Most adults with needle phobia trace it back to a single bad experience as a child. That’s the problem we built the paed path service at Victorian Children’s Clinic in Malvern to solve with Australian Clinical Labs. Now we’re trialling Smileyscope. Come check us out. We’ll look after you ❤️

As Senior Editor (Paediatrics) for the ARJ, we welcome Prof Jane Munro @drjanemunro.bsky.social Paediatric rheumatology is vital, and ARJ will ensure voices and insights from caring for children are well represented across Australia and beyond. ARJ launces in May at the ASM - stay tuned!

Best start to the day. Melbourne, I love you. #Mastersrowing #MUBC

End of an era with the retirement of Dr Margot Nash from The Royal Children’s Hospital - a lifetime of caring for patients & their families, & mentoring, caring & advocating for doctors in training and for improving the system. Wishing her all the fabulous things for retirement.

The Creature has been fixed!

Congrats to Deb Tunbridge on being named the 2025 Child & Adolescent Health Service Nurse of the Year in Western Australia. Well deserved recognition for Deb’s dedication & commitment to her patients in the paediatric rheumatology service over 30 years including those with Juvenile Arthritis.

Delighted to share this work on Juvenile Arthritis drug treatment cycles and rates of flares published today in Rheumatology from our team and led by Dr Georgie Tiller, Dr Jonathan Akikusa and wonderful medical student and now intern Dr Emily Bugeja. academic.oup.com/rheumatology...

When I say “something came up” this is what I mean

Happy Easter from me and the Creature 🐰🐣❤️

Officially autumnal in Melbourne 🍁🍂❤️

NEW 🧵 A quick thread of charts showing how Trump’s economic agenda is going so far: 1) US consumers are reacting very very negatively. These are the worst ratings for any US government’s economic policy since records began.

Can someone explain to me how this is making America healthy? Because to me, it seems like this isn't about health at all—it's dismantling the very systems that protect us when it matters most.

Who was fired? HIV office? Gone. Environmental health (like heat risk to children with asthma)? Gone. Gun violence office? Gone. Injury prevention? Gone. Communications? Gone. Worker safety? Gone. Division of reproductive health? Gone. Disability health? Gone. TB prevention? Gone.

But beyond jobs, historical knowledge, and projects stopped in their tracks, this will impact Americans' health. Viruses don't pause when government stops working. Bacteria doesn't pause. Worker safety doesn't pause. Chronic diseases don't pause.

Today, thousands of health workers at the CDC and FDA lost their jobs, effective immediately. People are literally finding out if they were fired at security when they try to badge in. It's cruel and unnecessary, which is the point.

“A Texas children's hospital is now treating children for vitamin A toxicity after RFK Jr. touted the vitamin as a measles treatment.” www.huffpost.com/entry/rfk-jr...

President Trump did not rule out seeking a third term in office on Sunday, telling NBC News that he was “not joking” about the possibility and suggesting there were “methods” to circumvent the two-term limit laid out in the Constitution.

Mrs Frazzled on US national security is possibly the best thing online, ever. www.instagram.com/reel/DHmnQOj...

❤️ www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...

Nothing will kill more children than the ongoing decimation of CDC, NIH, and USAID work to lift vaccine uptake in the US and world. Child survival rose 75% in the last 50 years. Vaccines account for 40% of that. Measles vax alone was 60% of the benefit. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Delighted to host the International Women’s Day Grand Round today at the Royal Children’s Hospital with these incredibly impressive and inspiring women who filled the hour with deeply interesting discussions - thank you Selena White, Claudia Barriga & Dr Linny Phuong & my co-host Prof Margie Danchin

Another shameful decision in the US with wide reaching impact.

Ukraine is Europe! We stand by Ukraine. We will step up our support to Ukraine so that they can continue to fight back the agressor. Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.

I can't stand bullies. President Zelensky is now trying to stand up against two of them. We should have his back. #SlavaUkraïni

12. A project in the Democratic Republic of Congo that operates the only source of water for 250,000 displaced people in camps located in the center of current conflict.

11. Screening program with the Mexican government to identify illicit drugs like fentanyl being smuggled at the US border.

9. Services from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation - just one organization - reaching 350,000 people on HIV treatment, including nearly 10,000 children and more than 10,000 HIV-positive pregnant women – terminated.

8. USAID’s contract for supplying essential medicines for maternal and child health in countries worldwide – terminated.

7. Over 1,000 food kitchens in Sudan, a country with almost 25 million people experiencing acute food insecurity – terminated. www.npr.org/2025/02/27/g...

6. All U.S.-backed development programming in Afghanistan, including maternal and child health services and girls education – terminated. (Estimated to cause >1,200 maternal deaths by 2028.) betterworldcampaign.org/funding/what...

5. All deployable U.S. teams for earthquake assistance – terminated.

4. USAID’s contract supporting deadly outbreak prevention, detection, and response, including Ebola and Bird Flu, in 50 countries – terminated.

3. All supplies of US-manufactured emergency food packets for starving children on the brink of death – terminated. newrepublic.com/article/1919...

2. All tuberculosis programs, including the Global TB Drug Facility – terminated.

1. All malaria supplies protecting 53 million people, mostly children, including bed nets, diagnostics, preventive drugs, and treatments – terminated.

Rubio terminated 5800 USAID contracts – more than 90% of its foreign aid programs – in defiance of the courts. Here’s a list of just some of the lifesaving awards that were terminated. Nearly all were Congressionally mandated. They’ve saved millions of lives. 🧵

Cracking article by Madeleine Hanger. womensagenda.com.au/latest/id-ra... @madshanger.bsky.social

Beautiful article ❤️

The FAA has agreed to use SpaceX's Starlink internet system to upgrade the IT networks it uses to manage US airspace, raising new concerns about conflicts of interest for CEO Elon Musk in one of his other roles, that of recommending funding cuts at federal agencies, including the FAA. cnn.it/436qirE

Complete batshit lunacy on the president's Truth Social account. Yes, he really posted this.

Come join our fantastic research team at MCRI and RCH in Melbourne where we’re studying childhood rheumatic diseases and especially Juvenile Arthritis. www.seek.com.au/job/81862803...

Let this light a fire. Another excellent article by Prof Leanne Rowe on doctor’s health and workplace abuse of doctor’s in training - shining the light on Board Director’s responsibilities and risks here clearly too. @mja.com.au insightplus.mja.com.au/2025/5/workp...

This is the face of courage and compassion. Thank you Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde for speaking truth to power on behalf of the marginalized.

Resignation of the Journal of Human Evolution Editorial Board: We are saddened to announce the resignations of The Joint Editors-in-Chief, all Emeritus Editors retired or active in the field, and all but one Associate Editor. Press release below.

Birthday axe throwing with the family tonight. Super fun 🪓❤️🪓❤️

Chronic Pain in Kids = Huge Problem Largest systematic review by @drcchambers.bsky.social et al (119 studies; >1 mio kids 0 to 19 years from all countries): - 1 in 5 kids experience chronic pain - for most types higher pain prevalence among girls than among boys pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38743558

Morning Blueskyers it’s here! Aussie Xmas at the hospital 🎄 Hope your weeks are fab. @inquisitivegyn.bsky.social @drericlevi.bsky.social @nishaobgyn.bsky.social @toddcameron.bsky.social

What a special treasure of a book: First Knowledges Health: Spirit, Country and Culture by A/Prof Shawana Andrews, Prof Sandra Eades and Prof Fiona Stanley ❤️