RSC: The RSC Presents the Class of 2023
The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) and its Members have elected this year’s new Fellows and named the incoming class of the RSC College. Ubaka Ogbogu
The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) and its Members have elected this year’s new Fellows and named the incoming class of the RSC College. Ubaka Ogbogu
Ogbogu’s work has contributed to Canadian and international science policy in diverse areas including stem cell research ethics, reproductive technologiesand gene therapies.
Caulfield, “…false balance is increasingly driven by social media echo chambers, the fragmentation of the news media and the ideologically motivated embrace of fringe ideas.”
Caulfield: “I think [complacency] has made misinformation and ideological spin more persuasive. The personal risk/benefit analysis has shifted.”
Caulfield: "Thanks to all my friends and colleagues at #CSICon in Vegas. Honoured to be part of this terrific community!"
Timothy Caulfield speaks at the annual CSICon amoung others such as Neil deGrasse Tyson and Penn and Teller.
Zenone: "...always surprising how much misinformation can proliferate in such a short amount of time."
Yes, the rage, the hate, and the fearmongering are big themes. It is exhausting to watch. Can the algorithms respond?
Monkeypox conspiracy theories spread like wildfire on TikTok. “The studies have shown that those algorithms do push information,” Timothy Caulfield says.
Our new study: "Misinformation spreads so quickly that public health officials should be monitoring social media platforms in real time to debunk bogus claims, a new study suggests"
Caulfied: "she's basically embracing the stars of [the #antivaxx] movement. These are individuals who are well-known anti-vaxxers who spread harmful misinformation."
Caulfield: "...these conspiracy theories cluster. They’re so consistent: the rage, the conspiracy ideation — this idea that they have access to special knowledge..."
Caulfield: Misinformation "emerges incredibly quickly and does damage very, very quickly..."
Zenone, "distorted, untrue portrayals of global and public health infrastructure and motives."
Caulfield: “I watched hundreds of videos, and it's exhausting to see the rage and the consistency of the messaging...”
Caulfield: “It’s playing to parental guilt and the desire for parents to have healthy children and do whatever they can for their kids. There’s a huge market based on exactly that.”
"... his candidacy has encouraged the news media to examine his longtime spread of misinformation, including what University of Alberta professor Timothy Caulfield called in Scientific American “misleading, science-free and unproven alternative therapies.”"
Professor Timothy Caulfield on COVID revisionism and TikTok misinformation.
It was an honour to work with the Stem Cell Network and colleagues Megan Munsie and Krishana Sankar at #TMM2022 last week.
"One anecdote can overwhelm our ability to think scientifically. That one anecdote, story, testimonial, celebrity endorsement, can overwhelm millions of bits of good data." Timothy Caulfield gets real with “science-ploitation” and the rise of misinformation at #PainABWPS2022.
Sneak peek! Next week on the Unleashed Podcast, Canadian author Timothy Caulfield shares the best ways to debunk information. Listen to the full episode on October 20th.
Caulfield: “The lack of insight into our history, the lack of insight into the value of vaccinations and the lack of insight into how vaccine policies work and why those policies exist — it’s stunning.”
"...ultimately most of the [unvaccinated] have chosen not get vaccinated despite recommendations from public health experts based on scientific evidence."
Caulfield: "This really highlights how powerful misinformation can be. It can really have an impact in a way that can be dangerous."
Caulfield: 1) love decision and highlights lies can (sometimes) have consequences; and 2) don't buy the "silencing" rhetoric. This is the marketplace of ideas working!
Caulfield: Her “stunning” comments showed a total lack of understanding of public health policy.
Caulfield: “She’s created this really problematic false dichotomy … the belief that alternative medicine is about prevention and ‘western medicine’ is not, and that’s just wrong.”
“Teaching children to pause and think” (strategies like #StopNowAndPlan can help)
Caulfield: “There’s never any magical way towards a healthy lifestyle."
Stem Cell Network panel on Misinformation.
Timothy Caulfield kicked-off BIOTECanada's BIONATION2022 with a powerful and dynamic presentation on the impact of misinformation in society. His is a message that cannot be delivered too often.
In a sea of #Misinformation crowded #SocialMedia landscape, how can we leverage social media for #Science? Join us for a free webinar during #ScienceLiteracyWeek ft. an all-star lineup of #Scientists who have taken social media by storm. Register here.
The amazing Timothy Caulfield sat down with us to discuss believing BS, the dangers of Gwyneth Paltrow, and this year's CSICon 2022 at the Flamingo Vegas.
