David Tuller

David M. Tuller, DrPh, is a Senior Fellow in Public Health in Journalism at the Center of Global Public Health, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California. Previously to this appointment in July 2017, he was of academic coordinator of the University of California, Berkeley's joint masters program in public health and journalism. He's worked as a reporter and editor for ten years at the San Francisco Chronicle, served as health editor at Salon.com and frequently writes about health for The New York Times.

He's an experienced public health activist with a background as an ACT UP/NY activist which included an arrest at the Wall Street demonstration in 1987.

David Tuller covered the PACE trial results for The New York Times in February 2011. However he became concerned about the trial and wrote a further article regarding case definitions which resulted in an immediate response from the PACE trial authors which resulted in him investigating the trial and its authors further after contact with others in the patient community.

Tuller is sympathetic toward the cause of the myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) patient community. In an article in 2015 he wrote:

"'In the course of my reporting, I’d realized that the disease was both devastating and widely misunderstood. People were really, really sick—some were homebound for months and years at a stretch. Yet their condition had been saddled with one of the most condescending names ever given a major illness.'"

In June 2017 after writing dozens of articles and organizing open letters on the PACE trial, David Tuller sought crowdfunding help from the patient community to continue his work on investigating the PACE trial. MEAction had an exclusive interview about his crowdfunding effort He raised it on Crowdrise Virology Blog's Trial By Error: Reporting on PACE, ME/CFS and Related Issues (2017) and succeeded and actually exceeded his goal within four weeks. The funds raised went to the Center for Scientific Integrity who transferred them to the School of Public Health at University of California, Berkeley, which in turn created a position for Tuller to continue his investigative work.

In 2018, Tuller is renewing his crowdfunding campaign in order to continue his work on writing and speaking to raise awareness about ME/CFS and the error-ridden PACE trial.

Tuller began 2019 by covering the UK Parliament Appropriate ME Treatment debate, criticizing both the UK government response from Under-secretary Steve Brine, and the ME/CFS training course offered by the Royal College of General Practitioners which Steve Brine had praised during the debate.

Education

 * 2005, Masters in Public Health from University of California, Berkeley
 * Doctor of Public Health

Awards

 * 2016, IACFS/ME Special Service Award - for outstanding personal effort and contribution to the CFS/ME community
 * 2016, Tymes Trust Award for Scientific Journalism

Talks and interviews

 * Feb 6, 2011 - Virology blog podcast: TWiV 119: Science and journalism with David Tuller. Dr. Tuller appeared as a guest on Vincent Racaniello's podcast.
 * Feb 27, 2016 - Discussed the flaws of the Pace trial with Frank Twisk while in Amsterdam at The Forgotten Plague Conference.
 * Feb 28, 2016 - Speech on PACE Trial with Q&As in Amsterdam.
 * Jul 10, 2016 - Virology blog Podcast: TWiV 397: Trial by Error Dr. Tuller speaks at length and in detail about the PACE trial (calling the PACE Trial preposterous and a pack of nonsense, and a piece of crap) and FINE trial, The Lancet, British Medical Journal (BMJ) and PLOS ONE, patients being ill yet deconstructing the PACE Trial, how ME/CFS is a disease being treated inappropriately with Exercise, GET and CBT, touches on the Institute of Medicine report and SEID, Valerie Eliot Smith and Karina Hansen, and more.
 * Aug 21, 2016 - Virology blog Podcast: TWiV 403: It’s not easy being vaccine Discussion with David Tuller regarding PACE trial at 00.17.38- 00.23.57.
 * Oct 29, 2016 - Undark Podcast #8: Worse Than the Disease Dr. Tuller discusses Graded Exercise Therapy (GET) "a therapy commonly prescribed for chronic fatigue syndrome — one for which supporting research is now unraveling."
 * Feb 20, 2017 - Chronic Fatigue: Missing Millions (Carte Blanche DSTV)
 * 30th May 2017 - Hope 4 ME & Fibro Northern Ireland Seeking Solutions conference took place in the Long Gallery, Stormont, Northern Ireland government headquarters. David Tuller presented an overview of the PACE Trial to medical professionals, health commissioners and MLAs (members of the legislative assembly)
 * May 31, 2017 - Virology blog Podcast: TWiV Special: Trial by Error, Continued David Tuller returns to discuss the continuing saga of the UK’s PACE trial for chronic fatigue syndrome, including the accusation that he is engaging in libelous blogging.
 * May 2017 - Interview with David Tuller PhD, Dublin, May 2017
 * June 1, 2017, Pre-Conference Dinner Speaker at the 12th Invest in ME International ME Conference on "#TearItUp" on his analysis of the Pace trial
 * Video of pre-conference dinner presentation


