Dr. William M. London, a professor in the Department of Public Health at California State University, Los Angeles, and editor of the weekly e-newsletter Consumer Health Digest, will be the speaker at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown’s 10:30 a.m. virtual service on Sunday, Oct. 4.

London’s topic is “When You Think Science is on Your Side, But It Isn’t.” He will explore why so many people misunderstand or ignore scientific evidence about dangerous diseases, such COVID-19. An expert on public health, he will explain why many people make the mistake of cherry-picking evidence on matters of medicine and health.

London holds baccalaureate degrees in biological sciences and geography, master’s degrees in educational psychology and health education, and a doctorate in health education from the State University at Buffalo. The co-author of the college textbook Consumer Health: A Guide to Intelligent Decisions, he serves on the editorial boards of numerous health journals.

In addition to other positions and academic appointments, London has held positions at Kent State University in Ohio and RAP Inc., a telephone crisis hotline and telephone reassurance program for homebound elderly in Genesee County, N.Y.

London’s teaching interests include the importance of information literacy, healthy skepticism, science and ethics-based practice, and consumer advocacy regarding public health issues. Added to those are addiction, risk perception, priority setting in public health, and human vulnerability to deception and misperception related to health.

Consumer health issues that London has researched include promotion of health-related misinformation, sensationalism, superstition, pseudoscience, and quackery through mass media. He is currently a content curator for the Center for Inquiry’s Coronavirus Resource Center page.

Because of COVID-19 limitations, all UUCJ Sunday services are currently virtual instead of at its 1255 Prendergast Avenue location. Anyone is welcome to participate by emailing UUJamestown@gmail.com to receive a Zoom link for the 10:30 a.m. service.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jamestown is a progressive, liberal religious community serving the southern tier of Western New York.

The UUCJ’s mission is to promote and provide a community where diverse people of all ages may explore the meaning of existence, give expression to liberal religious values, and work for a just, sustainable society.

For more information, visit jamestownuu.org or facebook.com/jamestownuu.