I’ve written two blog posts on anti-vax campaigner, Judy Wilyman (aka Roslyn Judith Wilyman) and, kindly, in return, she’s written a malevolent little missive about me which I found hugely entertaining.
Not too long ago, Ms Wiley’s shenanigans were featured in a front page article in the Illawarra Mercury. I can’t imagine who might have tipped them off!
My first blog post about this rogue researcher – Judy Wilyman, PhD candidate, Wollongong University ‘false, dangerous, misleading and disrespectful’, castigates Wilyman for a callous attack on the parents of a baby girl who died of pertussis (whooping cough).
The second, Why Wollongong’s abdication of responsibility for Wilyman won’t wash, criticises Wollongong University for their failure to censure Wilyman for unethical actions.
Ms Wilyman is yet another example of a person whose academic integrity is diluted (or, perhaps, more accurately, drowned) by an ideological agenda. (See my previous articles on Dr Catherine Lennon who suffers from the same affliction.)
My mantra is that the best defence against this kind of thing is to shine a light on it. That’s what I did with Dr Lennon last week and, this week, Christine Bayne has done a fine job in pulling together a detailed ‘biography’ of Ms Wilyman and her nefarious activities as an anti-vaccination activist.
Thanks to a link in Christine’s blog post, I was able to read a review of one of Wilyman’s ‘academic articles’ by Dr David Hawkes from the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. Dr Hawkes, is an experienced reviewer with expertise in molecular virology and pharmacology. According to Dr Hawkes, Ms Wilyman’s paper is flawed by errors in grammar, spelling, referencing and structure, has an unacceptably low rate of references, misrepresents research data, makes sweeping statements with no supporting references, and her overall approach to the data is to try to frame it in a way that will support her philosophy. This is not an honest or acceptable approach to academic research.
If Wollongong University gives Judy Wilyman a PhD, it will reveal its academic standards to be no better than a US diploma mill.
That said, I’ll refer you to Christine Bayne’s blog – Diluted Thinking in Australian Healthcare – and her article, Campaigner: Judy Wilyman. It’s worth a read although it will make your stomach turn.
Chrys Stevenson
See also:
Grieving mother Toni McCaffery was villified by anti-vaccination bullies – Daily Telegraph 26/5/13
Grieving parents speak out against anti-vaccine venom – Daily Telegraph 26/5/13
Gladly, the Cross-Eyed Bear 
Last week while working alongside Public Health nurses administering vaccinations at a public vaccination clinic, I was very mindful of the misinformation being spread by ignorant people who oppose people being vaccinated. I was glad to be doing my bit as a health professional to get as many people as possible vaccinated.
I was pleased to be informed that I will be trained as a nurse immuniser, so that I can run future vaccination clinics and administer important life-saving vaccines to people.
Keep up your work in promoting this important issue Chrys. With health professionals, plus people like yourself speaking out, and hopefully legislation soon requiring kids to be immunised prior to school enrollment, things can change for the better.
You’ve got you’re own link on the RHS of the page 🙂
I note Ms Wilyman was still, only about a year ago, asserting that there is no consensus as to supposed links between vaccines and autism …
No consensus in the Australian [anti] Vaccination Network with whom ms Wilyman colludes, I expect. How little one must care for one’s academic reputation to throw one’s lot in with the AVN!
I can’t believe I wrote “you’re” instead of “your”. I understand if I’m banned for a month.
Thank you Chrys for keeping us up with the latest on this important issue, Before our grandson was born we found out that our whooping cough immunisation was no longer viable ( given it was back in the 1950’s when we were vaccinated). Luckily we got our boosters before going down to Melbourne to spend a month helping out the new parents, at a time when he would be very susceptible to this dangerous infection.
And thank fully my husband was now able to be re-vaccinated after years of being auto immune compromised. So those who do not vaccinate their children also put those like my husband in danger.
Reblogged this on Love versus Goliath : A Partner Visa Journey and commented:
Chrys pulls together a comprehensive array of articles relating to the anti-vax movement.
Protect our kids. Vaccinate.
Sorry Chrys, I was on the move and the best I could do was share to a wider audience.
I have included a link to an old article of mine about measles in a reply to a comment on my site: the problem is we see these as minor childhood diseases. They are not!
Oh well. if that’s the BEST you can do …. 😉 Promoting my work is not compulsory, y’know – although I’m lobbying for that!
😆
Hi Chrys, I followed the link to Judy Wilyman post – must be incorrect – can’t find any malevolence there – perhaps I missed it – can you clarify?
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