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Donnisa (she/her)

@donnisa.bsky.social

2026 AAAS Mass Media Fellow Neuro Ph.D Candidate @Northwestern NSF GRFP Fellow donnisaedmonds.com

13 Posts970 Follower 167 Folgt

Donnisa (she/her)@donnisa.bsky.social · 2d ago

Researchers at Milwaukee's Medical College of Wisconsin are leading a new multi-center clinical trial for a novel rehabilitation treatment for traumatic brain injuries. The trial will recruit over 400 veterans and first responders. www.jsonline.com/story/news/h...

Medical College researchers leading trial on traumatic brain injury care

TBIs have impacted more than 500,000 vets since 2000. Often, they are told nothing can be done, or are given treatment plans that are too complicated.

jsonline.com

The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · last wk.

"The quiet normalization of COVID-19 in our society has come at the great expense of school-age children and adolescents." thesicktimes.org/2026/07/24/t...

ID: Collage graphic with two dark silhouettes, one of a young man and one of a young woman, against a background photo of a school hallway, with linoleum walls and red lockers on either side of the image. The text reads, “The Sick Times. The (sick) kids aren’t alright: Observations from a teacher with Long COVID. We must help students by addressing Long COVID and advocating for clean air in schools. By Flynn Lovelace.”

If we want kids to have the opportunity to learn, to grow, to be, then we must do what we can to keep them alive and well. To quote Madeline Lane-McKinley from her book Solidarity with Children, “We cannot allow ourselves or each other to surrender the future.”

- Flynn Lovelace, The (sick) kids aren’t alright: Observations from a teacher with Long COVID

Donnisa (she/her)@donnisa.bsky.social · last wk.

I've been up to some shenanigans at my #scicomm journalism internship, check the images for a taste of what I've been up to and read the full story at the link! www.jsonline.com/story/news/h...

White slide with text reading: "I'm the 2026 science intern at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. I'm also a neuroscience Ph.D. candidate! So for some newsroom fun this summer I conducted a little survey...". Accompanied by a picture of Donnisa, a black women with locs in a grey Atlanta sweatshirt, and a screenshot of her Science Advances research paper.

White slide with black and pink text reading: "I asked reporters in the newsroom about 7 different beliefs about the brain. My two main questions were: have you heard this belief before and how true or false do you this it is? 53 reporters responded & here's some of what they said:". Accompanied by two screenshots of the google form survey with questions like 'Have you heard this before?' and 'How true or false do you think this is?' under statements like: 'We only use 10% of our brain.' and 'People in comas can still hear and understand what's happening around them.'

White slide with 3 blue graphs showing survey results.

First graph is for the question, 'How true is it that puzzles and brain games can help prevent cognitive aging?' and shows that most of the responses were for true and kind of true. Text to the side reads: 'More than 80% of the newsroom thought it's true or kind of true that puzzles and brain games help prevent cognitive aging.'

Second graph is for the question, 'How true is it that the frontal lobe finishes developing at age 25? Responses for true and kind of true were even around 30% and then declines sharply across not sure, kind of false, and false. Text next to it reads: 'Most of the newsroom also thought that frontal lobe definitely or kinda finishes developing at 25.'

Third graph is for the question: 'How true is it that we only use 10% of our brain?' Next to no responses for true. Responses around 25% for kind of true, kind of false, and false, and a slight dip to around 16% for not sure. Text next to it reads: 'The newsroom was split on whether or not it's true that we only use 10% of our brains.'

Big pink text at the bottom reads: 'Does the science agree?'

All text slide, pink text questions and black text answers, with blue text announcement at the bottom.

Text Reads: 'Do puzzles and brain games help prevent cognitive aging/decline? Yes! Yes! Doing moderate amounts of cognitively demanding tasks is good for the brain as we age. This can be puzzles, games, socializing regularly, and more.

Does the brain finish developing at 25? No! Studies show that the brain continues aspects of development through the early 30s. Read the full story for more deets.

Are we only using 10% of our brain? The movies lied about this one! I fear we’re all using 100% of our brains.

