I've been watching series two of @taskmaster.tv. Such a good cast! Sad they didn't get a 10-episode run. Would love to see them finish the series with another five episodes.
Sarah Boden
@sarahboden.bsky.social
Investigative health reporter for @cidrap.bsky.social Other bylines: NPR, Spotlight PA, KFF Health News, Science News, Slate, Medscape, BBC Health. Formerly: WESA News, Iowa Public Radio, MPR Tips? sboden@umn.edu
This is the lord's work.
Tyler McBrien@tylermcbrien.com · 3mo ago🚨 NEW TOOL for U.S. legal journalists ⚖️ I turned @allyjar.bsky.social's incredible crowdsourced Google doc on accessing state court records into an interactive map. Check it out and let me know about any errors, missing information, or ways I can improve this thing (link below)
A detail I didn’t know: “The Herald entered the Epstein series for a Pulitzer Prize that year, but it was not a finalist. Alan Dershowitz … who helped broker Epstein’s original deal, wrote a letter to the Pulitzer committee that year, urging them not to honor Brown’s work.” share.inquirer.com/THMiUZ
Julie K. Brown receives Pulitzer Prize special citation for her work on Jeffrey Epstein case
Brown's 2017 and 2018 reporting was cited at the awards ceremony. “Her work, and the government’s release of the Epstein files, continue to reverberate around the world.”
share.inquirer.com
Three surprising benefits of HPV vaccines we didn’t anticipate when they were approved: 1. They protect against FIVE types of cancer 2. They are creating herd immunity 3. They last a long time. “We have people who are 20, 30, 40 years old who are seeing protection from the HPV vaccine.”
Liz Szabo@lizszabo.bsky.social · 3mo agoDon't believe the horror stories you read on social media. A comprehensive new report from @cidrap.bsky.social's Vaccine Integrity Project, which includes 274 studies, finds HPV vaccines are very safe and incredibly effective, reducing cervical cancer 80%. www.cidrap.umn.edu/human-papill...
According to the CDC, a multistate E coli outbreak involving raw milk and cheddar cheese is over. At least 9 people were sickened after eating cheese or drinking milk from Raw Farms. Read more: ow.ly/3VfW50YTBCp 📷: CDC
I just came across a paper written by a public health researcher ... and her first name is "EVIDENCE." I think that's the perfect name for a researcher. It's like a journalist being named "Truth" or a doctor named "Health."
I have a theory that as we see more companies/organizations turn tasks over to AI, we're going to see things start going sideways. Today I had an experience that suggests (to me at least) we already starting to see it. 1/
You all know Casey Means. But who is Nicole Saphier, the latest nominee for US Surgeon Genera? Read our story to find out. Means out, Saphier In: Trump caves to pressure on surgeon general nomination www.cidrap.umn.edu/public-healt...
Means out, Saphier In: Trump caves to pressure on surgeon general nomination
cidrap.umn.edu
Looking forward to tonight's event at White Whale with @mirandayaver.bsky.social We're talking about her new book, "Coverage Denied: How Health Insurers Drive Inequality in the United States." www.eventbrite.com/e/book-launc...
BOOK LAUNCH! Miranda Yaver, "Coverage Denied" (w/Sarah Boden)
We are honored to host local author Miranda Yaver in store to celebrate the publucation of Coverage Denied!
eventbrite.com
Insecticide resistance in South American mosquitoes signals trouble for malaria control. 🦟 New research warns of growing insecticide resistance among mosquitoes, the primary vector of malaria in South America. Read more: ow.ly/K3BK50YFgWN 📷: AirmanMagazine / Flickr.
... What if we rebranded pasteurization as a classic French culinary tradition from the Second Empire?
A woman approached me in a CVS parking lot in Charlottesville a few years ago and asked if I could help her pay for her prescription. I didn’t know her, but I know our health system. I gave her the cash and she went right back inside to get it. We need to do better.
Lisa Jarvis@lisamjarvis.bsky.social · 5mo agoOn a recent visit to CVS, I witnessed a depressingly common scene: a man leaving w/out a prescription bc the cost was out of reach. My latest @opinion.bloomberg.com is about the trade offs people are making to afford health care, whether that's meds, ER visits, or insurance coverage itself. 🎁
The launch of my book Coverage Denied (out 4/23) will be at the White Whale Bookstore on 4/28. If you're in Pittsburgh, register to attend here: www.eventbrite.com/e/book-launc... And if you're not local, you can register for the livestream! us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi... Hope you can make it!
Disappointing news for the 8% of people with #longcovid. Although studies have found that a diabetes drug called metformin reduces the risk of #longCOVID, new research finds that it does not reduce symptoms of the condition. www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/met...