 * Oct 14, 2017, TWiV Special: Tear it up with David Tuller, interviewed by Vincent Racaniello
 * Dec 26, 2017, David Tuller and the (s)PACE cake eaters interviewed by Anil van der Zee
 * Mar 2018 - Talk with Emerge Australia
 * Apr 15, 2018 - ME/CFS – Debunking Medical Myths, A Conversation between Sue Gilbey, Dr David Tuller, Penelope McMillan & Tania Emms, highlighting the challenges of living with ME/CFS on Radio Adelaide
 * Apr 16, 2018 - U.S. Journalist raising awareness for Chronic Fatigue interviewed on Perth Tonight with Chris Ilsley
 * Nov 15, 2018, ME/CFS Alert Episode 102 - Interviewed by Llewellyn King

Writings about ME/CFS
Trial By Error on Virology Blog (Older posts can be found on Trial By Error)

2018

 * Jan 2, 2018 - Trial By Error: The School Absence Study, Revisited
 * Jan 3, 2018 - Trial By Error: Cope to BMJ Open: More Details Please
 * Jan 15, 2018 - Trial By Error: My Six-Month Review
 * Jan 17, 2018 - Trial By Error: Professor Crawley’s Bogus BuzzFeed Claims
 * Jan 30, 2018 - Trial By Error: A Letter to Archives of Disease in Childhood
 * Feb 5, 2018 - Trial By Error: Letter to British Journal of Sports Medicine from CPET Experts
 * Feb 13, 2018 - Trial By Error: QMUL and FOI; Nature and Cochrane; the Pineapple Fund
 * Feb 19, 2018 - Trial By Error: A Letter to BMJ Open
 * Feb 26, 2018 - Trial By Error: Our Exchange of Views with BMJ Open
 * Mar 5, 2018 - Trial By Error: News About My Plans
 * Mar 7, 2018 - Trial By Error: Yesterday’s News from the CFS/ME Research Collaborative
 * Mar 7, 2018 - Trial By Error: My Exchange With Archives of Disease in Childhood
 * Mar 12, 2018 - Trial By Error: The Dutch Review; My Trip; Bristol’s Silence
 * Mar 14, 2018 - Trial By Error: The Australian Situation, and Professor Crawley’s New Position
 * Mar 21, 2018 - Trial By Error: Checking in from Melbourne and Canberra…
 * Mar 26, 2018 - Trial By Error: Yet Another Go-Round with BMJ Open
 * Mar 27, 2018 - Trial By Error: My Time in Canberra
 * Mar 28, 2018 - Trial By Error: A Q-and-A with Scottish MP Carol Monaghan
 * Apr 2, 2018 - Trial By Error: My Berkeley-Backed Crowdfunding Campaign
 * Apr 2, 2018 - Trial By Error: Our Latest Tango with BMJ Open…
 * Apr 4, 2018 - Trial By Error: A Terrific Piece about ME/CFS on Australian TV
 * Apr 4, 2018 - Trial By Error: A Post About Andrew Lloyd
 * Apr 11, 2018 - Trial By Error: My Australian Tour, Continued
 * Apr 16, 2018 - Trial By Error: Two Interview Podcasts, and “Conflicts of Interest”
 * Apr 18, 2018 - Trial By Error: Professor Michael Sharpe’s Gaffe on Australian Radio
 * Apr 24, 2018 - Trial By Error: Andrew Lloyd’s Past Endorsement of PACE
 * Apr 24, 2018 - Trial By Error: The Shopping Bag Study; and New York State’s Revamped Website
 * Apr 25, 2018 - Trial By Error: Goodbye, Australia; and Two Updates
 * May 2, 2018 - Trial By Error: A Q-and-A with Leonard Jason, on Case Definition
 * May 7, 2018 - Trial By Error: My Visits with Alem Matthees
 * May 11, 2018 - Trial By Error: May 12th-International ME Awareness Day
 * May 14, 2018 - Trial By Error : Australia’s Online GET/CBT Education Program
 * May 23, 2018 - Trial By Error: More on the CDC; Reader’s Digest; and BBC’s Newsbeat
 * May 28, 2018 - Trial By Error: NICE’s Consideration of the Lightning Process
 * May 29, 2018 - Trial By Error: My 2011 NY Times Exchange With the PACE PIs
 * Jun 4, 2018 - Trial By Error: BMJ Still “Looking Into” Lightning Process Paper
 * Jun 5, 2018 - Trial By Error: My Letter to MP Monaghan About BMJ Studies
