Who Decides What Counts As Evidence?
In 109 studies in 2022 regarding the relationship between the Covid Vaccine and Autoimmune Disorders “Nearly 60% of the studies reported relapses or flares, and approximately one-quarter documented new-onset conditions in individuals with no prior history of autoimmunity.”
Claudia Chaufan, MD, PhD
School of Health Policy and Management
Faculty of Health, York University, Canada
“COVID-19 vaccines and autoimmune disorders: A scoping review,
AIMS Medical Science, 2025, 12(4): 325-349.“ 4/2026
Interview Summary – By Claudia Chaufan, MD, PhD
This interview presents the work of Claudia Chaufan, MD, PhD, a health policy scholar, professor, and non-practicing physician. Her research examines how medical evidence is produced, interpreted, and governed, and how issues of human significance come to be framed within medical jurisdiction, including the extension of medical and psychological labels to define and manage dissent in ways that shape policy compliance and institutional legitimacy. Her interest in the relationship between Covid-19 vaccination and autoimmune disorders emerged from a broader concern with how large-scale policy responses – including lockdowns, mandates, and mass vaccination – were justified and normalized, with limited space for critical scrutiny of their evidentiary basis.
To explore how potential harms were being assessed, Chaufan and her team conducted a scoping review of 109 studies published in 2022 on Covid-19 vaccination and six autoimmune conditions. The review identified three recurring patterns: relapses or flares in individuals with pre-existing autoimmune disease, new autoimmune conditions in those already affected, and new-onset autoimmune disorders in previously healthy individuals. Nearly 60% of studies reported relapses or flares, and approximately one-quarter documented new-onset conditions in individuals with no prior history of autoimmunity. Continue reading Autoimmune Disorders and The Politics of Evaluating Covid-19 Vaccine Harm. An interview with Claudia Chaufan, MD, PhD