Timothy Caulfield

Timothy Caulfield is currently leading a project aimed at mapping the scope and nature of misinformation in the context of COVID-19. This interdisciplinary initiative, which builds on his previous work exploring the impact of pop culture on health behavior and beliefs, will inform the development of evidence-based strategies to counter the spread of misinformation and promote more public engagement. His team is also exploring potential legal and policy tools. Timothy Caulfield is a member of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation’s COVID-19 Impact Committee.

Timothy Caulfield is a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, a Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health, and Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta. His interdisciplinary research on topics like stem cells, genetics, research ethics, the public representations of science and public health policy has allowed him to publish over 350 academic articles. He has won numerous academic and writing awards and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. He contributes frequently to the popular press and is the author of two national bestsellers: The Cure for Everything: Untangling the Twisted Messages about Health, Fitness and Happiness (Penguin 2012) and Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?: When Celebrity Culture and Science Clash (Penguin 2015). His most recent book is Relax, Dammit!: A User’s Guide to the Age of Anxiety  (Penguin Random House, 2020). Caulfield is also the host and co-producer of the award winning documentary TV show, A User’s Guide to Cheating Death, which has been shown in over 60 countries, including streaming on Netflix in North America.