University of Toronto "Infodemic! Is Misinformation Killing Us?" September 22, 2022
Caulfield: "What they're really selling is an idea. They're selling sort of a gestalt. They're selling a vibe. They're not selling reality."
(22:48) The porous regulations that allow vitamin supplements to be sold and how Mel Gibson played a key role in this system, with health policy expert Timothy Caulfield.
Caulfield: “Misinformation kills people. That’s how serious this topic is.”
Caulfield: "We don’t need to legitimize pseudoscience, we need more good science.”
“Debunking Works, More Please!” In this presentation, Professor Caulfield will explore what the most recent evidence tells us about the nature and source of the current infodemic. He will also provide recommendations about how we can (and must) respond.
Zubin Master: “…many thought stem cells were better than surgery or the standard of care.” [Nope.]
On Tim's episode of the Nike Trained podcast, he talks about misinformation in the wellness industry, how to spot it and what we can do about it.
$130 million was wasted on ivermectin prescriptions by private insurers alone in one year in the U.S. That’s doctors prescribing ivermectin for COVID with no evidence to support it. Completely driven by misinformation.
Timothy Caulfield joins Seth Andrews for a compelling and fun conversation about information and misinformation in the media age
Coffee, good or bad? 8 glasses of water? How to park? Wine? Exercise? (Always yes.)
Caulfield: Powerful personal anecdote, testimonial or narrative could overwhelm people’s ability to think scientifically. ... “those elements have made it a very consumable and powerful way to spread misinformation.”
How many cups of coffee should I drink? Are work meetings really worth the time? Do I really have to floss? Award-winning public-health expert Timothy Caulfield tackles our daily dilemmas - from the moment we wake up to when we go to sleep - and the innumerable cultural, social and psychological forces shaping the decisions we make.
The left want a conspiracy theory too! What the heck are the Klondike Papers? Soon: on @CBCSask with @SLangeneggerCBC to explore the rise of conspiracy theories in Canada – on the political right AND left cc @WhitfieldJanani
Soon: on Ottawa Morning to talk about how Canadians have embraced conspiracy theories. The consequences? It is killing people, justifying hate and discrimination, and perverting our democratic process.
Kelly speaks with Timothy Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in health law and policy, based at the University of Alberta, who specializes in misinformation.
“I think what a lot of these polls reflect is a normalization and almost an institutionalization of conspiracy theories...”
The grant will support research into legal, ethical and social implications surrounding regenerative medicine therapies
Caulfield: "It’s always really important to lead with the headline and the headline is that anyone can get monkeypox." "...make sure that messaging doesn’t stigmatize..."
Seems everyone wants to live forever and look good doing it. The anti-aging industry is worth around $10 billion a year. How much of it actually works? Find out in A User’s Guide to Cheating Death.
Caulfield: “The disease is primarily spread through close contact...". Accurate information is key! Please, #ScienceUpFirst.
Big right-wing, conservative political movements have extensive involvement from MDs flagged for spreading medical misinformation.
The University of Alberta banner is flying at half-mast from June 27–30, 2022 in remembrance of Dr. Frederick Otto.
Caulfield: "The discrimination and stigmatization, not only do they hurt those communities, they hurt our ability to fight the disease..."
It's day 2 of #WalkWithMe2022, and we have many more insightful and engaging sessions to make you change the way you think about aging. The day kicks off with keynote speaker Timothy Caulfield right now!
Canadian scientist and public health expert Timothy Caulfield will explore ways to reduce individual stress in an anxiety-filled world, while former NHS team leader Wendy Mitchell will debunk some of the myths around dementia.
Meet the brilliant minds on the frontlines of Canada’s healthcare revolution.
Caulfield: “Having an ideological position against vaccines, that’s not a religious position.”
Thought Leader Timothy Caulfield presents at the Executive Leadership Forum next month! Caulfield debunks myths and assumptions about innovation in the health sector for the benefit of the public and decision-makers.
The project is the recipient of just over $700,000 in funding from Stem Cell Network (SCN) as part of a $19.5 million investment from the non-profit supporting 31 research projects involving regenerative medicine with either a clinical, ethical or legal focus. Zarzeczny’s project is a collaboration with Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy professor Timothy Caulfield and Dr. Ubaka Ogbogu from the University of Alberta, as well as international partners from a variety of countries, including Australia, U.K., South Africa and France, offering expertise in law, science communication and medicine.
Caulfield: "I know that the pandemic is still touching people's lives. I lost my father-in-law just over two weeks ago from COVID."
Caulfield: "This is nothing more than fearmongering. There is nothing to support these really strong assertions."
