About Dr. Jeremy Howick
About Dr. Jeremy Howick
History
I was born in Canada and educated in the US (Dartmouth College) and the UK (University of Oxford, and the London School of Economics where I received my PhD in 2008). I joined the University of Oxford in 2007, where I worked as Director of the Oxford Empathy Programme, and still maintain a part-time role there.
I am currently Professor of Empathic Healthcare and Director of the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare at the University of Leicester.
Between 2009 and 2011, I held a part-time role as Coordinator of the Intercalated BSc in Philosophy and Medicine at University College London, and I am currently the principal investigator of a Medical Research Council (MRC) grant based at Cardiff University. I have also held visiting professorships at the University of Buffalo (US), the University of Bologna (Italy), and McGill University (Canada).
I have published over 200 peer-reviewed publications (current h-index 41) in top journals including the British Medical Journal and The Lancet. I am the author of the textbook The Philosophy of Evidence-Based Medicine and the best-selling health title, Doctor You.
I have also studied and practiced yoga and meditation for over 25 years, and have practiced and competed in Muay Thai and have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
Where it all began
While studying at Dartmouth College, my rowing coach, Scott Armstrong, introduced me to the power of belief, which was instrumental in helping me make the varsity team.
Spurred on, I tried for the Canadian rowing team but was unsuccessful due to the overwhelming stress of trying to make the cut. On my mother’s advice, I visited a traditional yoga instructor, Dr. Bali, who taught me that if I could focus my mind, I would be able to achieve my goals. Despite being sceptical, I followed Dr. Bali’s routine and was accepted onto the team, going on to represent Canada at the World Rowing Championships and later, Oxford in the Oxford Cambridge Boatrace.
Rowing also showed me how beliefs could heal. During my early rowing career, I developed a debilitating cat allergy and was prescribed a nasal spray that contained corticosteroid. I was scared that it would show as positive during random drug tests, so as a last resort, I visited a herbal doctor who my mother knew. The herbal doctor suggested I keep my head and neck warm, and drink ginger tea. I thought it would be hogwash and quackery, but it worked – the allergies disappeared!
This got me thinking – how do I really know that it was effective? Had my allergies disappeared spontaneously? Was it just a ‘placebo’? How could you even test whether it was a placebo? Since then, I’ve been on a journey to discover the power of the body to heal itself.
