Did you know? The US health system already has far higher administrative costs relative to single-payer. AI could raise those costs Also a good example of how technology such as AI will not inherently improve health or other outcomes — how health changes depends on how people use the technology

Kathleen Bachynski@bachynski.bsky.social · 5d ago

“My nightmare is that we have bots on Emory Healthcare’s side, bots on Cigna’s side that keep talking to each other,” said Dr. Joon S. Lee, the chief executive of Emory Healthcare. “A whole data center could be occupied just doing that.”

The Trump administration’s proposed Census changes would ban race and ethnicity questions, eliminating a key source of data that researchers use to understand racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care, including trends over time. https://on.kff.org/3T8Q5Nn

A survey by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases found that while most adults support vaccines, many are unclear about which shots they need www.nfid.org/new-survey-m...

New Survey: Most US Adults Support Vaccines, but Many Remain Unclear About Respiratory Vaccine Recommendations

New NFID survey: most US adults support vaccines, but fewer than half tried to get a flu, COVID-19, RSV, or pneumococcal vaccine last year. Learn why.

nfid.org

Happy fall! 🍁 Grateful for the policies, people, and science that brought me easy access to Covid + flu vaccines 💪

Right now, it is 4 measles deaths in PA & delayed COVID-19 vaccines for the 50% of kids who depend on Vaccines for Children Soon, the executive order could bring rollbacks across the board in access to key vaccines such as flu, a leading cause of child death Every comment helps — due by tomorrow ⬇️

“Fiji, a Pacific island nation of fewer than one million people, recorded more than 2,000 new H.I.V. cases in 2025 — 16 times as many as in 2019, the government said in an official statement on Tuesday. One in 60 adults on the archipelago is living with the virus that causes AIDS”

Fiji Declares a National Emergency as H.I.V. Cases Skyrocket

Surging drug use has contributed to an epidemic in the Pacific island nation, where one in 60 adults is estimated to be living with the virus.

nytimes.com

How do fewer recommended vaccinations in Denmark affect health? Children in Denmark unfortunately have a high rate of chickenpox In the US, the varicella vaccine has led to ~4 million fewer chickenpox cases, 10-12K fewer hospitalizations, & 100-120 fewer deaths each year

Evaluating the Impact of Moderate and Severe Varicella Infections on Danish Children Under 18 Years Old: A Comprehensive Analysis From 2015 to 2023

Varicella (chickenpox) caused by varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a highly contagious pediatric disease. While it typically manifests as a mild disease, complications leading to hospitalization are not...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Science is a public good that should benefit our shared society — private markets are not sufficient to support science with the greatest potential Grateful for this critical commentary by Professor @alondra.bsky.social

Alondra Nelson@alondra.bsky.social · 3w ago

Researchers across the country are turning to side hustles to fund their work. Behind the cuts sits a bigger shift: whether American science can still sustain durable research capacity. @lindseydcameron.bsky.social and I examine the stakes in a new piece @science.org: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

NEW: Our analysis found that from 2020 to 2025, the rate of deaths involving ectopic pregnancies nearly doubled compared with the previous six-year period. The uptick was steeper in states with abortion bans.

Ectopic Pregnancy Deaths Have Nearly Doubled. It’s Worse in States With Abortion Bans.

With prompt and appropriate medical care, experts say, people shouldn’t die from an ectopic pregnancy. Women in Texas and Oklahoma have sued over delays in care, which, coupled with our new analysis, ...

propublica.org

In a new pre-print, researchers identified a policy they estimate could save 114K lives + $1 Trillion per year: Medicare for All 📉 Saves administrative costs (+ time) 🩺 Improves access to care 💊 Reduces cost of meds 🌾 + Keeps rural & children’s hospitals open www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...

I was privileged to work on making graduate school more equitable — and the data and discussions made clear we had a long, long way to go This sets back further improvements that are much needed

Victor Ray@victorerikray.bsky.social · 3w ago

For MSNOW, I wrote about the Trump administration threatening to strip colleges of their tax-exempt status as part of its larger segregationist agenda.

Just in time for the 2026-2027 vaccines, a new review shows that COVID19 vaccination significantly reduces the risk of severe illness and hospitalization across all age groups, including kids. Pregnant women were also protected, as were their babies. Don’t forget to schedule your vaccination!

COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness and Safety for the 2026-2027 Respiratory Season

This Special Communication aims to identify and summarize the most recently published evidence evaluating the effectiveness and safety of US-licensed COVID-19 vaccines and report on the epidemiology o...

jamanetwork.com

from one of the CDC flu vaccine campaigns RFK Jr. has shut down

New evidence heading into respiratory virus season: an independent review of hundreds of studies found current flu, COVID-19 and RSV immunizations are safe, effective and critical in protecting against severe illness, hospitalization and death. Learn more: spr.ly/63324B17m9g

Are Small Language Models a way to benefit from AI with more control over content & lower costs to energy & the environment? It seems there are many use cases, such as report writing based on an org’s own prior content to retain voice & avoid plagiarism Thanks to Joachim Klement for writing

