& if you don't have access to any of the stories, we are running a promo for STAT+ subscriptions (ends this friday!!) bsky.app/profile/stat...

If you just cancelled Disney+ and you’re wondering what do to with that extra money, one option: STAT is running a big sale right now, you can get 10 months for $10 marketing.statnews.com/stat-10th-st...

I have feelings about the phrase "lived experience." Read more about them in the weekly First Opinion newsletter from @statnews.com www.statnews.com/signup/first...

On the Trump administration's cruel disbanding of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium: my op-ed @statnews.com My 12-year-old son died from brain cancer. This research would have helped children like him www.statnews.com/2025/09/15/p...

Early career journalists, consider applying for Fulbright Germany's Berlin Capital Program. I did it back in 2011 and absolutely loved it. The program culminates with a weeklong trip to Germany in September 2026. Learn more here: fulbright.de/en/grants/pr...

My thoughts on the unpublished study unveiled at today’s hearing on the state of vaccine safety science. Big thanks to @thekibosch.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/09/09/a...

I'm so proud to be part of @STATNews, the definitive source for reporting (and dare I say opinion!) on health and medical news at a time when it is very much needed. Happy birthday, STAT!

RFK Jr’s “evidence” doesn’t support ending mRNA vaccine development. It makes the case for expanding it. Thanks to @thekibosch.bsky.social @statnews.com www.statnews.com/2025/08/13/r...

"Over 660 million pilgrims gathered at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, India, this past February, and I’m now seeing the downstream consequences in my California clinic." New piece I wrote. Big thanks to @thekibosch.bsky.social and @statnews.com. www.statnews.com/2025/07/03/m...

First was "You are Not Expected to Understand This," edited by @thekibosch.bsky.social. This collection provides an enjoyable, whirlwind introduction to different topics in computing history Full review: bookwyrm.social/user/bwaber/... (2/3)

Our A/C died last night, and now I keep thinking about how @rebeccaonion.bsky.social kept thinking about the first chapter of The Ministry for the Future: slate.com/technology/2...

If I owe you an email, I'm sorry. It's just that I worried it'd be weird if I responded too quickly, and now it's been too long, and now I have to disconnect from the internet forever

Thank you to @thekibosch.bsky.social for letting me highlight this aspect of the Medicaid debate in @statnews.com.

If you missed our event on polarization over science with Cary Funk, Emily Garner, M. Anthony Mills, @scipolguy.bsky.social, and @thekibosch.bsky.social, watch the recording (and read the live chat transcript) here: issues.org/event/how-di... ‬.

Actual notes a Fox censor sent The Simpsons: - “This Itchy & Scratchy cartoon goes too far. Please do not show a cat coughing up blood.” - “Obviously we do not want to show the intimate details of a bris.” slate.com/culture/2025...

On May 30, 1925, passersby were asked, "What is your opinion of the indictment of John T. Scopes for teaching the theory of evolution in the Tennessee public schools?" Would have loved to see Howard J. Meaney and Mrs. E. J. Novak Jr. debate www.reddit.com/r/100yearsag...

Starting soon! Register here: asu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

"Trust in science has emerged as a central dividing line in our society," says a recent @issuesinst.bsky.social piece. How did that happen, and what can we do about it? I'm moderating a panel tomorrow in which some very smart people will grapple with those questions. issues.org/event/how-di...

Tomorrow! How did science become so polarizing? At 3 p.m. ET, join us to talk about trust in science with Cary Funk, Emily Garner, M. Anthony Mills, and @scipolguy.bsky.social‬—moderated by @thekibosch.bsky.social‬. Register here: asu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

How did science become so polarizing? On Thursday, May 29, at 3 p.m. ET, join ISSUES for a conversation about trust in science with Cary Funk, Emily Garner, M. Anthony Mills, and @scipolguy.bsky.social‬—moderated by @thekibosch.bsky.social‬. Register here: asu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

What it’s like to have measles, mumps, whooping cough, and other vaccine-preventable illnesses www.statnews.com/2025/05/10/w... via @statnews.com @thekibosch.bsky.social

My story of getting whooping cough in the first month of graduate school (studying infectious diseases) is included in this compilation of personal stories. It is a miracle that these diseases are preventable through vaccination. We cannot take that for granted.

NEW: How RFK Jr. goes about solving the chronic disease epidemic depends on his top concerns. Here, we break down the nation's health into 9 "priorities" — using original data analysis you can't find elsewhere! — and let you choose yours. W/ @jaspar.bsky.social: www.statnews.com/2025/05/20/k...

Some parents who never had #measles, never worried about #polio, who don't remember what life was like when kids caught these diseases, fear the vaccines that prevent them instead. @statnews.com's @thekibosch.bsky.social spoke to people who remember these foes. www.statnews.com/2025/05/10/w...

