Institute for Science in Medicine

portrait

Scott Gavura, MBA, BScPhm, RPh

Fellow

Ontario, Canada

Scott Gavura, RPh, is a Canadian pharmacist with an interest in improving the public’s use of drugs and exposing related pseudoscience. He has a particular interest in improving decision-making at the patient- and population-level. He is a strong advocate for maximizing the professional role of the pharmacist to improve the science-based use of drugs.

Working in the Ontario healthcare system, Gavura's role is to manage the cost-effective use of expensive cancer therapies. He has held senior roles within government and professional associations, as well as practicing pharmacy in several different settings. Gavura is nationally active in guiding the evaluation of new drugs, and improving their cost-effective delivery. Gavura holds both a pharmacy degree and an MBA from the University of Toronto.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

“Assessing the values of new therapy: where do we go from here?” (with A Rocchi, M Sabharwal, A Attaran, J Grueger, D Wong-Rieger & MJ Somerville), Journal of Population Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology, 2011 Apr, 18(2):e219-e230 [Epub]. [abstract]

Science-Based Medicine Blog:

“Drug Interactions, polypharmacy, and science-based medicine,” 2012 Feb 16.
“IgG food intolerance tests: what does the science say?” 2012 Feb 2.
“Generic drugs: are they equivalent?” 2012 Jan 5.
“Hypothyroidism: the facts, the controversies, and the pseudoscience,” 2011 Dec 22.
“Vitamin B12 – The Energy Panacea?” 2011 Dec 8.
“Antioxidants and exercise: more harm than good?” 2011 Nov 24.
“Collagen: an implausible supplement for joint pain,” 2011 Nov 24.
“Constipation myths and facts,” 2011 Oct 27.
“Caffeine for ADHD,” 15 Sep 2011
“Who’s to blame for drug shortages?” 01 Sep 2011
“Oh yeah? Thalidomide! Where’s your science now?” 2011 Aug 18.
“Tylenol: safe painkiller, or drug of hepatic destruction?” 2011 Aug 4
“Salt: more confirmation bias for your preferred narrative,” 2011 Jul 12.
“Vaccine confidence: attitudes and actions,” 2011 Jul 07.
“Et tu, biomarkers?” 2011 Jun 23.
“Placebos as medicine: the ethics of homeopathy,” 2011 Jun 9.
“Oil of oregano,” 2011 May 26.
“Placebo prescriptions,” 2011 May 12.
“Do calcium supplements cause heart attacks?” 2011 Apr 28.
“What does a new drug cost?” 2011 Apr 14.
“The benefits and risks of folic acid supplementation,” 2011 Mar 31.
“The risks of CAM: How much do we know?” 2011 Jan 20.
“Energy drinks,” 2011 Jan 6.
“Vaccines are a pain: what to do about it,” 2010 Dec 23.
“What’s with the new cough and cold products?” 2010 Nov 26.
“Improving our response to anti-vaccine sentiment,” 2010 Nov 6.
“Fatigued by a fake disease,” 2010 Oct 28.
“Chelation: compounding pharmacy’s problems,” 30 Sep 2010
“Direct-to-consumer genetic testing: road map or tarot cards?” 2010 Sep 2.
“Supplement regulation: be careful what you wish for,” 2010 Aug 5.
“The great sunscreen cover up,” 2010 Jun 10.
“Speaking skeptically about vitamins,” 02010 Jun 9.
“What do you expect from your pharmacy?” 2010 Jun 3.
“Upcoming talk: why do we make bad health care decisions?” 2010 May 12.

Science-Based Pharmacy Blog:

“Coconut Water – Rehydrating with the Naturalistic Fallacy,” 2012 Feb 8.
“What FX? CBC’s Marketplace looks at Cold-fX,” 2012 Jan 27.
“Super cold-treatment reference spectacular!” 2012 Jan 11.

“Why Dr. Oz will not save pharmacy practice,” 2011 Dec 29.
“Hypothyroidism: the facts, the controversies, and the pseudoscience,” 2011 Dec 22.
“Point of inquiry: dispensing skepticism,” 2011 Dec 9.
“Homeopathy: To sell or not to sell? Pharmacists weigh in,” 2011 Nov 30.
“Burzynski Clinic? Meet the Streisand Effect,” 2011 Nov 28.
“Toronto Star to CPSO: Don’t muzzle our doctors,” 2011 Nov 21.
“Edzard Ernst: Alternative medicine remains an ethics-free zone,” 2011 Nov 8.

Skeptic North:

“Generic drugs: should we be skeptical?” 2012 Jan 6.
“Do antioxidant supplements negate the beneficial effects of exercise?” 2011 Nov 24.
“Homeopathy update,” 2011 Aug 22.
“Exploring the alternative,” 2011 Aug 12.
“After Wakefield: undoing a decade of damaging debate,” 2010 Jan 13.
“Magician prescriptions: Ontario poised to let naturopaths prescribe,” 2009 Nov 14.

Listen to Scott Gavura:

“Dispensing skepticism,” Point of Inquiry [interview], 2011 Nov 28.

“Scott Gavura interview,” Ottawa Skeptics [podcast], 2009 Nov 23.

“Alternative medicine and pseudoscience with Scott Gavura,” 2010 May 28.

Annual Symposia, Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health:

“Value-based drug reimbursement: Do we want it? Do we already have it,” 2011 Apr 5.
“Value versus values: it’s all about the evidence unless it’s cheaper,” 2010 Apr 20.
“Different drugs, different thresholds: A social good? Is Cancer Special?” 2009 Apr 7.
“Development of health technology assessment skills in a drug information centre,” 2007 Apr 23.

The Online Scott Gavura: