Research Themes

Evidence-Based Medicine and Medical Knowledge

My early work examines the philosophical foundations of evidence-based medicine and challenges the idea that medical knowledge is grounded in neutral evidence alone. I
argue that clinical reasoning involves value-laden judgments about relevance, risk, and interpretation that are often overlooked in standard accounts.

Drawing on feminist philosophy of science, this research highlights how dominant models of medical knowledge exclude patient experience and social context while presenting evidence as objective and value-free. It shows that evidence-based practices are structured not only by data, but also by assumptions about what counts as evidence
and whose perspectives matter.

This work contributes to a reassessment of how medical authority is justified and how clinical decision-making is understood.

Selected publications

• “On Evidence and Evidence-Based Medicine: Lessons from the Philosophy of Science.” Social Science & Medicine 62:1, 2621-2632 (2006)
• “How Can Feminist Theories of Evidence Assist Clinical Reasoning?” Social Epistemology, 29:1, 3-30 (2015)
• “The Placebo Orthodoxy and the Double Standard of Care.” Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics> 36:1, 7-23 (2015)

Connection to broader work
This research establishes the role of values in scientific knowledge production, forming a conceptual foundation for my later work on expertise, trust, and epistemic authority.

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