 * Jun 6, 2018 - Trial By Error: My Letter to the Science Media Centre about BMJ Study
 * Jun 6, 2018 - Trial By Error: A Letter to Health Officials About BMJ’s Lax Editorial Standards
 * Jun 11, 2018 - Trial By Error: More Letters About BMJ’s Flawed Pediatric Studies
 * Jun 13, 2018 - Trial By Error: A Curriculum for Treating CFS with CBT
 * Jun 18, 2018 - Trial By Error: Sir Simon Scores an Own Goal
 * Jun 18, 2018 - Trial By Error: A Letter to NICE About the IAPT Program
 * Jun 19, 2018 - Trial By Error: An Open Letter to The Lancet, Two Years On
 * Jun 25, 2018 - Trial By Error: My Exchange With Professor Bishop
 * Jun 25, 2018 - Trial By Error: Professor Sharpe’s Intemperate Remarks–For Whom Is He Speaking?
 * Jul 2, 2018 - Trial By Error: My Letter to Fiona Godlee
 * Jul 2, 2018 - Trial By Error: Professor Sharpe’s Pre-Hearing Briefing for Monaghan
 * Jul 9, 2018 - Trial By Error: Do All Clinical Trial Experts Love PACE?
 * Jul 10, 2018 - Trial By Error: Yet Another Appeal to The Lancet, With More On Board
 * Jul 11, 2018 - Trial By Error: My Letter to Parliament’s Science and Technology Committee
 * Jul 11, 2018 - Trial By Error: Waiting for Godlee
 * Jul 16, 2018 - Trial By Error: The Contentless “Editor’s Note” About the Lightning Process Trial
 * Jul 30, 2018 - Trial By Error: The CDC’s Update for Healthcare Providers
 * Aug 15, 2018 - Trial By Error: The BPS Brigades Score Another Own Goal
 * Aug 20, 2018 - Trial By Error: More Mayo, Please…
 * Aug 22, 2018 - Trial By Error: My Letter to Red Whale/GP Update
 * Aug 27, 2018 - Trial By Error: Another Letter to BMJ’s Dr Godlee
 * Sep 3, 2018 -Trial By Error: The Cochrane Controversy
 * Sep 17, 2018 - Trial By Error: So What’s Happening with the MAGENTA Trial?
 * Sep 18, 2018 - Trial By Error: Bruce Levin on “How Not to Conduct a Randomized Clinical Trial
 * Sep 24, 2018 - Trial By Error: The Open Letter to Netflix about Afflicted
 * Oct 1, 2018 - Trial By Error: The CFS/ME Research Collaborative Conference
 * Oct 8, 2018 - Trial By Error: My Latest Letter to Archives of Disease in Childhood
 * Oct 10, 2018 - Trial By Error: My First Post on the IAPT Program
 * Oct 16, 2018 - Trial By Error: Per Fink in New York
 * Oct 17, 2018 - Trial By Error: The Psychosomatic Conference’s Pathetic Response
 * Oct 19, 2018 - Trial By Error: A Reminder about Saturday’s Columbia Protest
 * Oct 19, 2018 - Trial By Error: Cochrane Decides to Withdraw Flawed Exercise Review
 * Oct 23, 2018 - A Statement in Support of Cochrane
 * Oct 24, 2018 - Trial By Error: Where’s My Apology, BMJ Open?
 * Oct 28, 2018 - Trial By Error: Three Years On…
 * Nov 7, 2018 - Trial By Error: Yet Another Letter About the Lightning Process Study
 * Nov 8, 2018 - Trial By Error: An Australian Exchange with Professor Sharpe
 * Nov 12, 2018 - Trial By Error: How Bristol Investigators Avoided Ethical Review
 * Nov 14, 2018 - Trial by Error: Video of October Newry Talk, with Brian Hughes
 * Nov 19, 2018 - Trial By Error: Some Thoughts About NICE
 * Dec 3, 2018 - Trial By Error: Some Good News on Cochrane
 * Dec 4, 2018 - Trial By Error: How BMJ Enabled Bristol’s Ethics Exemptions
 * Dec 10, 2018 - Trial By Error: And Cochrane Makes Another Move…
 * Dec 12, 2018 - Trial By Error: The View From Norway
 * Dec 19, 2018 - Trial By Error: The New Interferon “CFS” Study
 * Dec 24, 2018 - Trial By Error: Australian Draft Report Seeks Comments
 * Dec 26, 2018 - Trial By Error: “Talk is Cheap,” Patients Tell NIH
 * Dec 31, 2018 - Trial By Error: My Norwegian Interview

