An Edmonton native, Beyerstein received his undergraduate degree from Simon Fraser University and his Ph.D. in Experimental and Biological Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley. He is an associate professor of psychology at SFU where his primary interest is in the area of healthcare quackery, usually under the rubric of "alternative medicine,"; or "complementary medicine";. He is the associate editor of the Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to scientific critiques of the theories and practices of "alternative medicine."; He is also an elected member of the Council for Scientific Medicine (USA) and a Founding Board Member of Canadians for Rational Health Policy. His book The Write Stuff (Prometheus Books, 1992), co-edited with his brother Dale, provides an evaluation of handwriting analysis or "graphology";. "Given the possible consequences of using such a discredited diagnostic and assessment tool,"; says Beyerstein, " it is only a matter of time until the aggrieved will seek redress in the courts as they rightly did with polygraph tests in the workplace.";

[BCBW 2003]