Caulfield: "completely misleading..." And "a bit of a paradox because Nuremberg was used against a far-right regime, and here you have the alt-right rolling out that language."
Malone, McCullough, Pierre Kory, et al. "Their rhetoric at these events frequently leans ideologic rather than scientific." Caulfield: Health misinformation increasingly about ideology.
His brand of misinformation has already tarnished medicine. In the halls of Congress, he’d do much worse.
Battling Bunk: Evidence-Based Strategies to Counter Misinformation
Partners in research Ubaka Ogbogu, Amy Zarzeczny, and Timothy Caulfield received over $700k to investigate regulatory and social license for cutting-edge regenerative therapies.
The CDTRP, in collaboration with the Health Law Institute from the University of Alberta, is happy to announce the second Media Workshop on Organ Donation and Transplantation (ODT) and Health Literacy on May 17, 2022.
Fun take on using advice from Timothy Caulfield, author of Relax: A User’s Guide To Life In The Age Of Anxiety, we’re going to teach you how to be busy without having a mental breakdown.
Timothy Caulfield notes he enjoyed this discussion! Cover lots, including how scientific uncertainty and ideology used to push bunk.
Caulfield: "The conceptual inconsistency would be laughable if the issues weren't so crucially important..."
Caulfield: "...we’re starting to get a lot of revisionist history of what happened at the height of the pandemic... That is all nonsense. The misinformation was pretty clear..."
“Trust in scientific institutions has taken a huge hit,” says Timothy Caulfield, LLM, research director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta, Canada.
Marco Zenone: Great to see our study investigating how CBD sellers advertise their products online featured here. @jeremycsnyder @ValorieCrooks
Caulfield: Elon Musk noise on psychiatric meds "can have an impact on public perception of pharmaceuticals"
University of Alberta professor Timothy Caulfield looks at the powerful influence that celebrities like Dr. Mehmet Oz have on shaping our health landscape.
Key: > vaccination and want people comfortable with their choice. But does framing as "traditional" vaccine legitimize misinformation about mRNA vaccines?
Caulfield: “Celebrity wellness hype contributes to our ‘culture of untruth’ by both inviting an erosion of critical thinking and promoting what is popular rather than what is true.”
Caulfield: "I call this ‘scienceploitation,’ where someone takes real, exciting science and uses it to market bunk.”
Kathy Buckworth will host Timothy Caulfield on Go To Grandma on April 30 @ 7:30am Why do some people see science as opinion, not fact? Why do scammers scam?
Caulfield: “more exploitive noise (wrapped in bogus ’empowerment’ rhetoric).”
400+ science-based articles debunking different forms of pseudoscience.
The Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program is hosting a Media Workshop on ODT and Health Literacy. Professor Caulfield's talk is on Media Perspective.
Health Quackery Exhibit McGill Library. The Turret. Health Quackery Exhibit
Local 37 brings Timothy Caulfield, author or Relax Dammit! via Zoom.
Caulfield, "Ivermectin very quickly became not about science but about ideology and in-group signaling."
Caulfield: "It's not about science anymore, #ivermectin has become an ideological flag."
Caulfield: "By not acknowledging what's going on, I think you invite the public to not acknowledge it, too...."
How to accelerate legitimate stem cell therapies while protecting patients from fraudulent clinics?
Come learn about the roots of misinformation and how healthcare professionals can fight back and build public trust. 1100-1145 Timothy Caulfield, Infodemic! Is Misinformation Killing Us?
There has never been good clinical evidence to support the use of this drug. But the debate over its use is really about ideology and in-group signaling — not science.
Timothy Caulfield will appear in Season 3 on December 1, 2022
Aarti Pole speaks to Timothy Caulfield about whether the public should prepare for the return of restrictions, as provinces begin seeing a surge with the 6th wave of COVID-19.
The Jill Bennett Show
Is it misinformation or disinformation? Timothy Caulfield answers all of your most pressing social media navigation questions in this post-COVID digital age.
Timothy Caulfield Top Podcast Episodes
Caulfield: Within days of the invasion, antivaxxers in my feed were supporting #Putin.
One key point: institutions need to support healthcare professionals who are fighting bunk on social media!
FRENCH VERSION https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ePpjrq2mDwUqRnM
The HLI needs participants to complete a short anonymous survey about alternative healthcare, and the factors that encourage people to use it. This work is being carried out by researchers from our team and the University of British Columbia's School of Nursing. English and French versions are available here: ENGLISH VERSION: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9FdcETwxlFcwPIO
Science Up First presents Instagram Live with Timothy Caulfield.
