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Engagement in public health practice shows lived experience as complementary to scientific expertise, suggesting value in diverse knowledge.
Use of the term ‘expert’ implies specialized knowledge, which is the case for scientists as well as people immersed in communities. Naming this expertise signals to all parties the essential value of understanding the context in which public health decisions are implemented. We outline arguments for and concerns about viewing lived experience as a complementary expertise akin to scientific expertise.
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Lee et al. (2026) studied this question.
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