James McCormack

JAMES McCORMACK – biography, conflict of interest, objectives, talk requirements

James McCormack,

BSc(Pharm), Pharm D

Professor, Faculty of Phamaceutical Sciences,

UBC, Vancouver, BC

BRIEF REAL BIOGRAPHY

James received his undergraduate pharmacy degree at the University of British Columbia in 1982 and received his doctorate in pharmacy (Pharm.D.) in 1986 from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina.

He has had extensive experience, both locally and internationally, talking to health professionals and consumers about the rational use of medication, and has presented over 500 seminars on drug therapy over the last 30 years.

He focuses on shared decision-making using evidence based information and rational therapeutic principles and he is also the co-host of a very popular weekly podcast called the Best Science (BS) Medicine podcast.

BRIEF FUNNY INTRO (preferred)

SHORT

While some refer to James as a Superhero, he refuses to wear underwear outside his tights – at least in public.

SLIGHTLY LONGER

The person doing the intro can say – THIS WAS TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM HIS WEBSITE

James received his undergraduate pharmacy degree from Harvard at the age of 10 and has received doctorates from MIT, the University of Oxford, Princeton and Stanford in quantum physics, neuroscience, molecular biology and creative writing respectively.

In the last 10 years he has published over 500 articles in a vast array of medical and scientific disciplines, including once, in an unprecedented moment, writing every article in a single issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. This was done while simultaneously winning a noble peace prize for solving all the problems in the Middle East over a long weekend, curing world hunger on an extended lunch break on a Tuesday, and winning an Olympic Gold medal for synchronized swimming despite him not being a strong swimmer nor female.

Sadly, James would like to point out that this nonsensical introduction barely rivals much of what we see and hear every day in the media and the medical literature.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST – PHARMACEUTICAL OR OTHER COMMERCIAL SOURCES

I have had no financial or any other relationships with the pharmaceutical industry or any other commercial source in the last 30+ years.

I  have a podcast (Best Science Medicine Podcast) and while ~75% of the podcasts are free we do charge a subscription for some premium content.

I give numerous talks every year for many medical and educational groups and I sometimes get honorariums. I never give talks for anything industry-based.

PHILOSOPHY/CODE OF CONDUCT

All the information I present is based on the best available evidence that I can find with regards to the topic. I typically use only generic medication names but will occasionally use brand names if necessary.

COPYRIGHT

In many of my talks I use audio and video clips to enhance the educational experience.

In Canada we have a law that states the use of copyrighted material as part of “Fair dealing for the purpose of research, private study, education, parody or satire does not infringe copyright”. The use of these clips is solely for non-commercial purposes and for the purposes of education.

RECORDING MY TALKS

You are more than welcome to record my talks and post them on the web as long as it is being done for non-commercial purposes but I retain copyright over the content. I also may use these recordings on my YouTube channel.

COURSE/TALK OBJECTIVES

1) Appreciate some of the strengths and limitations of the medical evidence around medication use/nutrition/clinical practice guidelines/lab results when it comes to common conditions in primary care.

2) Understand the responsibility of health professionals to incorporate patient values into the decision making process.

3) To be able to incorporate the relevant evidence into shared-informed decision making for common conditions seen in primary care.

AUDIO-VISUAL REQUIREMENTS

Computer

For all my talks I bring my own MacBook Pro computer and I have all the dongles anyone could need. My presentations run on Keynote and often contain embedded fonts, pictures, audio and video files. More often than not, my presentations don’t work very well when run on another computer. I have a wireless presentation remote that allows me to be up to 40ft away from my computer. If ABSOLUTELY necessary, I can bring my presentations on a memory stick and will be sensitive to the time requirements of the technical staff.

LCD projector

For any presentation I give, I will require an LCD projector.

Audio

As many of my presentations include audio and music, I typically need to be able to connect my computer to a competent sound system.

Microphone

Depending on the size of the room and the number of participants, I may require a microphone. A WIRELESS lapel microphone is much preferred.

HANDOUTS

I am more than happy to provide handouts of my material 2-3 weeks ahead of time. They can also be posted here if that helps.  If they are needed earlier than that I will do my best to accommodate.