Great chat with Daryl McIntyre on 630 CHED about the science and divisiveness of masks.
Center for Inquiry on TikTok with Timothy Caulfield. Timothy Caulfield on #misinformation #disinformation #fakenewsbuster #skepticthinker #debunktok
The mask issue will likely continue to divide. The data is messy (though no doubt a valuable public health tool!). This invites ideological spin. Soon: talking with Daryl McIntyre on 630 CHED about masks and more...
Caulfield: "the science doesn't really give us a bright line as to when 'OK, now we can stop.' The data is messy ... that creates the opportunity to politicize the message."
Alessandro Marcon and Vardit Ravitsky
Caulfield: "when the misinformation is coming from a trusted source, such as a doctor or scientist the effects can be 'so damaging.'"
Caulfield: “There is no bright line saying, ‘Now is the time to remove #mask mandates.’”
"Last night, we had Tim Caulfield on Skeptical Inquirer Presents for an awesome talk on the battle against the infodemic and to get the Balles Prize in Critical Thinking."
This Thursday! Yep, gonna talk polarization, ideology, and impact of celebrity noise (that's you #JoeRogan, #AaronRodgers, et al.).
Caulfield's first tip: Watch the use of anecdotes to support misinformation. You. Need. Science.
Caulfield: “Often these fringe perspectives that aren’t rooted in the body of evidence actually get more air time than they are warranted. There is a huge problem with false balance."
The Morning Edition - Sask with Stefani Langenegger Is it time to learn to learn with COVID? We speak to Timothy Caulfield about "learning to live with COVID" in the age of misinformation. He is Canada Research Chair and professor in health law and policy at the University of Alberta.
The spread of misinformation seems to intensify with each passing week. From social media to cable news to popular podcasts, science-free bunk is everywhere. The ongoing “infodemic” is doing tangible harm to public health, public discourse, and public trust. How did we get here and what can we do about it? On Thursday, March 3 at 7:00 p.m. ET, Timothy Caulfield returns to plan the next phase of the battle against bunk on the next Skeptical Inquirer Presents live online event.
Confronting The Madness with Mark Korthuis.
Every year, the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI)—a program of the Center for Inquiry and publisher of the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER—honors the creators of the published work that best communicates the importance of skepticism and empirical science with the Robert P. Balles Annual Prize in Critical Thinking.
As the Omicron wave subsides and governments ease restrictions, a growing number of Canadians are in favour of a future where we don't tailor our lives to the virus. But is that possible?
As the Omicron wave subsides and governments ease restrictions, a growing number of Canadians are in favour of a future where we don't tailor our lives to the virus. But is that possible?
Caulfield: “It’s a powerful anecdote about the sway of both social media and misinformation...”
Caulfield: Chemophobia is “the narrative that brands like Goop and Honest Company like to sell, and unfortunately, it’s extremely effective.”
Caulfield: "American disinformation groups are 'trying to exploit the fear and anxiety and frustration that Canadians are feeling.'"
Professor of Law at the University of Alberta, Timothy Caulfield discusses the controversy regarding Joe Rogan and Spotify on CTV Morning Live.
Timothy Caulfield, professor of health law and science policy, joins BigTechPodcast's Taylor Owen to discuss how the Joe Rogan/Spotify COVID misinformation controversy reflects a moment of mistrust in science and the weaponizing of the scientific process.
Timothy Caulfield shares why exercise and fitness are important.
Timothy Caulfield, professor of health law and science policy, joins host Taylor Owen to discuss how the Joe Rogan/Spotify COVID misinformation controversy reflects a moment of deep-seated mistrust in science and the weaponizing of the scientific process.
Lyndsay Duncombe takes CBC The National to see the "Doctors on Tour" and speaks with Charles Hoffe and Stephen Malthouse about their anti-vax roadshow. With excellent commentary by Alastair McAlpine and Timothy Caulfield. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC declined an interview.
Caulfield: "We know this is dangerous. We know that misinformation can have an impact on beliefs and behaviours."
Caulfield: "when you're a close friend to someone you know and you've shared life experiences with them, I think you can have a greater impact..."
Caulfield: "driven by the controversies surrounding the protests we are seeing...not by the science and sensible public health decision-making"?
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: "It's premature for any country either to surrender or to declare victory." Timothy Caulfield: "It means that we're constantly going to have to be vigilant."
Caulfield: "For him to use the language of battling misinformation to try to discredit the work of a legitimate scientist, it is frustrating."