@jsnyder
Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada. Interested in public health ethics, bioethics, philosophy, crowdfunding, and exploitation, among other things.
NEW: I and colleagues reviewed 15,000 documents to illuminate how Jeffrey Epstein used VIP doctors to control and manipulate young women* — and how the doctors helped him, treating his needs as more important than the patients'. Gift link.
*see next post in thread
Some First Nations canceling non-emergency travel to Vancouver for medical treatment during World Cup due to high hotel prices: "we're hoping that ...we will all be able to have access to hotel rooms when our emergency clients need them.”
New: OpenAI says it has made changes that would refer Tumbler Ridge shooter's ChatGPT interactions to law enforcement if they happened today. Also reveals that shooter used a second account after being banned in June 2025.
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
I think this is probably my first time being quoted in the entertainment section of the CBC! Really interesting discussion of ethical issues related to crowdfunding campaigns for celebrities. Focus is on James Van Der Beek and Eric Dane but relevant to the wider issues of inequities in crowdfunding.
EBY: "I'm actually quite angry about what happened here. I sat at a table with a dad who lost a kid who walked me through the last moments of his child's life. He changed me forever ... And I want to share that with OpenAI. From the outside it looks like they had a chance to prevent this."
OpenAI met with BC's Minister of State for AI and New Technologies the day of the Tumbler Ridge shooting and a rep from the premier's office the day after
Premier Eby told reporters the meetings were to discuss regulatory issues and OpenAI possibly setting up an office in BC #bcpoli
If universities/colleges/schools etc. do not make it a serious disciplinary offence for students to use their logins like this, then they might as well stop offering credentials. Tbh, we are reaching the point where we we'll have to choose between credentials & edtech anyway.
We're hiring in AI ethics.
Assessment of applications will begin on March 1, 2026 and will continue until the position is filled.
careers.uoguelph.ca/job/Guelph-A...
"Some employees interpreted Van Rootselaar’s writings as an indication of potential real-world violence, and urged leaders to alert Canadian law enforcement about her behavior, the people familiar with the matter said. OpenAI leaders ultimately decided not to contact authorities."
UBC profs sue over land acknowledgements, diversity statements. Case focuses on the "University Act, which mandates that universities be “nonsectarian and nonpolitical in principle.” But the law does little to clarify the bigger question before the court: What counts as political?"
Post-secondary sector will receive $394 million more in annual funding over the next three years.
""modest increase" is driven by general inflation impacting operating costs and ongoing infrastructure projects including student housing and the new medical school at Simon Fraser University"
I just did the dumbest thing of my entire career to prove a much more serious point.
I tricked ChatGPT and Google, and made them tell other users I’m a competitive hot-dog-eating world champion
People are using this trick on a massive scale to make AI tell you lies. I’ll explain how I did it
US-style pharma ads don't belong in Canada.
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
The picture that's emerging is one of absolute tragedy for the young victims, a teacher, the shooter and her family.
There are unresolved questions here about why/how the guns were returned and what mental health supports were available for a deeply troubled teen.
The director-general of the WHO said a U.S.-funded study of the hepatitis B vaccine in Guinea-Bissau would be “unethical” if it proceeds as planned. www.statnews.com/2026/02/11/h...
About half of Canadians are turning to AI for health information, and those who do are five times more likely to report experiencing harms to their health compared to those who don’t, survey says, by Jennifer Yang www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... via @theglobeandmail.com @cmadocs.bsky.social
Banner image with screenshot of scientific article from nature Medicine, as well as two panels from the study method and results
⚠️ Despite all the hype, chatbots still make terrible doctors. Out today is the largest user study of language models for medical self-diagnosis. We found that chatbots provide inaccurate and inconsistent answers, and that people are better off using online searches or their own judgment.
The hims and hers company is at it again; my comments included about this SuperBowl ad
gift link
wapo.st/45S7U6n
I have been writing letters of recommendation for just shy of thirty years— 17 students this year alone— in ratios that more or less track the majority-women population of liberal arts students.
Obviously I have never commented on a student's looks... and no recipient has ever called me to ask.
"One obstacle Florida and at least eight other states have faced from the beginning is the lack of participation from the Canadian government and the pharmaceutical industry. Despite that, Florida has spent by far the most, and it has made the least amount of progress".
I spent a month in high school at PSU for nerd camp - it was great!
Indigenous Canadians are being urged to use caution when crossing the border into the United States after reports of “increased scrutiny” by U.S. federal officials. @amandafollett.bsky.social reports: thetyee.ca/News/2026/01...
Canadian-made Roshel Senator spotted in the wild slowly ramming through protestors (and sandwich boards) @nolore.bsky.social @rachelgilmore.bsky.social noraloreto.substack.com/p/canadian-b...
At the University of Guelph, in the College of Arts, Philosophy is hiring in AI ethics.
#philsky
careers.uoguelph.ca/job/Guelph-A...
CMU's Philosophy department is doing a search for a new department head. If you are interested, definitely apply. ALSO, if you know anyone that we should consider, please let me know. I'm happy to reach out to anyone who might be interested. (Please repost for reach!)
www.cmu.edu/dietrich/phi...
The emails provide a window into how Kennedy and allies are ”working behind the scenes not only to steer grants to researchers ideologically aligned, but also to fund studies they think may generate after-the-fact scientific justification for policy changes they appear determined to make. “
Bioethics folks: Considering submitting to the ASBH conference this year? Wondering about how to write a strong abstract? The ASBH Program Committee is offering its first ever webinar on "navigating a proposal."
Especially good for students, early career, or first-time submitters, but open to all!
Texas A&M decided to publicly cancel my Ethics class, and share a false statement that I declined to provide information, which made it impossible for [them ] to request an exemption. See for yourself, if this statement is true.
They are getting creative!
Given recent news coverage of incredibly successful crowdfunding campaigns for the ICE shooter and the auto worker who yelled at Trump yesterday, seems like a good time to reup my research on this topic. Linking your fundraiser to politicized topics is a great strategy for juicing donations.
And, finally, has faced accusations of grifting around these fundraisers, including skimming some funds by a Nick Fuentes fan account.
