02 Mar Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Matt Beymer Debunks the Noise with “Modern Medical Myths” on Substack
Dr. Matt Beymer, an Adjunct Associate Professor in UCLA’s Executive Programs in the Department of Health Policy and Management, has launched a new monthly Substack titled “Modern Medical Myths.” It serves as a vital resource in an era of “conspiracy fatigue,” where roughly 73 percent of Americans report feeling that health misinformation is out of control. Rather than simply debunking falsehoods individually, Dr. Beymer’s work aims to expose the underlying operating system behind bogus medical claims, providing readers with the tools to understand how misinformation is manufactured and sustained across the modern landscape.
The blog is being developed in preparation for Dr. Beymer’s forthcoming book, “Of Myths and Medicine: The Origin and Evolution of Health Myths in the 21st Century,” which is currently being presented to publishers. The project traces the specific histories of 20 persistent health myths—ranging from the false narrative linking vaccines to autism to the conspiracy theory of HIV as a bioweapon—to reveal how fringe claims from rogue scientists or governments evolve into widely believed truths. By uncovering the shared DNA behind these stories, Dr. Beymer moves beyond a “whack-a-mole” approach to misinformation, instead highlighting the systemic forces and historical propaganda that allow these myths to take root and thrive in the 21st century.
Dr. Beymer’s academic contributions to the Fielding School continue to grow, as he will be teaching Epidemiology in our Executive MPH Program, starting with Spring Quarter which begins March 20th. This new role adds to his established presence in the Department of Community Health Sciences, where he has taught data analytics since 2018, and the MHA Program, where he has led the Introduction to Public Health course since 2024. His teaching is informed by a robust professional background, including eight years as a statistician with the U.S. Army Medical Command researching behavioral health issues and a previous tenure as the Lead Epidemiologist for the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
A public health researcher and educator with 15 years of experience in both academic and applied settings, Dr. Beymer has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications in prestigious journals such as The Lancet and the American Journal of Public Health. His research has gained significant mainstream attention, with a media footprint that includes coverage in TIME, BBC, The Washington Post, NBC News, and NPR’s Los Angeles affiliate KPCC. Dr. Beymer holds a PhD in Public Health and an MPH in Epidemiology from UCLA, as well as a BS in Microbiology from UC San Diego.
We encourage our community to follow his latest insights and research by subscribing to his monthly updates at ModernMedicalMyths.com.