“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” ― Jane Goodall

Sorting through all the photos and videos we’ve taken has got to be one of my favorite AND least favorite things about coming from a holiday.

American Academy of Pediatrics statement on the 9/22 WH autism press conference: “Today’s White House event on autism was filled with dangerous claims and misleading information that sends a confusing message to parents and expecting parents and does a disservice to autistic individuals."

Gentle parenting IS NOT permissive parenting. It’s responsive, compassionate and authoritative (not authoritarian). It meets your child where they are developmentally, teaches them boundaries & natural consequences, and does NOT mean you no longer parent, guide &(appropriately) discipline your child

The red herring. The violence. The utter disrespect.

News: The American Academy of Pediatrics says it will no longer take part in the process of ACIP meetings. “We won’t lend our name or our expertise to a system that is being politicized at the expense of children’s health,” the group's president says. www.statnews.com/2025/06/25/c...

Went to a bookstore today and bought several books, none of which were for me. Our priorities truly shift once we’re raising a tiny human (and, hopefully, a life-long reader!).

Whenever I see posts of people talking about how they were sick but still “showed up” (to work, a concert, etc), especially if they were unmasked and (likely) contagious (especially in a crowded place), I feel not so lowkey distressed. Have we really learned nothing? (Rhetorical / Also: Just sad)

I don’t think anything stresses me out at work as much as patients who are very, very late on a fully (actually, over)booked clinic day. ESPECIALLY if they’re scheduled at the start of the day. If you are very, very late, all of the patients after you will also be seen much later than intended.

Always a struggle to get professional makeup off! So far, the best makeup remover I’ve tried is the Banila Co Clean It Zero, but it can sometimes be difficult to find. Do you guys have any products you swear by for thorough makeup removal?

"Treating children has the highest yield of all professions, the highest potential to support lifelong health and to lower the costs of health care over the long haul." - Dr. Sallie Permar When things start to get tough, this is such a humbling and grounding reminder. #Pediatrics #PedSky

The exhaustion from the past few weeks is hitting me especially hard today. But there’s no time to rest. And the guilt when I do rest gets pretty intense.

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” — George Orwell, 1984

Habitually pressing the lock button for my car at least twice every time because once is not locked enough.

It always seems to come in threes, whether cases or admissions.

The HPV vaccine is not just for women. Males and females ages 9 to 45 can get the cancer-preventing vaccine.

“Healthcare personnel often do not realize that in the U.S., HPV-related mortality far surpasses the mortality from tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis & meningococcal disease combined. Each year, about 4,000 deaths are the result of cervical cancer; most are preventable through pre-exposure vaccination”

“We urge the Administration to rescind this guidance…” www.childrenshospitals.org/news/newsroo...

What an amazing story The man saved over 2 million lives This. This is how you want to live Helping people, not destroying them

Randomly remembered my friends who turned to baking during the pandemic, especially those who made amazing ube cheese pandesal. Actually rather miss those.

Does anyone else still take physical notes / use a physical chart in their clinic/practice? I still prefer just writing (pen to paper) during patient encounters/visits because having a screen in front of me / between me and the family feels more impersonal, especially since my patients are children.

Studies have found that providing kids with comprehensive sex ed leads to later age of sexual debut, improved knowledge about their bodies and healthy relationships, decreased risk-taking and risky behavior, and decreased frequency of unprotected sex (once they do engage in it).

I always feel extra compelled to learn a third (and even fourth) language whenever I encounter patients who have difficulty communicating in English. I've tried learning a few languages via DuoLingo in fits and starts, but not even the threatening owl has been able to help me stick to it.

It’s always a great time to catchup on your child’s/family’s vaccines.

Maybe a good and motivating goal (and more achievable too, versus the previous 10,000 steps a day) for ourselves? Good for physical and mental health :) Source: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

2023 & 2024 rushed by like a blur, and while I'm proud of what I've accomplished as a doctor and as a mother during those years, I feel like I also lost a part of myself, the part that knew to take time for myself and my hobbies, the part that knew to switch off now and then, for my own well-being.

Happy new year! May we never tire of fighting for good, accessible and evidence-based medicine and health practices 🩷 to another year of caring for others and remembering to care also for ourselves.

I need more Muji things available at our local Muji stores (namely their different sunscreen options and their food).

I don’t know if I’ve had so many karaoke parties in a row til this December. 😵‍💫😂 I’m running out of karaoke songs. Any suggestions/favorites/karaoke go-tos?

Completed the HPV doses of two tween/teen brothers (10yo and 13yo) today. Proud of them and their parents! 🩷

It would be nice (and many leagues less terrifying) not to be on the timeline where anti-intellectualism is so prevalent.

Correlation does not equate to causation. And the people who need to understand that will likely, tragically, and frustratingly never do.

I’ve cared for infants who stopped breathing w/ pertussis. School aged kids who died of flu or COVID. And many of my patients can’t be vaccinated because they’re on chemotherapy or are immune compromised. Vaccinations save lives of those who get them & those who cannot. It’s that simple.

Yikes.

I miss being able to purchase programs and opt to just use them forever until I have to upgrade my machine. Now it’s just endless subscriptions.

Imagine Wrapped but for our Kindles. I’m not sure how I’d feel about being called out for rereading certain books an n amount of times this past year.

Anxiety peaked earlier today when I couldn’t find my planner. Friend asked why I didn’t just use an app to keep track of all my tasks. While I do use an app for my schedule, I’ve also always kept a physical planner to keep tabs on both my schedule and tasks. It just feels more correct that way.

I don’t know why I always feel a little worried and unsettled going back to work after taking a (rare) leave/vacation. But then I see and talk to my patients again and it suddenly feels like sitting back into a familiar chair/bed.

Taking a wee break from the madness. Hello from Ginza!

This is the most important chart published in America this week. (By @dylanlscott.bsky.social)

The CDC has released the immunization schedule for 2025. www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp...

Top three hematology pearls for pediatricians #medsky #hemesky 1. Serum iron level is useless 2. Thrombocytosis is reactive 99% of the time 3. Percentage values on WBC differential don’t matter, only absolute values

In lighter news, I’m contemplating a version of Spotify Wrapped, but it’s just me ranking the top bandage designs for the year, as determined by my patients.

Vaccines have saved more lives than any other medical invention and innovation in history. And yet it’s constantly demonized and politicized. It’s still such a wild reality to me that people will refuse vaccines because of people who have agendas that thrive and survive on vaccine misinformation.

It’s so frustrating how much easier (and lucrative) it is to scare with spicily worded disinformation than to assure and empower with actual data and facts.

TIL about The Scully Effect, where the depiction of Agent Scully from the X-Files as a high-achieving, even-keeled woman in STEM (radical then in the 90s!) inspired young girls who saw the show to pursue a career in science, technology, and/or medicine. Maybe I’m due for an X-Files marathon.

Measles requires 95% vaccination rates for herd immunity. It has a 16.2% case fatality rate for unvaccinated children under 5 years and 24% for children under 9 months (who are unable to be vaccinated). 30% of the survivors experience severe complications like blindness, deafness, or encephalitis.

I would love to tell you about the times vaccines prevented me from getting sick, but every time it happens, I don’t notice. I just keep feeling well. Neither do you. Public health, when it’s working, is invisible.

It always comes in threes. This week, it’s constitutional growth delay (confirmed after workup!).