Timothy Caulfield
Biographic Data
| ID | 4146248 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Timothy Caulfield |
| GIVEN NAMES | Timothy |
| FAMILY NAME | Caulfield |
| SIGNATURE | CAULFIELD T |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Alberta |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5471-6184 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 21 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 21 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 21 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1999 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2023 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Reconsenting paediatric research participants for use of identifying data
When a minor research participant reaches the age of majority or the level of maturity necessary to be granted legal decision-making capacity, reconsent can be required for ongoing participation in research or use of health information and banked biological materials. Despite potential logistical concerns with implementation and ethical questions about the trade-offs between maximising respect for participant agency and facilitating research that…
Comparing direct-to-consumer genetic testing services in English, Japanese, and Chinese websites
Direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTC-GT) has rapidly become available and affordable throughout developed countries. However, comparative research on DTC-GT services beyond Western countries has remained scarce, particularly in East Asian countries such as Japan and China. Hence, this study’s hypothesis is that although DTC-GT services in three languages might utilize the same underlying testing technology, such services are likely to represen…
Analyzing natural herd immunity media discourse in the United Kingdom and the United States
Natural herd immunity, where community-acquired infections in low-risk populations are used to protect high risk populations from infection–has seen high profile support in some quarters, including through the Great Barrington Declaration. However, this approach has been widely criticized as ineffective and misinformed. In this study, we examine media discourse around natural herd immunity in the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) to bett…
The Hydroxychloroquine Twitter War: A case study examining polarization in science communication
The COVID-19 pandemic has created communication challenges exacerbated by the circulation of misinformation and the politicization of science. The case of hydroxychloroquine is an illustrative example, with the drug being aggressively promoted as a cure even while emerging evidence demonstrated the contrary. This research analyzed how hydroxychloroquine discussions took place on Twitter from 21 to 28 April 2020, a key period in developments aroun…
A taxonomy of risk‐associated alternative health practices: A Delphi study
Defining alternative health care and the recording of associated adverse events and harm remains problematic. This Canadian study aimed to establish and classify risk-associated alternative health practices in a Delphi study undertaken with an interdisciplinary panel of 17 health experts in 2020. It provides a new functional definition of alternative health care and an initial taxonomy of risk-associated alternative health care practices. A numbe…
Crowdfunding Campaigns and Covid-19 Misinformation
Objectives. To understand whether and how crowdfunding campaigns are a source of COVID-19–related misinformation. Methods. We searched the GoFundMe crowdfunding platform using 172 terms associated with medical misinformation about COVID-19 prophylaxes and treatments. We screened resulting campaigns for those making statements about the ability of these searched-for or related terms to prevent or treat COVID-19. Results. There were 208 campaigns w…
Discussing The Anatomy Table and The Vaccination Picture
The Anatomy Table is a print-based work that thematically addresses the loss of public trust in science, as well as misinformation surrounding science-informed interventions in health care, such as vaccination. Drawing on the history of anatomical illustration by referencing Andrea Vesalius’s famous 16th-century anatomical book, On the Fabric of the Human Body, the work combines this with contemporary drawings that suggest anatomy but which have …
The consumer representation of DNA ancestry testing on YouTube
The growth of consumer DNA ancestry testing has resulted in questions and critiques being raised in social and research contexts. This study examined individuals discussing their ancestry DNA testing results on YouTube by searching for the two most popular testing companies (23andMe; Ancestry) and the phrase “DNA results.” The finalized dataset consisted of 117 videos, on which directed content analysis was performed. In the videos, individuals u…
Crowdfunding Cannabidiol (CBD) for Cancer: Hype and Misinformation on GoFundMe
Objectives. To use crowdfunding campaigns to better understand how cannabidiol (CBD) is represented (and misrepresented) as cancer-related care. Methods. We analyzed CBD-related crowdfunding campaigns (n = 155) created between January 2017 and May 2019 in multiple countries on GoFundme.com . Results. More than 81.9% of campaigns fundraised CBD for curative or life-prolonging reasons, and 25.2% fundraised for pain management. Conclusions. Most cam…
A critical analysis of obesity prevention policies and strategies
Authors’ response to Invited Commentary by Brady and Beausoleil
Ethics Hype
There has been growing concern about the phenomenon of science hype, the tendency to exaggerate the value or near‐future application of research results. Although this is a problem that touches every area of biomedicine, the topic of genetics seems to be particularly prone to enthusiastic predictions. The world has been told for over two decades‐by the media, researchers, politicians, and the biotech industry‐that a genome‐driven health care revo…
Genetic Research and Representations of Race
Scientific initiatives like the Human Genome Project helped to demonstrate that the traditional categories of “race” are a social construct and a biologica8l fiction. But representations of genetic research in both popular culture and the scientific literature continue to use racial terminology, thus potentially perpetuating the idea that “race” has a biological foundation.
