4 Communication

We work across multiple time zones and career stages. Clear communication keeps projects moving and prevents the kind of confusion that wastes everyone’s time.

4.1 Communication Channels

We use different channels for different purposes. Here are rough guidelines.

Email is for more formal communication, important announcements, things you want documented, and anything involving people outside the lab. It is helpful if you keep email threads about one topic all together so we have an easily searchable history of our conversation and decisions. Scheduling meetings should be done over email. Things that you want me to respond to quickly should have URGENT in the subject line. Things that have a deadline should state the deadline in the email.¹

Slack is for instant communication, quick questions, brief updates, and informal discussions or off-topic announcements. I will generally respond more quickly on Slack if I am available but Slack should never be used for making important decisions or things that require documentation. Consider Slack to be completely ephemeral — ten minutes after you hit send, that message is gone and will likely never be remembered or read again.

In-person or Zoom or phone call is best for nuanced conversations, sensitive topics, or when Slack/email exchanges are going in circles. If it will take you more than 5 lines to respond via email or Slack, it is probably easier for us to have a conversation. Never spend 10 minutes on an email for what should have been a 3 minute phone call. That said, if we make an important decision over the phone, I fully expect you to followup over email and document our decision.

GitHub issues are for project-specific technical discussions, coding problems, etc. If your question or suggestion relates to a specific repository or project, open an issue with a reproducible example. This keeps technical discussion tied to the actual code.

4.2 Response Time Expectations

I expect you to respond to me within 2 business days — even if that response is as simple as “I’ll get back to you about this.” I expect you to respond to department administrators (e.g., those helping us with grant management) within 1 business day. Their job is to help us do our job so we make sure their job is as easy as possible.

You can expect a response from me within 2 business days. Sometimes that response will be as simple as “I need a couple more days.” If you do not hear from me within 2 business days, you should feel free to Slack or follow up again but this should be a rare occurrence.

For conferences, I will give you my personal cellphone number. I will respond as soon as I see your message. This is for any situation in which you need me to help you (e.g., a medical emergency, an inappropriate colleague or peer, whatever). In those situations, I want you to call or text me immediately and I will respond as soon as possible.²

That said, I don’t expect you to respond to messages outside of work hours ever. If I send you a Slack message or email at 9 PM on Saturday, I don’t need an answer until you’re back at work.

We work hard, but we also respect boundaries.

4.3 Cancelling Meetings, Rescheduling Meetings, and Missing Deadlines

Sometimes, we will need to cancel a meeting — that’s ok. To minimize the impact and work on others, when we need to cancel a meeting, we will do it as early as possible. If the meeting should be rescheduled, we will provide a set of alternative days and time windows and try to reschedule the meeting as quickly as possible.

Similarly, sometimes we will miss agreed-upon deadlines — that’s also ok. However, if we know we’re going to miss a deadline, we will inform the other person as early as possible and provide an updated timeline.

All these situations should be rare. If canceling meetings, rescheduling meetings, or missing deadlines becomes a common occurrence, we need to investigate why and address the issue.

4.4 Lab Meetings

We don’t currently hold regular lab meetings, but this may change as the lab grows. If you’re interested in lab meetings, let Matt know — if there’s enough interest, we’ll make it happen.

4.5 One-on-One Meetings

I hold regular one-on-one meetings with each lab member. These meetings are yours — they exist for you to discuss your work, your goals, any blockers you’re facing, and anything else you want to talk about. They’re not the place for formal accountability; they’re the place for honest conversation.

It is best if these meetings follow the one-slide rule: Every meeting will have its own slide containing (at a minimum) the answers to three questions. (1) What did you do last time we talked? (2) What will you do by the next time we talk? (3) What blockers are you having? Send your slide (or a brief written update) at least a few hours before we meet so I can come prepared with useful feedback instead of processing your update in real time.

I aim to meet with graduate students and postdocs for about 30-60 minutes every 1-3 weeks. We can adjust this based on your needs. If you need to talk to me outside of our regular meeting time, just ask.

4.6 External Communication

We do good work that matters. If you publish something from the lab or present work publicly, I encourage you to share it widely. Within the department, our communications coordinator, Kara Bowlin, would love to promote your work in the EPH newsletter.

4.6.1 Conference Participation

Conferences let you share work and connect with the field. We value both disciplinary conferences and public health/policy-focused meetings.

Aim to present at conferences that reach your intended audience — whether that’s epidemiologists, demographers, policymakers, or practitioners.
Consider whether you’re presenting to learn, to receive feedback, or to disseminate findings, and choose your venues accordingly.
You’re representing the lab, so come prepared and be professional.
If you’re presenting with partners or at policy-focused meetings, make sure findings are presented accurately and in context.

4.6.3 Policymakers, Health Departments, and Nonprofit Partners

Our partners in public health and nonprofit sectors are resource-constrained and working under pressure to make decisions today. Our role is to support them with timely, actionable evidence.

Present findings in policy-relevant formats: briefings, policy memos, and executive summaries alongside academic papers.
Be responsive when partners need input on emerging public health questions — sometimes this means shifting timelines and priorities.
Understand the political and operational realities your partners face; perfect research that doesn’t fit their needs isn’t useful.
Build long-term relationships. Partners remember who showed up consistently, not who published one paper with them.
Acknowledge our partners’ contributions and expertise; they make our work possible.

4.7 Public Scholarship and Media

Our research often touches on topics of public interest. When media outlets or journalists reach out, that’s an opportunity to communicate evidence-based information on important public health issues.

If you are publishing a paper you think may get significant media attention, talk to me. At the very least, we should develop a “media pack” for you, which will help you focus on answering questions and staying on track.⁴
It’s okay to talk to journalists and media outlets — we should be part of public conversations about health.
Stick to what you know; don’t overstate findings or venture into areas outside your expertise.
If you’re unsure about whether to engage, ask me first — we’ll figure it out together.
Good public communication requires the same rigor as peer review. Take time to get it right.
Not every request for media engagement has to be yes, and that’s fine too.
If you are the first author of a paper and I get invited to an interview, I will always invite you as well (whether or not you attend is up to you).
If I do interviews, I always do my best to ensure your name, as first author, is mentioned in the article, but in my experience this is entirely up to the outlet.

Hopefully, this is self-evident, but emails on your Stanford account should always be professional. Consider anything you send to or from a university account as something that will be read by a third-party — this is especially true when communicating with collaborators at public institutions with FOIA obligations.↩︎
Note that having my cellphone number does not mean you should text me a coding question on a Friday night.↩︎
People can be mean online, but we never are. Be kind to others online (and obviously in person) — we represent Stanford and the field, and how we treat people matters.↩︎
In addition, Stanford has resources including media training and a school-wide press office to help.↩︎