Defamation lawsuits: academic sword or shield?

Scientists and academics are used to defending their theories, methods, and results in the classroom, at conferences, and in peer-reviewed publications. But Pieter Cohen, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, learned that he had to defend his research in a defamation suit while reading a supplement industry trade publication (Robins,). Cohen is known as a “dogged detective” for scrutinizing dietary supplements and for advocating for their stricter oversight by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).