Back in April, Darius Lakdawalla and Dana P. Goldman of the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics wrote that "most-favored nation" drug pricing "can’t undo the basic economics of the global drug marketplace" www.statnews.com/2025/04/14/m...

“I coughed so hard that I pulled a muscle in my rib.” “I remember being … placed on ice.” “Her torso became too weak to breathe.” The consequences of diseases that are now all thankfully vaccine preventable. Read experiences 👇

She is Deaf and has been her whole life. That reality shaped her life, my grandmother’s life, and mine as well. One infection -> three generations (or more) of impact. She was one of about 20,000 children born with CRS in that cohort. No vaccine at the time — now vaccine-preventable

My mother was born in the winter of ‘64, during a massive rubella epidemic in the US. She was born with congenital rubella syndrome. As far as CRS goes, she got out relatively ok — “just” heart defects, scarring behind her eyes, and permanent damage to hearing

Recently, I put out a call for people to share their personal experiences with measles, mumps, rubella, and other vaccine-preventable diseases. I heard from dozens of people who discussed their own illnesses as well as those of friends, siblings, and patients. www.statnews.com/2025/05/10/w...

The FDA issued a detail-less press release yesterday about its new review AI & aggressive rollout How was it trained? How was it tested? Who is using it? Those Qs & more from Casey & Katie @statnews.com: If you have answers, we'd love to speak & can do it confidentially. Signal: btrang.01

Far fewer babies had severe cases of the respiratory illness RSV, in a winter in which a new monoclonal and vaccine became widely available. www.statnews.com/2025/05/08/c...

I took a look into the hype around peptides in this new video for @statnews.com . What are they? How can there be a peptide for so many different conditions/ailments/cosmetic issues, etc? Who is selling them? How reliably safe are they? All that and more youtu.be/xX7rWXK5ME0?...

Had a terrific time writing about AI scribes for STAT ... and then recording this podcast with @thekibosch.bsky.social and Iyesatta Massaquoi Emeli. www.statnews.com/2025/05/07/a... via @statnews.com

There are just a few episodes of The Handmaid's Tale left and I am still so fixated on two things that I wrote about for @slate.com in the past.

It's been 100 days since President Trump took office. Here's how he's impacted health and science, seen through five lives. www.statnews.com/2025/04/25/t...

I've received a few dozen responses, but I want more. Have you had pertussis? Polio? Rubella? Please tell me about it, whether you were too old for a vaccine, it wasn't effective for you, or you didn't get vaccinated for some other reason. And please share with folks not on Bluesky!

Nominations for #STATWunderkinds are open! STAT Wunderkinds is a chance to celebrate early-career researchers who are not yet independent scientists or program leaders. Nominate today:

Easy to miss in the flood of headlines, but this news will be absolutely seismic for U.S. science -- university labs, hospitals, and beyond -- if it comes to pass. www.statnews.com/2025/04/16/t...

WaPo has the numbers on those NIH advisory board purges @jasonmast.bsky.social and I first reported on last month. Six percent of White males who serve on boards were fired, compared with half of Black and Hispanic females and one-quarter of all females, according to an analysis by board chairs.

When the NIH cut funding for my research on food and housing insecurity, they sent a letter stating my work was “antithetical to the scientific inquiry” They couldn’t be more wrong. I explain why in @statnews.com #PublicHealth #Pediatrics #DEI www.statnews.com/2025/04/15/n...

Today's op-ed pet peeve: Please don't open or end an essay about medicine with something about the Hippocratic Oath.

Weird: Nearly two dozen researchers and groups tell STAT they haven’t been approached about Secretary Kennedy's autism project www.statnews.com/2025/04/16/r...

My sidekick tried to get in on the podcast action

As a cat lover, I've been worried about the stories about cats and H5N1 bird flu. So on today's @statnews.com First Opinion Podcast, I spoke with @meghandavisdvm.bsky.social about the risk avian flu presents to cats, what it means for human health, and catios www.statnews.com/2025/04/16/h...

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that he plans to roll out changes to the vaccine injury monitoring system that would automate and increase data collection as well as look for negative impacts of the shots. www.statnews.com/2025/04/15/r...

Food for lab animals, culture media, dry ice--the chaos at HHS has left many researchers without the basic tools to do their jobs. www.statnews.com/2025/04/11/h...

IT'S HERE! Introducing the 2025 STATUS List, the definitive accounting of leaders in the life sciences Explore this list: www.statnews.com/status-list/...

Reupping this. I've received some really fascinating responses and would love more.

Have you ever had a vaccine-preventable illness? I'm collecting stories for First Opinion on @statnews.com. Email me a paragraph about your experience at [email protected].

On today's episode of @statnews.com's First Opinion Podcast, I spoke to former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala, who was frank about her concerns about the future of U.S. public health. (She was wearing a broach Bob Dole gave her!) www.statnews.com/2025/04/02/d...