Are you frustrated by the prevalence of pseudoscience in medicine? Are you interested in critical thinking and science? Is SBM your rational refuge?  Want to meet like-minded science advocates? On October 23, 2010 four Skepticamps will take place across Canada. If you enjoy reading this blog, you’ll probably enjoy Skepticamp.

Happily, Skepticamp involves no actual camping. It’s a flexibly organized, collaborative conference on science and critical thinking. Skepticamp is not your typical medical conference with high fees, bad PowerPoint, long talks and little interaction with speakers. Skepticamps are open, collaborative, interactive, and FREE.

Here are the four events, and a few of the SBM-related highlights.

• Vancouver: ear candling; dopamine as an explanatory model for superstition; and SBM copy editor Paul Ingraham speaking about his first year as an alternative medicine apostate.
• Winnipeg: fad diets and detoxes; homeopathy; and the continued relevance of vaccinations
• Ottawa: self-help cults; genes and inherited diseases; science denial; and forensic science
• Toronto: I’ll be speaking about natural health product regulation. Other talks include a guide to the medical literature; the cognitive underpinnings of sympathetic magic; and naturopathy.

If there’s one near you, consider attending Skepticamp on October 23. Given it’s free, Skepticamp offers tremendous value-for-money. We invite our American colleagues to grab their passports, make a break for the border, and keep driving until there are Tim Hortons everywhere. And if you’re attending the Toronto Skepticamp, be sure to  say hello.