🚨 Disease modelers: Do you use empirical VE estimates interchangeably to inform vaccine effect parameters? Me too, and it’s distorting our predictions. VE estimates often do not align with model parameters. We discuss these pitfalls & solutions in our new preprint: arxiv.org/abs/2605.18571 🧵👇

Alright. A few weeks ago a guy on here complained at me he has had 'no choice' but subscribing to the NYT because he wants to stay informed. I wrote ... a long post responding to this sort of nonsense, full of links to outlets for folks to check out: whats-helping-today.beehiiv.com/p/news-is-br...

Yesterday we were among the first to break this story: NYU Langone received a grand jury subpoena over its provision of gender-affirming care for trans youth, issued by a court 2,000 miles away in Texas. www.erininthemorning.com/p/nyu-langon...

The Killing of Trans Man Lucas RedBeard Knapp in Rural New Mexico Teaches Us About Visibility – Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents

Dr. David Morens - who is 78 years old and served his country for nearly 50 years - used Gmail, which he shouldn't have done. However, "[he] was stripped and handcuffed [by] a half-dozen federal agents carrying guns and wearing tactical gear [..] and jailed". www.science.org/content/arti...

Breaking: HHS’s ban on gender-affirming care is struck down. Rarely have I read a ruling this sharply worded. “This case is one of a long list of examples of how a leader’s wanton disregard for the rule of law causes very real harm to very real people.” www.advocate.com/politics/nat...

Honoured to have been involved in this collaboration, led by the dream team of Kylee Hoffman and @ayesha-mahmud.bsky.social

It’s been 5 weeks since NYU Langone ended care. Mamdani’s office has not directed H+H to absorb patients or enforced NYC human rights law against the hospitals stopping care. He also has not answered multiple trans journalists questions on if he will commit to doing so.

It took decades for the paper to meekly half-admit that AM Rosenthal demanded coverage to dehumanize and mock queer people dying by the thousands during the darkest era of the HIV pandemic. Inexplicably, they saw the right wing gearing up to do it again to trans people and thought, “hey why not“

This is Benny-Johnson-leaving-Buzzfeed levels of cope for an outlet getting called out by multiple professional medical associations for their misleading, fabricated, and cruel coverage decisions about a minority they are trying hard to destroy. Really remarkable as a historical media artifact.

BREAKING: A judge just blocked Kennedy's handpicked vaccine advisers, and all votes they've taken in the past year. They will not meet this week. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

California boy dies of SSPE (measles complication) after being infected at age 7 months, when he was too young to be vaccinated.

Happy International Women’s Day! Grateful for the incredible women in my life and special shout out to the women in my lab whose ideas, creativity, and perseverance make our science and our community stronger every day. It’s a joy to learn from and work alongside you.

Oh, really? Were the strikes kinetic in nature? Was their synergy between the warfighting paradigms? Did you all ideate a 360-degree workaround for the blockchain?

Made a short video as a response. 3 questions remain for me. 1) What is the definition of a "DEl activity," and how is it being communicated to NIH staff so they can determine whether a grant qualifies? (Continued below)

Genuinely astonishing how clueless The Times when it comes to everything about DIYing - in particular the scale at which it is happening. Literally, what did they expect? People can't stop being trans. Streeting must know - but his preference is that trans people die in private not live in public.

Well, yes, trans people are getting drugs; yes, from entirely unregulated sources; yes, without counselling; yes, without blood tests; yes, they are self-administering; yes, without clinical oversight; yes, risking long term harm; yes, it is highly suboptimal. What did you think would happen?

Disturbing to see every trans person on my timeline vocally distressed about the shit in Kansas, a huge step towards banning trans folk from public life there, and total crickets from the majority of cis folk It's been decades of trans folk pleading cis folk to step up. If not now, when?

As of tonight, licenses of trans people across Kansas are being invalidated en masse, enabling the overnight criminalization of an entire group of people for going about our lives. It’s often said you never know when you’re living through history, so let me assure you: that’s what’s happening now.

“We are taking back your papers, you have no papers now” is even more chilling than “show us your papers”

This was all in response to the Kansas supreme court striking down attempts by the Kansas AG to do this last year.

Kansas lawmakers bypassed the committee process by doing a whole bill amendment and pushing this in two days. They then overrode the governors veto. They used emergency designation to make it go into effect immediately. There's no grace period. The amount of targeted animus here is staggering.

I can't even begin to describe just how fucked up this law is. People cannot drive to work, to school, or even the DMV to fix this without the threat of being arrested for driving on a suspended license. It literally removes the ability for trans Kansans to participate in society.

