Curriculum Vitae

Odette Wegwarth is a senior research scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and has been working at the Harding Center for Risk Literacy since April 2008. Her dissertation examined how clinicians and patients decide on pharmacodiagnostic tests for tailoring cancer treatment. Her current research focuses on how risk-related emotions and moral standards shape doctors' and patients' decision making as well as on the statistical formats that foster and limit the understanding of risk information in these groups. Insights from this research are incorporated into physicians' continuing education as well as the development of patient brochures.

Selected Publications

Wegwarth, O. & Gigerenzer, G. (in press). Trust-your-doctor: A simple heuristic in need of a proper social environment. In: Hertwig, R., Hoffrage, U., & the ABC Research Group (Eds.). Simple heuristics in a social world. New York: Oxford University Press.

Durand, M.-A., Wegwarth, O., Boivin, J., & Elwyn, G. (2012). Design and usability of heuristic-based deliberation tools for women facing amniocentesis. Health Expectations, 15, 32-48. doi:10.1111/j.1369-7625.2010.00651.x

Wegwarth, O., Schwartz, L. M., Woloshin, S., Gaissmaier, W., & Gigerenzer, G. (2012). Do physicians understand cancer screening statistics? A national survey of primary care physicians. Annals of Internal Medicine 156:340-349.
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Wegwarth, O., Day, R. W., & Gigerenzer, G. (2011). Decisions on pharmacogenomic tests in the USA and Germany. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 17, 228-235. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2753.2010.01426.x
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Wegwarth, O., Gaissmaier, W., & Gigerenzer, G. (2011). Deceiving numbers: Survival rates and their impact on doctors' risk communication. Medical Decision Making, 31, 386-394. doi:10.1177/0272989X10391469
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Gigerenzer, G., Wegwarth, O., Feufel, M. (2010). Misleading communication of risk. British Medical Journal, 341, 791–92.

Wegwarth, O. & Gigerenzer, G. (2010). Statistical illiteracy in doctors. In: G. Gigerenzer & J.A.M. Gray (Eds.) Better doctors, better patients, better decisions: Envisioning healthcare in 2020. Struengmann Forum Report. Cambridge: MIT Press, p. 137–51.

Wegwarth, O. & Gigerenzer, G. (2010). "There is nothing to worry about": Gynecologists' counseling on mammography, Patient Education and Counseling. doi:10.1016/j.pec.2010.07.025.
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Wegwarth, O., Gaissmaier, W., & Gigerenzer, G. (2009). Smart strategies for doctors and doctors in training: Heuristics in Medicine, Medical Education, 43(8), 721–28.
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Wegwarth, O. (2009). Entscheidende Beeinflussung: Die Default-Heuristik im Gesundheitswesen (The critical impact: the default heuristic in health care). Care Management, 3, 10–11.
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Wegwarth, O. & Gigerenzer, G. (2009). „Zu Risiken und Nebenwirkungen...:" Wie informiert sind Ärzte und Patienten?. („On risks and side effects...:" How informed are doctors and patients?). In N. Klusen, A. Fließgarten, & T. Nebling (Eds.), Beiträge zum Gesundheitsmanagement-Informiert und selbstbestimmt: Der mündige Bürger als mündiger Patient. Baden Baden: Nomos Verlag.

Gigerenzer, G. & Wegwarth, O. (2008). Risikoabschätzung in der Medizin am Beispiel der Krebsfrüherkennung. (Medical risk assessment - Using the example of cancer screening). Zeitschrift für Evidenz, Fortbildung und Qualität, 102, 513–519. doi:10.1016/j.zefq.2008.09.008.
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Wegwarth, O. & Gigerenzer, G. (2008). Die Bewertung von Risiken in der Medizin. (Assessing risks in medicine). In S. Meier, M. Stellpflug, & A. Tadayon (Eds.), Handbuch Medizinrecht. Heidelberg: Verlagsgruppe Hüthig Jehle Rehm GmbH.

Wegwarth, O., & Gigerenzer, G. (2008). A preference does not equate with understanding [Invited commentary on "Patients prefer pictures to numbers to express cardiovascular benefit from treatment" by F. Goodyear-Smith et al., Annals of Family Medicine, 6, 213–217]. Annals of Family Medicine.

Neuner-Jehle, S., Wegwarth, O., & Steurer, J. (2008). Sagt ein Bild mehr als tausend Worte? - Risikokommunikation in der ärztlichen Praxis. (Is a picture worth a thousand words? – Risk communication in medical practice). Praxis, 97, 1717–23.

Wegwarth, O. & Gigerenzer, G. (2007). Vom Risiko, Risiken zu kommunizieren. (The risk of communicating risk). Therapeutische Umschau, 64 (12), 687–692.

Selected Presentations

Wegwarth, O. & Gigerenzer, G. (2010). How fast and frugal heuristics can help doctors make better decisions. Poster presented at the 31st Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, April 7–10, 2010 , Seattle.

Wegwarth, O. & Schostak, M. (2010). Facilitating preference-sensitive decision making amongst prostate cancer patients: Interdisciplinary counseling. Poster presented at the 31st Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, April 7–10, 2010 , Seattle.

Wegwarth, O. & Gigerenzer, G. (2009). What does a 5-year survival rate tell a doctor when it comes to screening?, Paper presented at the 5th International Shared Decision Making Conference, June 14–17, Boston.

Wegwarth, O., & Gaissmaier, G. (2008). The delusive evidence of survival rates. Paper presented at the XXIX International Congress of Psychology, Berlin.

Galesic, M., Barton, A., Wegwarth, O., Gaissmaier, W., & Gigerenzer, G. (2008). Do analogies help elderly people understand medical information? Paper presented at the XXIX International Congress of Psychology, Berlin.

Wegwarth, O. (2007). Using the same processes, but different values: Decision making strategies of cancer patients in Germany and the USA. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Judgment and Decision Making, Long Beach (CA), USA.

Wegwarth, O., Gigerenzer, G., & Kurzenhäuser, S. (2006). Oncologists’ choice regarding the use of pharmacodiagnostic tests for cancer treatment selection: A comparative study. Paper presented at the Biannual Meeting of the European Society of Medical Decision Making, Birmingham, UK.

Wegwarth, O., Gigerenzer, G., Kurzenhäuser, S., & Scholl, W. (2006). Medical decision making on whether to use pharmacodiagnostic tests for cancer treatment choices. Paper presented at the Biannual Meeting of the Deutsche Krebsgesellschaft, Berlin, Germany.