Maria Van Kerkhove was thrust into the global spotlight in January 2020 as the World Health Organization's technical lead for COVID-19. She is one of the most recognizable faces of the Pandemic, appearing frequently at WHO press briefings and live Q&A sessions.
Van Kerkhove said at the American Association for the advancement of science annual meeting on Friday that visibility comes with drawbacks.
She said that the abuse that we take for doing our jobs and speaking is something she is still trying to wrap her head around.
She said that female scientists face a particular threat of online harassment. In December 2020, female scientists in Brazil, France, and Switzerland reported death threats and cyber harassment after publishing studies showing that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine weren't effective.
Women are easier targets than men. It is a generalization, but I see it. I see it with my friends. Van Kerkhove, age 44, said that being a younger female was an easy target.
She called for more support for scientists who face similar attacks. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has received death threats and his three adult daughters have been harassed, Fauci told an online forum in 2020.
She said she was not prepared for the backlash.
It is definitely not something that I am trained for, nor do I think I handle it well.
Scientists have been forced to issue public-health guidance with limited data because of the Pandemic.
In April 2020, the WHO said there was no need for healthy people to wear face masks, but two months later reversed its decision. Van Kerkhove said she stands by her decisions throughout the Pandemic.
She told Insider that they could have waited for more information and that the timing could have been different.
It is difficult to communicate the same message to different types of people.
When I speak publicly, I speak to my mom, I speak to political leaders, and I speak to my peers at the same time.
She said that most of the harassment against scientists happens on social media.
She said that she uses social media because she thinks there is important information to get out. I don't block anyone anymore because the accusations are worse.
Despite the harassment, Van Kerkhove doesn't think about her status as a public figure.
She said that she is still in that phase where she works and focuses on that every day.
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