Yes, based on Greg’s analyses, this seems pretty clearly true for most developed world medicine.
However, it’s worth noting that Greg’s work is mostly about average marginal cases, and it’s mostly about the developed world. Circumstances could conspire to make the direct impact win in a few cases. If your top priority cause is developing world health, and you are prepared to practice medicine in a developing nation, then I might lean toward direct action. If you’re particularly talented in a highly leveraged area like public health medicine or cost-effectiveness research, then you could make a case either way. We might be able to have a better discussion about this after Greg publishes more on the topic.
Yes, based on Greg’s analyses, this seems pretty clearly true for most developed world medicine.
However, it’s worth noting that Greg’s work is mostly about average marginal cases, and it’s mostly about the developed world. Circumstances could conspire to make the direct impact win in a few cases. If your top priority cause is developing world health, and you are prepared to practice medicine in a developing nation, then I might lean toward direct action. If you’re particularly talented in a highly leveraged area like public health medicine or cost-effectiveness research, then you could make a case either way. We might be able to have a better discussion about this after Greg publishes more on the topic.