Metformin not effective in treating long-COVID symptoms, study finds
Although a number of studies have found that a diabetes drug called metformin reduces the risk of long COVID, new research finds that it does not reduce symptoms of the condition.
cidrap.umn.edu
As a PGH-based heath reporter, I was excited that last night's #ThePitt on @hbomax.bsky.social shouted out NorthSide Christian Health Center. Like other community health centers, this clinic delivers care on a sliding-fee scale regardless of a one's ability to pay www.npr.org/sections/hea...
Federal shutdown could disrupt patient care at safety-net clinics across U.S.
A network of almost 1,400 federally-funded health clinics form an essential safety net for patients who have nowhere else to go. But even a temporary government shutdown could force cutbacks in care.
npr.org
A Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court judge raised questions about the use of AI when confronted with an error-filled brief. https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/01/pennsylvania-commonwealth-court-ai-hallucinations-allegations-justice-system/
The registry is used for background checks across the commonwealth, and in theory keeps those who could harm children away from schools, workplaces, and other sensitive settings. But the state places people on the list without legal proceedings. www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/10...
PA child abuse registry draws criticism from parents, advocates
People can be added to Pennsylvania's child abuse registry without a process of legal defense. A lawsuit and new bill aim for a more nuanced approach.
spotlightpa.org
This hybrid songbird is a harbinger of environmental change. Blue jays and greens were once separated by 7 million years of evolution and thousands of kilometers. Now at least one pair made a baby. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/grue-jay-rare-bird-environment-change
The rare 'grue jay' may be a harbinger of environmental change
Despite millions of years of evolutionary separation and a geographical divide, a blue jay and green jay mated in Texas. This bird is the result.
sciencenews.org
The former rabbi of Washington, D.C.'s largest synagogue denounces starvation in Gaza, joining more than 1,000 rabbis and Jewish leaders from across the world petitioning Israel.
More than 1,000 rabbis and Jewish leaders denounce starvation in Gaza
The former rabbi of Washington, D.C.'s largest synagogue denounces starvation in Gaza, joining more than 1,000 rabbis and Jewish leaders from across the world petitioning Israel.
n.pr
A major medical group now recommends pain-blocking treatments for IUD insertion and other procedures amid a growing recognition that women's pain should be treated.
Doctors urged to treat pain for IUD insertion and other procedures
A major medical group now recommends pain-blocking treatments for IUD insertion and other procedures amid a growing recognition that women's pain should be treated.
npr.org
Tomorrow, PA holds primaries! Races that might not be on your radar include open seats on Superior & Commonwealth Courts. What do these court even do? For @spotlightpa.org, I have this look at key caregiving-related cases that have come before these courts. www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/05...
What's at stake for caregivers in Pennsylvania's primary election
Explore how Pennsylvania's Commonwealth and Superior Courts influence education funding, parental rights, and more.
spotlightpa.org
The #HandmaidsTale casting @bradleywhitford.bsky.social of #WestWing fame as a Gilead official was brilliant casting. Adding #Veep alum #JonahRyan is diabolical. Who's next? Maybe someone from #Scandal.
I low-key enjoy how this piece opens with reasons I hate daylight savings (it's unnatural and unhealthy) www.npr.org/2025/03/09/n...
Daylight saving time has started. Here's how to adjust
The time change can be hard on our health. There are more car accidents, strokes and heart attacks this week. People eat more junk food and have more migraines. Here's why — plus tips to help you adap...
npr.org
The current strain of bird flu is spreading from wildlife and livestock to house cats. To keep pets healthy, many virologists and veterinarians say, house cats shouldn’t eat raw food and should be kept indoors. @sarahboden.bsky.social reports on what you need to know: bit.ly/3XpmFsX
Axios Pittsburgh: 'How NIH cuts could stall Pittsburgh's economy' 'The Pittsburgh area's economy could lose out on billions of dollars if federal health research cuts proposed by the Trump administration go through, officials say' www.axios.com/local/pittsb...
NIH cuts could cost Pittsburgh billions
Pittsburgh's economy runs on health care and research — but proposed NIH cuts could take billions out of the region.
axios.com
Hi Pennsylvania Parents, I'm writing a story about medical debt due to pregnancy/childbirth. If you live in the commonwealth and brought home a surprisingly high medical bill with your new baby, I'd love to hear your story! sboden@spotlightpa.org
“Kansas Department of Health and Environment announced 67 active outbreak cases and 79 latent infections in Kansas City, Kansas, as of Friday since 2024. The majority of cases were declared to have broken out in Wyandotte County and Johnson County” www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
‘Unprecedented’ TB outbreak recorded in Kansas with nearly 70 cases recorded
‘Currently, Kansas has the largest outbreak that they’ve ever had in history’ said a Kansas Department of Health and Environment official
independent.co.uk
So thankful for reporters like @sarahboden.bsky.social. Thank you for shining a light on the issues people are so often unaware of. www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/01...
