.csicop.org/si/show/teaching_pigs_to_sing_an_experiment_in_bringing_critical_thinking_to_the_ma, retrieved August 8, 2009
- Hall, Harriet A. (June 24, 2008), "Death By Medicine", Science-Based Medicine, http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=136, retrieved August 9, 2009
- Hall, Harriet A. (2008). Women Aren't Supposed to Fly : The Memoirs of a Female Flight Surgeon. Lincoln, NE: iUniverse. pp. 221. ISBN 9780595499588. OCLC 263094055
References
- ^ a b "Harriet Hall, MD". Science-Based Medicine. http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?page_id=225. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
- ^ a b c Saunders, Richard (January 23, 2009). "#14 Jon Ronson - The Amazing Adventure 2 (James Randi, Susan Hurst, Dr Phil Plait, Rebecca Watson, Dr Harriet Hall)". The Skeptic Zone (Australian Skeptics). http://media.libsyn.com/media/skepticzone/the_skeptic_zone_14_090123.mp3. Retrieved August 8, 2009 (Interview from 46:00 to 50:25)
- ^ a b c "TRC #49: Homeopathy 101 + Harriet Hall Interview + Sex on the Mind Myth". The Reality Check podcast. Ottawa Skeptics. August 1, 2009. http://www.ottawaskeptics.org/the-reality-check. Retrieved August 1, 2009. (Interview from 16:08 to 33:25)
- ^ Hall, SRAM (7)1 2003.
- ^ Hall, SI (27)3 2003.
- ^ Hall, SI (30)3 2006.
- ^ Hall, Skeptic (11)4 2005.
- ^ "SkepDoc Columns". The SkepDoc. http://www.skepdoc.info/id14.html. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
- ^ Kranish, Michael (July 24, 2009). "Senators seek coverage for alternative therapies". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/07/24/senators_seek_coverage_for_alternative_therapies/. Retrieved August 8, 2009
- ^ Shermer, Michael (January 2007). "Airborne Baloney: The latest fad in cold remedies is full of hot air". Scientific American. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=airborne-baloney. Retrieved August 9, 2009
- ^ Hall, Quackwatch 2005.
- ^ Burton, Robert (May 12, 2008). "Brain scam: Why is PBS airing Dr. Daniel Amen's self-produced infomercial for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease?". Salon. p. 3. http://www.salon.com/mwt/mind_reader/2008/05/12/daniel_amen/index2.html. Retrieved August 8, 2009
- ^ Singh, Simon; Ernst, Edzard (2008). Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 257. ISBN 978-0-393-06661-6.
- ^ "Medical Advisors". Quackwatch. July 18, 2003. http://www.quackwatch.com/09Advisors/medadvbd.html. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
- ^ "Harriet Hall - Snake Oil Science". Centre for Inquiry Vancouver. April 24, 2009. http://www.centerforinquiry.net/vancouver/events/harriet_hall_-_snake_oil_science/. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
- ^ Novella, Steven (March 6, 2009). "Science-Based Medicine Conference". NeuroLogica Blog. http://www.theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=491. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
- ^ a b c "The Amaz!ng Meeting 7 Speakers". James Randi Educational Foundation. February 23, 2009. http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/component/content/article/37-static/448-the-amazing-meeting-7-speakers.html. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
- ^ Hall, Harriet (August 7, 2009). "Tooth Fairy Science and Other Pitfalls: Applying Rigorous Science to Messy Medicine". The Skeptics Toolbox. http://www.skepticstoolbox.org/schedule. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
- ^ Swoopy; Colanduno, Derek (June 10, 2008). "Ep. #079 - Interview: Dr. Harriet Hall - The Doctor Is In!". Skepticality (Skeptic Magazine). http://www.skepticality.com/the-doctor-is-in/. Retrieved November 27, 2011
- ^ Hall 2008.
- ^ Thorp, Brandon K. (December 10, 2009). "Harriet Hall's Big Big News". SWIFT. James Randi Educational Foundation. http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/800-harriet-halls-big-big-news.html. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
- ^ Hall, Harriet A. (September 7, 2010), "Write for Oprah? Wrong for Me", Science-Based Medicine, http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=6721, retrieved September 8, 2010
- ^ Sixteen Notable Figures in Science and Skepticism Elected CSI Fellows. Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. January 12, 2010. http://www.csicop.org/news/show/sixteen_notable_figures_in_science_and_skepticism_elected_csi_fellows. Retrieved January 12, 2010
- ^ http://www.iigwest.com/iigawards/index.html
External links
| Persondata |
| Name |
Hall, Harriet A. |
| Alternative names |
Hall, Harriet |
| Short description |
Medical doctor & skeptic |
| Date of birth |
2 July 1945 |
| Place of birth |
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| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
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