M*A*S*H* Star Alan Alda Aims To Tackle Misinformation About Covid-19

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The Former Actor Turned Science Advocate Has Joined The Likes Of Madonna And Seth Rogan In Tackling Covid-19 Myths

Alan Alda has joined many celebrities in tackling misinformation regarding Covid-19.

The star who played the comedic alcohol loving army surgeon Hawkeye Pierce in the hit 70's TV show M*A*S*H*, and fellow actors are helping people weed out fake news and misinformation about the Coronavirus.

Alda stated “I was interested in science before I realized it was the cause and effect of science I was interested in, I wanted to know how we got to where we are now.

I reflected on the way many scientists struggle to speak comprehensibly to people outside the field, which can create a sense of distrust between the public and scientists.

Back in the day I reached out to many universities to try and launch a program to recruit scientists to explain to people in basic terms what they do, but nobody was interested”.

The Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science was founded in 2009, and has trained 20,000 scientists and medical professionals in methods of a simplified synopsis of their work.

Helping many who can't wrap their head around things like Alan Alda himself, know what they're talking about.

Alda is able to do all this whilst maintaining his acting rolls, the multi Emmy Award winner from M*A*S*H* and The West Wing as well as countless rolls in movies and plays still finds the time to educate people on Climate Change and Covid.

The star has also been funding Covid research and promoting the facts about the Corona Virus on his two podcasts.

As he continues his work to help scientists communicate, Alda hopes that more universities and other schools incorporate Science Communication training as they educate future scientists of various fields.

However, in recent years Alda has had to step back from his own organisation after being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2018.

But the former Hawkeye Pierce stated that: “I will continue to monitor both the Alan Alda Center and the organisation when I feel best to do so, in order to make sure that all is running smoothly”.