Look at all these amazing neurologist women! -researcher Erika Augustine -writer & disability advocate @dianacejasmd.bsky.social -digital educator Jacki Martindale -epileptologist & advocate Sucheta Joshi -vascular neurologist & DEI advocate Alexis Simpkins -& me! www.amwa-doc.org/news/announc...

Honored to share that I am a American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) Inspire Award Recipient! Congratulations to this incredible group of physicians! www.amwa-doc.org/news/announc...

Incredibly excited to share that I am a Fall 2025 Ucross Fellow! Thanks to @ucrossfoundation.bsky.social for providing me with the time and space to work on my art. See you soon!

AAP’s latest immunization schedule is rooted in pediatric science and clinical care, and includes recommendations that will help children build the strongest immune defense against respiratory illnesses, like the flu, COVID-19 and RSV. Learn more by visiting our website. www.aap.org

The “problem” with vaccines? They so effective at preventing deaths that they create generations of people that question whether disease was a problem in the first place because they have never experienced the horrors of a world without vaccines.

Disabled people are 11 times more likely to die during labor/in the postpartum period than non-disabled people. Better education and smashing ableism is how we get out of this horrible stat. For the past year, I’ve been looking into the topic of disability and pregnancy for @motherjones.com 🧵

When I see people online, even in jest, suggest that people living in Republican-controlled states should be abandoned because of their politicians, I feel a deep heartache. New York CREATED Donald Trump and none of y’all are ever talk about it the way you disparage Alabama or Mississippi.

“A respected network of hospitals and cancer centers is halting enrollment in clinical trials for children with brain cancer after the federal government said it would no longer provide funding to the group”

Mental health conditions, like suicides & overdoses, are the leading underlying causes of maternal deaths in the US. Antidepressants save women's lives—& they're safe. So why is RFKJr's FDA hell-bent on undermining their use among pregnant & postpartum moms? www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

An absolute must read from @drbhooma.bsky.social @dianacejasmd.bsky.social www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/...

Me and my scar 1 day out of the hospital, 1 week after my stroke, 1 month after my cancer diagnosis Me and my scar 13 years and 1 day out of the hospital, 13 years and 1 week after my stroke, 13 years and 1 month after my cancer diagnosis I am still here.

Children depend on their adults and the adults who have power over their communities to keep them safe. I hate when the adults don’t do that.

I need y’all to see the disconnect between your very real concern about gerrymandering and all the forms of voter suppression and your ire against southern and red states and your belief that all those people get what they deserve. You don’t actually care about the first if you believe the second.

thirteen years after cancer, thirteen years after a stroke, I am still here

It's more important than ever for neurologists & all in healthcare to advocate for equitable care for disabled people So proud to be an author on this position statement & proud to see @aanmember.bsky.social standing up for disability equity, access, & inclusion www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/...

This NY Times podcast discusses 1,700 NIH grants that were cancelled mid-stream. They largely fell into two categories: (a) studies of underrepresented populations (e.g., black women, gay men); and (b) studies by researchers from underrepresented groups. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/p...

Duke appears to have lost NIH grants because they used the prefix "trans" in reference to disease transmission, transgenic genetic material, translational studies, or signal transduction www.dukechronicle.com/article/2025...

A bit late in sharing, but proud of this piece published in @pedneurojournal.bsky.social. As DEI efforts face backlash, we argue why neurologists must stay committed to equity for the health of our profession and our patients. www.pedneur.com/article/S088... @dianacejasmd.bsky.social

When I heard the mom of a trans girl say the night her daughter came out to her was the first time she'd ever seen her child happy, I knew it was a story I needed to share. These are the stories the public isn't hearing. An honor to get to report on 3 family's journeys for @teenvogue.com.

6/9/25 STAT News by Jules Sherman: A broken system forces parents to DIY hospital-level care for their medically complex children archive.is/U5KHt #medsky #pedsky 🛟

💉 The #HPV #vaccine isn’t just safe — it’s revolutionary. A major Swedish study found it cut cervical cancer by nearly 90% when given before age 17. We’re not just preventing infections — we’re eliminating a cancer. #VaccinesWork #HPV #CervicalCancer #PublicHealth www.cancer.gov/news-events/...

"Secretary Kennedy’s team argues that there is insufficient evidence to support updated COVID-19 vaccines for healthy Americans under 65, but this claim is unfounded. Years of data demonstrate that vaccines save lives and reduce hospitalizations across all age groups." time.com/7292898/rfk-...

