Before the pandemic, we were the show that invited scholars, makers, and professionals out to brunch for informal conversations about their work, and we look forward to being that show again one day. But for now, we’re recording remotely to maintain physical distancing.

It’s still a pretty fantastic job.

Timothy Caulfield is a faculty member at the University of Alberta, where he 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 university’s Health Law Institute.

Timothy has published more than 350 academic articles on topics such as research ethics, public representations of science, and public health policy. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, he is also the host and co-producer of the award-winning documentary TV series A User's Guide to Cheating Death and the author of two bestselling books, including Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?: When Celebrity Culture and Science Clash.

Timothy joined host Ted Fox and Notre Dame student Lynnette Wukie, our intern during the University’s Winter Session, to talk about his latest book, Your Day, Your Way: The Fact and Fiction Behind Your Daily Decisions. It takes on questions like: Is there a scientific reason not to drink so much coffee? And: Is the coworker proselytizing about the benefits of their standing desk going a little overboard?

Related: This episode may or may not have been produced entirely at a standing desk.

The conversation also covered what Timothy describes as three social paradoxes complicating what would otherwise be routine decisions; implications of our chaotic information environment, particularly during the pandemic; and the natural uncertainty that comes with doing good science.

LINKS:

• Timothy’s New Book: Your Day, Your Way: The Fact and Fiction Behind Your Daily Decisions
• Episode Transcript