Should We Call It Fraud
I recently had the opportunity to chair an interdisciplinary workshop on stem cell tourism—the practice, that is, of marketing unproven stem cell therapies for a wide range of diseases and disabilities, drawing patients from around the world. The goal of the event was to produce a statement to educate Canadian family physicians about this troubling and exploitative phenomenon. We wanted to keep the statement basic and straightforward. “Let's simp…
Public Perceptions and Biobanking: What Does the Research Really Say
Collection, storage, and use of biological specimens and clinical data is a historically contentious practice, especially among certain populations. It is therefore believed that public perceptions and opinions should be considered in the exploration of ethical issues associated with biobanking. It is hoped that this research will both help to illuminate the nature and depth of the social issues and inform the development of policy responses. We …
Non-refundable Tax Credits Are an Inequitable Policy Instrument for Promoting Physical Activity Among Canadian Children
Canadian Newspaper Coverage of the A/H1N1 Vaccine Program
Human Dignity as a Criterion for Science Policy
Legal Foundations for a National Public Health Agency in Canada
Microsystems and Nanoscience for Biomedical Applications: A View to the Future
At present there is an enormous discrepancy between our nanotechnological capabilities (particularly our nanobiotechnologies), our social wisdom, and consensus on how to apply them. To date, cost considerations have greatly constrained our application of nanotechnologies. However, novel advances in microsystem platform technologies are about to greatly diminish that economic constraint while developing new industries. Properly used in a solid leg…
Xenotransplantation and Public Health: Identifying the Legal Issues
A critical analysis of obesity prevention policies and strategies
Non-refundable Tax Credits Are an Inequitable Policy Instrument for Promoting Physical Activity Among Canadian Children
Comparing direct-to-consumer genetic testing services in English, Japanese, and Chinese websites
Direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTC-GT) has rapidly become available and affordable throughout developed countries. However, comparative research on DTC-GT services beyond Western countries has remained scarce, particularly in East Asian countries such as Japan and China. Hence, this study’s hypothesis is that although DTC-GT services in three languages might utilize the same underlying testing technology, such services are likely to represen…
A taxonomy of risk‐associated alternative health practices: A Delphi study
Defining alternative health care and the recording of associated adverse events and harm remains problematic. This Canadian study aimed to establish and classify risk-associated alternative health practices in a Delphi study undertaken with an interdisciplinary panel of 17 health experts in 2020. It provides a new functional definition of alternative health care and an initial taxonomy of risk-associated alternative health care practices. A numbe…
Canadian Newspaper Coverage of the A/H1N1 Vaccine Program
Xenotransplantation and Public Health: Identifying the Legal Issues
Microsystems and Nanoscience for Biomedical Applications: A View to the Future
At present there is an enormous discrepancy between our nanotechnological capabilities (particularly our nanobiotechnologies), our social wisdom, and consensus on how to apply them. To date, cost considerations have greatly constrained our application of nanotechnologies. However, novel advances in microsystem platform technologies are about to greatly diminish that economic constraint while developing new industries. Properly used in a solid leg…
Human Dignity as a Criterion for Science Policy
Legal Foundations for a National Public Health Agency in Canada
Canadian Newspaper Coverage of the A/H1N1 Vaccine Program
Should We Call It Fraud
I recently had the opportunity to chair an interdisciplinary workshop on stem cell tourism—the practice, that is, of marketing unproven stem cell therapies for a wide range of diseases and disabilities, drawing patients from around the world. The goal of the event was to produce a statement to educate Canadian family physicians about this troubling and exploitative phenomenon. We wanted to keep the statement basic and straightforward. “Let's simp…
Public Perceptions and Biobanking: What Does the Research Really Say
Collection, storage, and use of biological specimens and clinical data is a historically contentious practice, especially among certain populations. It is therefore believed that public perceptions and opinions should be considered in the exploration of ethical issues associated with biobanking. It is hoped that this research will both help to illuminate the nature and depth of the social issues and inform the development of policy responses. We …
Non-refundable Tax Credits Are an Inequitable Policy Instrument for Promoting Physical Activity Among Canadian Children
Genetic Research and Representations of Race
Scientific initiatives like the Human Genome Project helped to demonstrate that the traditional categories of “race” are a social construct and a biologica8l fiction. But representations of genetic research in both popular culture and the scientific literature continue to use racial terminology, thus potentially perpetuating the idea that “race” has a biological foundation.
