At this point, it’s safe to say everyone has their own way of dealing with the uncertainties brought on by COVID-19. After all, the unknown is scary, and getting used to constant change and a lack of control is challenging. 

But Associate Professor of Economics Micah Pollak has found a way to use his academic background to clear up misconceptions surrounding COVID-19 and ease public uncertainty. 

"Early on in the pandemic, many people, including myself, felt like events were happening outside of their control," Pollak said. "When you don’t feel like you’re in control, you look for a way to better understand what’s happening and to try and gain back some agency."

With this in mind, Pollak set out to track COVID-19 cases and vaccine distribution data, all within the comforting character limits of Twitter through his personal account: @MicahPollak. His decision to use Twitter was initially an experiment and the platform allowed him to reach a greater audience. 

"As a professor, I tend to be kind of verbose and ramble on. Twitter was great because it forced me to distill everything down," Pollak said. He began with only about 50 followers at the beginning of 2020, but as of February 2021, he boasts over 2,000, from the state and nationally. 

Pollak has no formal medical training. But in some ways, his economics background has made him better able to collect, distill, and simplify the data for a wider audience. "I think it’s been a pretty good fit. For my research and teaching I’m always looking at and analyzing data, and trying to figure out the most clear, concise, and intuitive way to present that data," he said.

He also cites his lack of formal medical education as a reason for his success in disseminating this crucial information. "Sometimes it helps that I don’t have a medical background. When I see something I don’t understand, I have to go look it up and then find a way to explain it for someone else without a medical background," Pollak said.

Pollak has found a method of using his skills in economics to make a burgeoning pandemic easier on the understandably frightened public. However, he is quick to add that he hasn’t achieved so much success alone.

"Often, I get questions that are medical or technical," Pollak said, "For any questions I’m not confident about or qualified to answer, I’m able to turn to connections I’ve made with others in the medical field."

He said he works closely with pulmonary critical care doctors in Evansville and Indianapolis, both of whom Pollak has only met through social media. One of those doctors, Gabriel Bosslet, runs the Hoosier COVID-19 Update Facebook page, where Pollak often posts as a guest. That page has over 38,000 followers. 

In addition to sharing essential COVID-19 data, Pollak aims to show that economic analysis can be understood with or without an advanced degree. "Ultimately, each and every one of us can understand what’s going on," he said. "I think that’s really powerful because if you can inform yourself about what’s happening, you feel more comfortable and confident."