“People are scared they're going to lose their kids. You don’t have to legislate it if you scare people so much that they self-police.” A sobering report from Human Rights Watch on the impact of bans on gender-affirming care at the center of a pending SCOTUS decision

The related paper is now out at Annals of Emergency Medicine! Planey, Singer, Lewis, & Shaffer (2025) The Spatial Patterning of Recent Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) Violations in the United States. 2016-2022 authors.elsevier.com/a/1lBL2ib7EP... #HealthPolicy

"To provide the best possible care, neurologists must have a thorough understanding of the social and historical context of disability." Our latest (& - dare I say - required reading for all docs who work with disabled / neurodiverse patients [so all of us]) journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

How will this impact residencies starting in July? www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2025/5/28/us-pauses-new-student-visas-what-it-means-and-who-it-will-affect

New from 404 Media: a cop in Texas performed a nationwide search of license plate reading cameras for a woman who got an abortion, according to multiple sets of data we've reviewed. Included cameras where abortion is legal, like Washington and Illinois www.404media.co/a-texas-cop-...

More reporting on this extremely ill-advised decision. "Moderna’s contract covered several types of flu viruses that have the potential to cause a pandemic." “When the next flu pandemic occurs, there is not going to be enough vaccine for everyone who wants... 1/5 www.nytimes.com/2025/05/29/h...

Medicaid pays for 41% of all births. The highest share is in Louisiana, where Medicaid covers 64% of births. www.kff.org/medicaid/iss...

The specificity needed to cut through the layers-- *premature* deaths will increase if Medicaid and SNAP are cut, and we're being told that these lives are an acceptable cost.

“These are anti-poverty programs,” Tavarez added. ”It’s not about giving people handouts.” www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/264147/...

Among the victims of the Jabalia massacre were a group of orphaned children. They had gathered to receive financial aid from a charity when they were targeted. All the orphans were martyred, along with the charity’s staff, now raising their complaint of betrayal to their Creator.

A baby's life was saved thanks to a custom gene-editing treatment that was made just for him and designed to fix his precise mutation. The therapy was built on decades of federally funded research, and could one day treat millions. But advances like this are at risk due to science funding cuts.

Pregnancy is considered a disability. Adriana Smith was a black, disabled woman in need of medical care. The hospital dismissed her & she died. Because she was 9 weeks pregnant, they’re keeping her body alive against the family’s wishes. Misogyny, ableism & discrimination harm in life and death

The state of Georgia is using the body of a brain-dead woman as an incubator. Because she was 9 weeks pregnant when she died, and their abortion ban is from about 6 weeks, they are sustaining her on life support, without input from her family, until 32 weeks of gestation. A true dystopian nightmare.

Georgia forcing the family of a brain dead Black woman to pay for her to remain on life support so the state can gestate her fetus is why we need pro-birth accountability laws that force a state to pay for all costs attending a forced birth. www.11alive.com/article/news...

The two pediatric patients under my care who were admitted to the ICU for MISC with heart failure had no medical conditions. Having a pulse is a risk factor for COVID complications.

I could move my arm a half of an inch to the left so that my shoulder won't be stiff and painful for the rest of the day but moving my arm means disturbing the cat that's sleeping there peacefully and what kind of monster would I be if I did that?

As a sick / disabled person / medical curiosity I promise that if I'm telling you that the IV has to go in my hand it's not because I want the IV in my hand. It hurts. I'm just trying to save you some time & save myself from 3 blown veins & 4 new puncture wounds tldr: listen to your patients

okay this is an emergency assistance thread for anyone who got this National Endowment for the Arts email today some of you can still get your money and I’m going to tell you how article to come later this weekend but here is the Cliffs Notes version:

Really hard to say what the worst part of this NEA grant termination letter is (sent at 10pm on a Friday!) but I think it's finding out the federal government's priority for arts funds is now "fostering AI competency" rather than funding literature.

the nea just canceled grants ALREADY AWARDED for presses/mags that, according to the letter, do not “reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President.” support small presses. support literary mags. we have to find ways to keep literature alive.

The defunding of the Women’s Health Initiative halts vital longitudinal research into heart disease, cancer, and aging in women. Not a fiscal adjustment, but a strategic abandonment of evidence-based, gender-specific science.

Opinion: Due to the actions of the Trump administration, many face a bleak future in dealing with mental health problems, addictions, and trauma.

Check out my latest column for Teen Vogue about my chronic pain journey and what might hold regarding research in this Administration. Many thanks to Kate Nicholson of the Natl Pain Advocacy Center for talking with me www.teenvogue.com/story/living...

People experiencing pregnancy loss in states with abortion bans told us they wished they had known what to expect and how to advocate for themselves. We created this guide for anyone who finds themselves in the same position. (Published Dec. 2024)

This new info on Covid.gov is categorically false btw and will sadly result in more illness & death. Masks work!

🏳️‍⚧️ "It seemed their stories were not as well known as other disabled or transgender names. Why are we being kept behind closed doors?" https://www.wearequeeraf.com/how-learning-about-disabled-trans-figures-from-history-made-me-feel-less-alone/

A preliminary budget draft leaked to the Washington Post outlines plans by the Trump administration to cut: - the NIH budget by 40% - the CDC budget by 44% - the HHS budget by 33% This will not make America healthy. It will make Americans sicker and more vulnerable to disease outbreaks.

autistic children deserve to become happy fully supported autistic adults, in whatever capacity that looks like to them