Ethics Hype
There has been growing concern about the phenomenon of science hype, the tendency to exaggerate the value or near‐future application of research results. Although this is a problem that touches every area of biomedicine, the topic of genetics seems to be particularly prone to enthusiastic predictions. The world has been told for over two decades‐by the media, researchers, politicians, and the biotech industry‐that a genome‐driven health care revo…
A critical analysis of obesity prevention policies and strategies
Authors’ response to Invited Commentary by Brady and Beausoleil
Discussing The Anatomy Table and The Vaccination Picture
The Anatomy Table is a print-based work that thematically addresses the loss of public trust in science, as well as misinformation surrounding science-informed interventions in health care, such as vaccination. Drawing on the history of anatomical illustration by referencing Andrea Vesalius’s famous 16th-century anatomical book, On the Fabric of the Human Body, the work combines this with contemporary drawings that suggest anatomy but which have …
The consumer representation of DNA ancestry testing on YouTube
The growth of consumer DNA ancestry testing has resulted in questions and critiques being raised in social and research contexts. This study examined individuals discussing their ancestry DNA testing results on YouTube by searching for the two most popular testing companies (23andMe; Ancestry) and the phrase “DNA results.” The finalized dataset consisted of 117 videos, on which directed content analysis was performed. In the videos, individuals u…
Crowdfunding Cannabidiol (CBD) for Cancer: Hype and Misinformation on GoFundMe
Objectives. To use crowdfunding campaigns to better understand how cannabidiol (CBD) is represented (and misrepresented) as cancer-related care. Methods. We analyzed CBD-related crowdfunding campaigns (n = 155) created between January 2017 and May 2019 in multiple countries on GoFundme.com . Results. More than 81.9% of campaigns fundraised CBD for curative or life-prolonging reasons, and 25.2% fundraised for pain management. Conclusions. Most cam…
The Hydroxychloroquine Twitter War: A case study examining polarization in science communication
The COVID-19 pandemic has created communication challenges exacerbated by the circulation of misinformation and the politicization of science. The case of hydroxychloroquine is an illustrative example, with the drug being aggressively promoted as a cure even while emerging evidence demonstrated the contrary. This research analyzed how hydroxychloroquine discussions took place on Twitter from 21 to 28 April 2020, a key period in developments aroun…
A taxonomy of risk‐associated alternative health practices: A Delphi study
Defining alternative health care and the recording of associated adverse events and harm remains problematic. This Canadian study aimed to establish and classify risk-associated alternative health practices in a Delphi study undertaken with an interdisciplinary panel of 17 health experts in 2020. It provides a new functional definition of alternative health care and an initial taxonomy of risk-associated alternative health care practices. A numbe…
Crowdfunding Campaigns and Covid-19 Misinformation
Objectives. To understand whether and how crowdfunding campaigns are a source of COVID-19–related misinformation. Methods. We searched the GoFundMe crowdfunding platform using 172 terms associated with medical misinformation about COVID-19 prophylaxes and treatments. We screened resulting campaigns for those making statements about the ability of these searched-for or related terms to prevent or treat COVID-19. Results. There were 208 campaigns w…
Analyzing natural herd immunity media discourse in the United Kingdom and the United States
Natural herd immunity, where community-acquired infections in low-risk populations are used to protect high risk populations from infection–has seen high profile support in some quarters, including through the Great Barrington Declaration. However, this approach has been widely criticized as ineffective and misinformed. In this study, we examine media discourse around natural herd immunity in the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) to bett…
Reconsenting paediatric research participants for use of identifying data
When a minor research participant reaches the age of majority or the level of maturity necessary to be granted legal decision-making capacity, reconsent can be required for ongoing participation in research or use of health information and banked biological materials. Despite potential logistical concerns with implementation and ethical questions about the trade-offs between maximising respect for participant agency and facilitating research that…
Comparing direct-to-consumer genetic testing services in English, Japanese, and Chinese websites
Direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTC-GT) has rapidly become available and affordable throughout developed countries. However, comparative research on DTC-GT services beyond Western countries has remained scarce, particularly in East Asian countries such as Japan and China. Hence, this study’s hypothesis is that although DTC-GT services in three languages might utilize the same underlying testing technology, such services are likely to represen…
Political science (14 works) · Medicine (11 works) · Computer Science (9 works) · Law (9 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Business (5 works) · Law (5 works) · Public relations (5 works) · Engineering (4 works)