Brianna Abbott
@briannaabbott.bsky.social
Health reporter based in Boston. Words in The Boston Globe, NYT, The Transmitter and more. Previously at the Wall Street Journal. Reach out at briabbott17@gmail.com
A lot of people who know me know that I am totally fascinated (and a little terrified) by ticks. Today, I got to geek out on how traveling ticks are bringing diseases to new places for @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2026/07/10/w...
Ticks Are on the Move. Here Are the Risks in Your Region.
Changing deer populations, rising temperatures and other factors are driving ticks and their diseases into new areas.
nytimes.com
Thrilled to share my first story for @bostonglobe.com, all about how New England hospitals are working to meet the needs of a growing number of cancer survivors. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/30/b...?
After treatment ends, many cancer survivors are still living with the lingering consequences - The Boston Globe
Hospitals across New England are working to help cancer patients navigate emotional scars and medical debt.
bostonglobe.com
Data from families in Africa have helped uncover emerging, novel links between more than 30 genes and neurodevelopmental conditions, according to new findings from the NeuroDev study. By @briannaabbott.bsky.social www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/neu...
NeuroDev study maps previously unseen genetic variation in Africa
The project is helping to fill critical gaps in the genetic underpinnings of autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions.
thetransmitter.org
Thank you @briannaabbott.bsky.social for this wonderful piece, and highlighting what the MIT MAESTRO study means to our participants! I love that my quote was about HOPE. I KNOW that this is a solvable problem. We need to work together to fix it! www.wsj.com/health/chron...
Chronic Lyme Disease Was Once Dismissed. More Doctors Are Coming Around.
Newer trials are starting to track Lyme patients and investigate potential treatments
wsj.com
Harvard is fighting back against the Trump administration—and federal funding cuts for research have begun @nidhisubs.bsky.social and @briannaabbott.bsky.social report for #WSJScience www.wsj.com/us-news/educ... via @wsj.com
Early Targets of Harvard Funding Cuts: Tuberculosis, ALS Research
The university is learning which projects will be hit as the emails arrive.
wsj.com
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says ending the Texas measles outbreak is a "top priority" for him and that his HHS has supported the state's vaccination campaign. Kennedy is the author of a 2021 book that says “measles isn’t as dangerous as we are being told." www.wsj.com/health/healt...
RFK Jr. Says Ending Measles Outbreak Is Priority
At least 155 people in West Texas and New Mexico have contracted the disease, and one child has died.
wsj.com
"Scientific journal articles that have been submitted or accepted but not published shouldn’t be published “if they do not align with” the executive order, CDC employees were told in an email." via a story from colleagues Friday www.wsj.com/health/healt...
Vaccine Information, Transgender References Disappear From Federal Websites
Officials removed pages containing references to gender identity and diversity.
wsj.com
New Year, new social media account. For my first post, I wanted to share a story I spent months reporting: a dive into the work to unravel why more young people are getting cancer. With a lot still to learn, here's what we know so far. www.wsj.com/health/healt...
The Mystery of What’s Causing Young People’s Cancer Leads to the Gut
Doctors are investigating bacteria and contaminants such as microplastics connected to cancer.
wsj.com