Amy Fairchild

University Professor, Sociology Department

Senior Research Associate, Center for Policy Research

Research Affiliate, Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health

Courses

2025 Spring
- SOC 400/600 Selected Topics - Qual Methods in Public/Popula
2024 Fall
- SOC 400/600 Selected Topics - Pandemics: History, Ethics, Po
2024 Spring
- MAX 100 Selected Topics - Hist,Ethics,Politics & Policy

Highest degree earned

Ph.D., Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Subcommittee on Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University, 1997

Bio

Amy Fairchild is a historian who works at the intersection of the social history, politics and ethics of public health. Her work has focused on the ways in which social movements, political action, scientific debate, and professional tools and values have interacted to shape the politics of public health over time.

Fairchild consistently links the past to ethical and political issues in the present, helping to highlight history as an important discipline for providing insight into contemporary public health challenges. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences.

Areas of Expertise

History, ethics, and policy including surveillance, privacy, infectious and chronic disease, social movements, crisis and panic, and backlash

Research Interests

The history and ethics of public health with a focus on contemporary public health policy debates

Research Grant Awards and Projects

"At the Crossroads of Politics and Science: Public Health Leaders at the Front Lines of the COVID-19 Pandemic", Sponsored by National Science Foundation.

"Stewards in the Storm: A Research Resource and Curricular Initiative Probing Pandemic Backlash and Centering Experiences of Public Health Officials", Sponsored by Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

"At The Crossroads of Pandemic Inequity and the Backlash against Public Health: Lessons from the Front Lines", Sponsored by Commonwealth Fund.

