In a recent article in Social Studies of Science, IBHH Assistant Professor Dr. Stephen Molldrem and Dr. Anthony K J Smith (UNSW Sydney) conceptualize “health policy counterpublics.” Molldrem and Smith define health policy counterpublics as “temporally bounded socio-political forms that aim to cultivate particular modes of conduct, generally to resist trajectories set by arms of the state.” They describe the emergence and influence of a health policy counterpublic that arose in response to US molecular HIV surveillance and cluster detection and response programs, which have been implemented nationally since 2018. The article contributes to theories of health policymaking and social movement dynamics around contested biomedical innovations and their application in public health programs. Social Studies of Science is a leading journal in the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS).
The article is available open access; the full citation is: Molldrem, Stephen, and Anthony K J Smith. “Health Policy Counterpublics: Enacting Collective Resistances to US Molecular HIV Surveillance and Cluster Detection and Response Programs.” Social Studies of Science, December 6, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1177/03063127231211933.