The future of AI may be small, cheap and unprofitable

The AI boom is built on the idea that bigger is better. A recent study suggests the opposite may soon be true: small language models running on desktop computers may be able to handle most of the ​tas...

reuters.com

“I think this is really an important achievement,” said Jedd Wolchok…”It tells us what might have been considered science fiction 15 or 20 years ago —that we can produce a personalized vaccine based on sequencing from a tumor from a pathology specimen —could be used to delay progression of melanoma”

Moderna and Merck say mRNA cancer vaccine succeeded in late-stage melanoma trial

A personalized mRNA cancer vaccine succeeded in a late-stage melanoma study, results that could herald a new, powerful approach in oncology.

statnews.com

Well said by Mayor Sadiq Khan on tragic death of #JasonArday: Arday faced "an unacceptable public hounding and campaign of abuse…He was a victim of a pernicious public shaming that other people in his position simply wouldn't have faced" www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Tributes paid to Jason Arday after ex-Cambridge professor found dead

His family said they were "in shock" to have lost him, adding a "campaign of misinformation" had been too much.

bbc.co.uk

Heartbroken for Jason Arday, his family and community, and all inspired by him May his passing bring a clarion call to stand together against racism in all its forms, including excessive targeting of individuals

Oni Blackstock, MD MHS@oniblackstock.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Devastating news. www.nbcnews.com/world/united...

Who benefits from combined MMR+V (chickenpox) vaccines? “Children who received MMRV were from minoritized racial & ethnic groups; received a catch-up dose; were VFC-eligible; were vaccinated at safety-net clinics… & Might be at risk of not receiving recommended vaccines if options become limited”

Measles-Containing Vaccine Use for Children Aged 12 to 47 Months

This cross-sectional study examines patterns of measles-containing vaccine selection for children aged 12 to 47 months in King County, Washington.

jamanetwork.com

There have been 2,465 measles cases in 2026, a 29x increase over 85 cases in the year 2000 As the CDC website indicates, “Measles can cause severe health problems, including Swelling of the Brain, Pneumonia, & Death,” which can occur imminently or in years to come www.cdc.gov/measles/data...

Haitian TPS holders are business owners, caregivers, faith leaders & more who are essential to our communities & economy. TY @mayorwu.boston.gov, @ruthzee.bsky.social, & every local leader joining us in urging Congress to extend TPS for Haiti. The House did its job, and now the Senate must act.

The Boston Globe@bostonglobe.com · 2mo ago

Mayor Michelle Wu has joined more than 100 mayors and local government leaders nationwide in signing a letter calling for Congress to extend protected status for Haitians until early 2029 after the Trump administration terminated it.

The health, social, & economic disruptions of the pandemic were challenging for each of us & our shared society Grateful to all who did their best to help us through this historic period May we one day have more constructive reflection on what we may learn to strengthen our collective way forward

'I still have nightmares every night' — health workers struggle with PTSD symptoms as coronavirus takes toll

Health care workers are fighting a new battle regarding their mental health and well-being due to Covid-19, as deaths have recently topped 120,000 people.

cnbc.com

Mitch McConnell and other members of Congress deserve paid sick leave So does everyone working in every other job

Don Moynihan@donmoyn.bsky.social · 3mo ago

The point is that members of Congress have de facto unlimited paid sick leave, even when members of the public are asking why they aren't turning up for work. Its a benefit that he, and other Republicans like Tom Kean, oppose for the rest of us.

Grateful to Nicholas Enrich for speaking to how USAID reflects the best of us and the immense loss from its destruction May we rebuild better Looking forward to learning more from his book, Into the Wood Chipper @nenrich.bsky.social & Nancy Lindborg at Clio’s in Oakland

“Millionaires including former footballer Gary Lineker and music producer Brian Eno have written to new prime minister Andy Burnham asking to be taxed more.”

UK millionaires ask Andy Burnham to tax them more

A group including former England footballer Gary Kineker write to the new PM telling him "we can afford it".

bbc.co.uk

The Trump administration’s cuts to the largest global HIV program last year resulted in sharp drops in both prevention efforts and treatment for the people most at risk from the disease. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/h...

1,700 H.I.V. Treatment Sites Closed After Trump Aid Cuts, a Study Finds (Gift Article)

New research also shows that children and high-risk adult populations have been particularly affected.

nytimes.com

From Minnesota, to Maine, to the Middle East, young kids and their families deserve to be safe and supported May we shape a world in which it is so 💔❤️

The cyclosporiasis outbreak illustrates the importance of public health expertise, data, & systems for maintaining a good standard of living Investments in public health people & infrastructure reduce the risk of substantial costs to health, well-being, & the economy

US outbreak of parasite causing ‘watery diarrhea’ rises to more than 2,800 cases

Cyclosporiasis outbreak comes a year after Trump officials cut funding for state and local health departments

theguardian.com

Clothing and uniforms can be an effort to appear normal & socially acceptable Among people with extreme and violent views that should remain anything but

Happy 250th, USA! May we reach for the best of ourselves as we shape the next 250 I draw inspiration from this 1941 Jacob Lawrence painting celebrating new opportunities for Black children through the Great Migration Lawrence describes how policies shaped a standard of living conducive to learning