Because of the National driver register, since their licenses are suspended, trans folks cannot move to another state and get a new license until they remove the suspension on their existing Kansas license. They can't even escape this by moving to another state.

1. Major news on trans youth care. The American Psychological Association has reaffirmed its full support for its 2024 guidelines supporting trans youth car.e It provided documentation showing Jesse Singal mischaracterized their position in the NYT. Subscribe to support our journalism.

BREAKING NEWS: Unethical, CDC Infant Hep B Vaccination Study Cancelled! The study was cancelled after Stand Up for Science held a closed door briefing with Congress last week, with an investigator on the ground in Guinea Bissau. (1/2🧵) www.cidrap.umn.edu/hepatitis/gu...

1. The New York Times, unsurprisingly, has released yet another hit piece on transgender people. This time, it comes from Jesse Singal. I fact check it in my latest piece. End your NYT subscription, and put it towards people doing good work on the issue. Subscribe to support our journalism.

If you weren’t yet onboard with our boycott of NYT Opinion over the NYT’s coverage of Gaza, we invite you to join us at any time over its coverage of trans people

The latest review from JAMA Pediatrics has uncovered that 26% of trans youth have attempted suicide. That's actual attempts, ideation was even higher. The trend was most pronounced in North America, where anti-trans laws have been common. The latest from our writer S. Baum.

If you are a student whose NSF GRFP application was returned without review for vague 'eligibility' reasons: 1) Let your department chair & Graduate School know. Encourage them to contact NSF & congress 2) Write to your congressional reps. 3) Write to [email protected] to request re-consideration;

@hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social: this is your line in the sand? Something that is already illegal? I mean is this a joke?

There is a cost to science denial.

The biggest risk in this moment is something sociologists call “symbolic compliance.” That’s when an institution that is violating civil rights gives the public just enough symbolic victories that accountability efforts lose steam before there has been any meaningful change.

We lost a giant in public health today. Dr. William H. Foege helped eradicate #smallpox - the only human disease ever eliminated—through science, surveillance, and vaccines. His legacy is the antidote to today’s antiscience, anti-vaccine rhetoric. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...

Alex Pretti, who is identified as the man fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis on Saturday, was an intensive care nurse dedicated to treating veterans. Read more about him here: https://wapo.st/3M62eyV

We are excited to share our upcoming line-up of Brown Bag talks for the 2026 Spring semester! Our Brown Bag talks are held every Wednesday at noon (PT) at the UC Berkeley Demography Department's Seminar Room (310 Social Sciences Building), and via Zoom. Join us starting next week!

Reports said the trial was halted. HHS says it will proceed. The revised protocol remains unethical. Scrutiny must continue until participants are no longer placed in harm’s way. I read the revised protocol and wrote a follow-up. bktitanji.substack.com/p/lipstick-o...

One of the most valuable lessons my father taught me was to use my voice to speak up whenever I see wrong doing. Thanks to every researcher who spoke up against this unethical study and for every reporter who amplified. Advocacy matters. @melodyschreiber.com www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

I really want ppl w/o Minneapolis connections to understand You might've heard that Mpls public schools went hybrid bc so many families are in hiding. Well, a coworker just told me that today, during his kid's hybrid class, a kid's apt building was raided onscreen *Everyone has stories like this*

No it's not OK to do scientifically unnecessary vaccine trials in Africa. Never forget Tuskegee. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

This is a wildly unethical study that would be illegal to conduct in the United States. Have you heard of the Tuskegee experiments (crimes against humanity)? This sounds like that.

Outrageous. Unethical. Mean spirited. Protect our children in need. Provide them gold standard care. And do more research to improve upon current care - don't just ban care entirely.

Cruel. www.npr.org/sections/sho...

I can't believe this still needs to be said (and more loudly): Trans rights are human rights.

Very sad to see the American Academy of Pediatrics lose vital funding support from HHS. This feels retaliatory in response to their stance defending Science and vaccines to protect children. When your kid is sick remember pediatricians treat them not RFK. Jr www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

The MIDAS Trainee Network Executive Committee is currently recruiting new members for 2026! Applications are due by 9am ET on January 1, 2026. Apply at forms.gle/16ZuG5oTBFwp....

The MIDAS Trainee Executive Committee is recruiting new members for 2026! 🤓 This is a great opportunity for grad students & postdocs in infectious disease modeling to gain experience organizing events & connect with peers. Applications are due by 9am ET on 1/1/2026, link in flyer & alt text.

Admiral Rachel Levine was the first transgender person to be confirmed by the Senate to serve in the federal government. Her official portrait at HHS headquarters has been altered. n.pr/48HypvT