2019

 * Jan 7, 2019 - Trial By Error: My Letter to LP Study’s Senior Author
 * Jan 7, 2019 - Trial By Error: More Thoughts on the Interferon Study
 * Jan 21, 2019 - Trial By Error: Carol Monaghan Scores Another Parliamentary Debate
 * Jan 22, 2019 - Trial By Error: My Six-Month Review
 * Jan 22, 2019 - Trial By Error: S4ME Summary for Week of January 14th
 * Jan 23, 2019 - Trial By Error: Action For ME’s Employment Advice
 * Jan 28, 2019 - Trial by Error: Steve Brine's Troubling Claim in Parliamentary Debate on ME
 * Jan 28, 2019 - Trial by Error: My Letter to Professor Chew-Graham about METRIC
 * Jan 31, 2019 - Trial By Error: Some Thoughts About an Upcoming Article
 * Jan 31, 2019 - Trial By Error: Bristol Investigating Crawley Papers
 * Jan 31, 2019 - Trial By Error: The Reporter’s Questions for Professor Racaniello
 * Feb 1, 2019 - Trial By Error: A Bit More About Bristol’s Investigation
 * Feb 3, 2019 - Trial By Error: A Recap of the School Absence Study
 * Feb 5, 2019 - Trial By Error: And Another Prebuttal…
 * Feb 6, 2019 - Trial By Error: HRA Report Does Not Vindicate PACE
 * Feb 12, 2019 - Trial By Error: BMJ Amends Last Week’s PACE Article

(Older blog entries can be found on the Trial By Error page.)

The New York Times
 * Jul 17, 2007 - Chronic Fatigue No Longer Seen as 'Yuppie Flu'
 * May 30, 2008 - What to Ask About Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
 * May 30, 2008 - Learning Firsthand About Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
 * Aug 24, 2010 - Study Links Chronic Fatigue to Virus Class
 * Jan 3, 2011 - Exhausted by Illness, and Doubts
 * Feb 17, 2011 - Psychotherapy Eases Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Study Finds
 * Mar 4, 2011 - Defining an Illness Is Fodder for Debate
 * Jun 1, 2011 - 2 Studies Examine Syndrome of Fatigue
 * Sep 22, 2011 - Viral Theory Is Set Back in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Study
 * Dec 22, 2011 - Fatigue Syndrome Study Is Retracted by Journal
 * Dec 26, 2011 - Scholars Retract Another Study Linking Virus to Fatigue Syndrome
 * Feb 6, 2012 - Fallout From Fatigue Syndrome Retraction Is Wide
 * Sep 18, 2012 - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Back to Square 1
 * Nov 24, 2014 - Brains of People With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Offer Clues About Disorder - New York Times: Well (2014)
 * Feb 10, 2015 - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Gets a New Name
 * Mar 18, 2017 - Getting It Wrong on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (with Julie Rehmeyer) and Letters of response' Letters - The New York Times

Other print media


 * Jan 27, 2014 - How 'Chronic Fatigue Syndrome' Obscures A Serious Illness Buzzfeed
 * Nov 18, 2015 - Reporter Excoriates Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Study: "I Stopped at 14,000 Words-Enough Was Enough" California Magazine
 * Oct 27, 2016 - Worse Than the Disease Undark
 * Apr 27, 2017 - Once again, the PACE authors respond to concerns with empty answers Journal of Health Psychology
 * Jul 26, 2017 - CDC Removes Reference to Disputed ME/CFS Therapies From Website Undark
 * Sep 25, 2017 - Why did it take the CDC so long to reverse course on debunked treatments for chronic fatigue syndrome? StatNews by David Tuller and Julie Rehmeyer
 * 2018, Rethinking the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome—A reanalysis and evaluation of findings from a recent major trial of graded exercise and CBT (Full Text)
 * 2019, The 'Cognitive Behavioural Model' of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Critique of a Flawed Model (Abstract)

Online presence

 * Twitter
 * ResearchGate

Learn more

 * Berkeley Wellness - David Tuller