Selected Publications

Books
- Berridge, V., Bayer, R., Fairchild, A. L. and Hall, W., E-Cigarettes and the Comparative Politics of Harm Reduction: History, Evidence, and Policy. , 2023.
- Fairchild, A. L., Bayer, R., Colgrove, J. and Wolfe, D., Searching Eyes: Privacy, the State, and Disease Surveillance in America. University of California Press, 2007.
- Fairchild, A. L., Science at the Borders: Immigrant Medical Inspection and the Shaping of the Modern Industrial Labor Force. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003.
Journal Articles
- Sullivan, L. M., Weist, E. M., Barrington, W. E., Fairchild, A. L., Hwang, W., Kiviniemi, M. T., Mohammed, S. D., Wyant, V. A., Alexander, L. A. and Magaña, L., "Education for public health 2030: transformation to meet health needs in a changing world." Frontiers in Public Health, 2023.
- Parasidis, E., Fairchild, A. L., "Incorporating Ethics Consultations into Public Health Practice." American Journal of Bioethics, 2022.
- Parasidis, E., Fairchild, A. L., "Closing the Public Health Ethics Gap." New England Journal of Medicine, 2022.
- Fairchild, A. L., Gostin, L. O. and Bayer, R., "Vexing, Veiled, and Inequitable: Social Distancing and the 'Rights' Divide in the Age of COVID-19." American Journal of Bioethics, 2020.
- Bayer, R., Fairchild, A. L., Zignol, M. and Castro, K. G., "TB Surveillance and Its Discontents: The Ethical Paradox." International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 2020.
- Roger, V. L., Sidney, S., Fairchild, A. L., Howard, V. J., Labarthe, D. R., Shay, C. M., Tiner, A. C., Whitsel, L. P. and Rosamond, W. D., "Recommendations for Cardiovascular Health and Disease Surveillance for 2030 and Beyond: A Policy Statement From the American Heart Association." Circulation, 2020.
- Fairchild, A. L., Healton, C., Curran, J., Abrams, D. and Bayer, R., "Evidence, Alarm, and the Debate over E-Cigarettes." Science, 2019.
Book Chapters
- Berridge, V., Fairchild, A. L., Morphett, K., Gartner, C., Hall, W. and Bayer, R., "Conclusion: Why Did the UK, US and Australia Have Different E-cigarette Policies?." In E-Cigarettes and the Comparative Politics of Harm Reduction. Springer International Publishing, 2023.
- Bayer, R., Fairchild, A. L., "E-Cigarettes and the Burdens of History: Children, Bystanders and the American War on Nicotine." In E-Cigarettes and the Comparative Politics of Harm Reduction. Springer International Publishing, 2023.
- Berridge, V., Fairchild, A. L., Morphett, K., Gartner, C., Hall, W. and Bayer, R., "Introduction: Before E-Cigarettes—The Pre-history of Public Health, Tobacco and Nicotine in the UK, Australia and the US." In E-Cigarettes and the Comparative Politics of Harm Reduction. Springer International Publishing, 2023.
- Fairchild, A. L., Colgrove, J., "Out of the Ashes: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of the 'Safer' Cigarette in the United States." In Public Health Then and Now: Landmark Papers From the American Journal of Public Health. Brown, T., Morabia, A. (eds.) American Public Health Association Press, 2022.
- Fairchild, A. L., Oppenheimer, G., "Public Health Nihilism versus Pragmatism: History, Politics, and the Control of Tuberculosis." In Public Health Then and Now: Landmark Papers From the American Journal of Public Health. Brown, T., Morabia, A. (eds.) American Public Health Association Press, 2022.
- Fairchild, A. L., Nathanson, C. and Conway, C., "A Genealogy of Panic." In Border Crossing: Medicine and Quarantine. Trubeta, S. (ed.) University of Manchester Press, 2021.
- Fairchild, A. L., Nathanson, C. and Conway, C., "A Genealogy of Panic." In Border Crossing: Medicine and Quarantine. Trubeta, S. (ed.) University of Manchester Press, 2019.
Editorials
- Green, S., Fairchild, A. L., "Don't Bet Against E-Cigarettes Yet." Austin American-Statesman, 2017.
- Fairchild, A. L., Colgrove, J., "The Case for Tolerating E-Cigarettes." New York Times, 2013.
- Fairchild, A. L., Colgrove, J., "Father Mike." New York Times, 2006.
- Padilla, M., Fairchild, A. L., "What Does a Comparison of Informed Consent in Oral History and Ethnography Reveal about Contemporary Research Ethics in the Health Sciences?." Society for Medical Anthropology Newsletter, 2005.
Essays
- Jones, M. M., Fairchild, A. L., "What does ending the emergency status of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US mean in practice? 4 questions answered." The Conversation, 2023.
- Jones, M. M., Fairchild, A. L., "Bidens plan for ending the emergency declaration for COVID-19 signals a pivotal point in the pandemic – 4 questions answered." The Conversation, 2023.
- Fairchild, A. L., Miller, B., "What does a State of Emergency Mean for Monkeypox?." The Conversation, 2022.
- Fairchild, A. L., Malloy, S. S., "Make Covid-19 Testing an Empowering Choice Rather Than a Draconian Punishment." STAT News, 2021.
- Fairchild, A. L., "To really beat Covid, Biden Needs to Fill these Jobs." CNN, 2021.
- Healton, C. G., Fairchild, A. L., "3 Ways Public Officials Can Help Prevent a Long-Haul Pandemic." Governing, 2021.
- Holtgrave, D., Fairchild, A. L. and Healton, C., "4 Crucial Steps to Making July 4th an Independence Day with Much Greater from COVID-19." The Conversation, 2021.
- Fairchild, A. L., Healton, C., Galea, S., Healton, C. and Curran, J., "To End the Pandemic Faster, Don't Give Up on State Mask Policies." Governing, 2021.
- Parasidis, E., Fairchild, A. L., Galea, S., Holtgrave, D. and Curran, J., "How federal dollars can incentivize a stronger public health response to COVID-19." Barron's, 2021.
- Bayer, R., Fairchild, A. L., "Why Using Fear to Promote Covid-19 Vaccination and Mask Wearing Could Backfire." The Conversation, 2021.
- Fairchild, A. L., Gostin, L. and Bayer, R., "Contact Tracing's Long, Turbulent History Holds Lessons for COVID-19." The Conversation, 2020.
- Fairchild, A. L., Healton, C., Galea, S. and Curran, J., "It's Time for a National Mandatory Mask Order." STAT News, 2020.
- Fairchild, A. L., "Time for Social Undistancing? Not So Fast." Columbus Dispatch, 2020.
- Bayer, R., Fairchild, A. L., Berridge, V., Hall, W. and Gartner, C., "Risk and Reason: Australia, England, And the US E-Cigarette Crisis Of 2019." Health Affairs Blog, 2020.
- Moser-Jones, M., Fairchild, A. L., "What Does a State of Emergency Mean in the Face of Coronavirus." The Conversation, 2020.
- Fairchild, A. L., "The Case for Social Distancing and Why it Works." Columbus Dispatch, 2020.
- Fairchild, A. L., "Science Can't Save Us from a Coronavirus Panic." Foreign Affairs, 2020.
- Fairchild, A. L., "Vaping, Smoking Restrictions Neither Necessary, Fair." Columbus Dispatch, 2020.
Guidelines/Policy Documents
- Fairchild, A. L., WHO Guidelines on Ethical Issues in Public Health Surveillance. WHO, 2017.
- Fairchild, A. L., Global Health Ethics: Key Issues. WHO, 2015.
- Fairchild, A. L., Bayer, R., Guiding Principles on Ethical Issues in HIV Surveillance. WHO, 2011.
- Fairchild, A. L., Colgrove, J., Jones, M. M., Redlener, I. and Bayer, R., Ethical and Legal Challenges Posed by Mandatory Hurricane Evacuation: Duties and Limits. National Center for Disaster Preparedness, 2007.
- Bayer, R., Fairchild, A. L., Ethical Issues To Be Considered in Second-Generation Surveillance. WHO, 2004.
- Bayer, R., Fairchild, A. L., The Role of Name-Based Notification in Public Health and HIV Surveillance. UNAIDS, 2000.
Other
- Fairchild, A. L., Johns, D. M., "Health Surveillance, Ethics of." In The International Encyclopedia of Ethics. Wiley, 2013.

Presentations and Events

Public Health Ethics and the Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University (September, 2021 - October, 2021)

Vaccine Passports Panel, Hastings Center (June 7, 2021)

National Academies for Science, Engineering, and Medicine, Committee on Responsible Computing Research, "The 'Electronic Future': History, Ethics, Law, and the Potential and Limits of Public Health Surveillance in the Era of Data Analytics" (March 16, 2021)

Divided Community Project, "The Intersection of COVID-19 and Racism as a Public Health Crisis: Data and Contextualization" (February 11, 2021)

Boston University, "Learning from Anywhere for Everyone: Inclusion in a Digital World" (November, 2020)

OSU Advanced Practice Provider Conference, "COVID on the College Campus" (September, 2020)