Harriet A. Hall
Encyclopedia
Harriet A. Hall is a retired family physician, former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon and skeptic
Scientific skepticism
Scientific skepticism is the practice of questioning the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence or reproducibility, as part of a methodological norm pursuing "the extension of certified knowledge". For example, Robert K...

 who writes about alternative medicine
Alternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....

 and quackery
Quackery
Quackery is a derogatory term used to describe the promotion of unproven or fraudulent medical practices. Random House Dictionary describes a "quack" as a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, knowledge, or...

 for Skeptic
Skeptic (U.S. magazine)
Skeptic is a quarterly science education and science advocacy magazine published internationally by The Skeptics Society, a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs...

and Skeptical Inquirer
Skeptical Inquirer
The Skeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly American magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry with the subtitle: The magazine for science and reason....

.

Career

Dr. Hall received her B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 and M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...

 from the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

. 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
Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 3 miles southwest of Valparaiso, Florida in Okaloosa County....

.

Hall says she was a "passive skeptic" for quite some time, only reading the literature and attending the various meetings. 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
Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine
Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine and Aberrant Medical Practices is a scientific journal published by the Commission for Scientific Medicine and Mental Health...

 testing so-called "Vitamin O
Vitamin O
Vitamin O is a dietary supplement which has been marketed and sold by Rose Creek Health Products since 1998. It is not recognized by nutritional science as a vitamin and the manufacturer has been fined by the Federal Trade Commission for making false claims of health benefits of the product...

" products she had seen advertised in the mail. She then began writing articles for Skeptical Inquirer
Skeptical Inquirer
The Skeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly American magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry with the subtitle: The magazine for science and reason....

. When she spoke to Michael Shermer
Michael Shermer
Michael Brant Shermer is an American science writer, historian of science, founder of The Skeptics Society, and Editor in Chief of its magazine Skeptic, which is largely devoted to investigating pseudoscientific and supernatural claims. The Skeptics Society currently has over 55,000 members...

 at The Amazing Meeting about the book The God Code, he encouraged her to write a review of it for Skeptic Magazine
Skeptic (U.S. magazine)
Skeptic is a quarterly science education and science advocacy magazine published internationally by The Skeptics Society, a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs...

. She wrote other articles for that publication, and since late 2006 she has had a regular column in it titled The SkepDoc. This is also the name of her web site.

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." 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
Airborne (dietary supplement)
Airborne is a dietary supplement containing herbal extracts, amino acids, antioxidants, electrolytes, synthetic vitamins, and other ingredients. It was created by Victoria Knight-McDowell in the early 1990s. It is offered for sale over-the-counter in many U.S. retail stores in three different...

 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."

She has publicly criticized the recommendations and products of Daniel G. Amen
Daniel G. Amen
Daniel G. Amen, M.D. is a child and adult psychiatrist, self-help advisor, author and medical director of the Amen Clinic. He has done work in evaluating psychiatric and neurological patients with the help of SPECT scanning, especially in the area of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.-Career...

 in an article at Quackwatch
Quackwatch
Quackwatch is an American non-profit organization founded by Stephen Barrett with the stated aim being to "combat health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct" and with a primary focus on providing "quackery-related information that is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere."...

 and elsewhere, saying "Amen's recommendations defy science, common sense and logic." She has also criticized many other proponents of alternative therapies, including Andrew Weil
Andrew Weil
Andrew Thomas Weil is an American author and physician, who established the field of integrative medicine which attempts to integrate alternative and conventional medicine. Weil is the author of several best-selling books and operates a website and monthly newsletter promoting general health and...

.

She is an advisor to Quackwatch
Quackwatch
Quackwatch is an American non-profit organization founded by Stephen Barrett with the stated aim being to "combat health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct" and with a primary focus on providing "quackery-related information that is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere."...

 and an Associate Editor of the Science-Based Medicine blog.

She has spoken at Center for Inquiry
Center for Inquiry
The Center for Inquiry is a non-profit educational organization with headquarters in the United States whose primary mission is to encourage evidence-based inquiry into paranormal and fringe science claims, alternative medicine and mental health practices, religion, secular ethics, and society...

, the Science-Based Medicine Conference, The Amazing Meeting 7 and The Skeptics Toolbox, all in 2009. She has been interviewed on podcasts such as The Reality Check, Skepticality
Skepticality
Skepticality is the official biweekly podcast of The Skeptics Society's Skeptic magazine. It explores rational thought, skeptical ideas, and famous myths from around the world and throughout history...

and The Skeptic Zone.

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?"
Starting in the January 2010 issue, Dr. Hall had a regular 250-word column in O, The Oprah Magazine
O, The Oprah Magazine
O: The Oprah Magazine, sometimes simply abbreviated to O, is a monthly magazine founded by Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Corporation.-Overview:...

 debunking common health myths. Her relationship with the magazine was rocky, and the column ended in the June 2010 issue.

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.

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.

Personal life

She is married, and resides in Puyallup, Washington
Puyallup, Washington
Puyallup, Washington is a city in Pierce County, Washington about five miles east of Tacoma. The population was 37,022 at the 2010 Census. Named after the Puyallup Tribe of Native Americans, Puyallup means "the generous people."-History:...

with her husband Kirk (who is also retired from the Air Force). She has two grown daughters.

Selected publications

Dr. Hall maintains a complete list of her publications on her website. Below are selected highlights and publications mentioned in this article.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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