For more on the truth behind these brain beliefs and 7!!! others, read the full story at the link!'

Josh Cowen @joshcowenmi.bsky.social · 3w ago

This will set back American math and science advancement for decades. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

NSF plans cuts to core science programmes to fund White House initiative

A proposed clawback of already distributed research funds comes as the US agency struggles with a squeezed budget and a backlog of grant applications.

nature.com

Donnisa (she/her)@donnisa.bsky.social · 3w ago

2 weeks ago, I had the immense immense pleasure of talking with two death doulas and a palliative care doctor about the incredible work that death doulas do to support individuals and families at the end-of-life. www.jsonline.com/story/news/h...

Death, dying and the doulas helping Milwaukee families deal with it

Death doulas help people reflect on their lives, accompany them to appointments, and educate them on planning options. They also host death cafés.

jsonline.com

Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 3w ago

UPDATE from Michigan on diarrhea outbreak: - Early information shows lettuce as a common product that regularly comes up during investigation - BUT no specific type of produce, grower or supplier has been identified as the source - other food items cannot be completely ruled out yet

Donnisa (she/her)@donnisa.bsky.social · 4w ago

With another #heatwave about to hit most of the U.S., check out my story from earlier this week about how anti-depressants and other psychiatric medications can make you more vulnerable to dehydration and heat exhaustion! www.jsonline.com/story/news/h...

Why is heat a medical risk to some people? What can they do about it?

Watch out for symptom of heat exhaustion, check with healthcare providers, and drop in on elderly people or others who might be impacted by heat.

jsonline.com

Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 4w ago

Since a lot of climate reporters will be covering extreme event attribution next week, I'm resharing my story from 2022 that looked at both critiques of traditional methods and emerging techniques to improve the field. It might be helpful if you want to wade into the science.

Record-shattering events spur advances in tying climate change to extreme weather

2021 Pacific Northwest heat wave serves as testing ground for new attribution methods

science.org

Donnisa (she/her)@donnisa.bsky.social · last mo.

I attended a press conference on e-bike & scooter health risks last week at @uwhealth.bsky.social. The tl:dr: e-device accidents are on the rise, especially in children. Intoxicated and helmet-less riding are causing serious injuries. Check out the full story: www.jsonline.com/story/news/h...

In 4 years, injuries from e-scooter crashes with cars up 240% in Wisconsin

Safety problems include: Surprising speed, inconsistent helmet use, texting while riding, inexperience and intoxication.

jsonline.com

Donnisa (she/her)@donnisa.bsky.social · 2mo ago

My first official news story with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel! Summer is festival season, and one of the reasons you may love the experience so much is because of how liveness and joint listening affects your brain 🧠 www.jsonline.com/story/news/l...

Going to Summerfest? This is what happens in your brain during live music.

While you watch your favorite artist at Summerfest, your brain may be syncing with the music and the people around you.

jsonline.com

Caterina Gratton @caterinagratton.bsky.social · 2mo ago

How can we acquire new knowledge and skills on a daily basis while remaining the same person? I'm excited to share our new preprint led by @hyejinjadelee.bsky.social & Ally Dworetsky tackling this question, just in time for #OHBM2026: doi.org/10.64898/202... 🧵👇 #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky

Functional brain organization is stable within individuals across years

Brain regions exhibit dynamic yet highly coordinated activity patterns that form large-scale functional networks measurable through resting-state correlations. While their association with fluctuating...

doi.org

AAAS Mass Media Fellowship @aaasmassmedia.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Thank you @npr.org for a fantastic tour! Follow us to see all the stories the fellows will write and produce as they dive into the world of science journalism for the next 10 weeks. ✍️ #SciComm @aaas.org

AAAS Mass Media Fellowship @aaasmassmedia.bsky.social · 4mo ago

🎉 Welcome to the 2026 class of @aaas.org #MassMediaFellows! These 15 scientists will be sharpening their #SciComm skills with news outlets across the country this summer. We can’t wait to see the impact they’ll have! Learn more about 2026 class here: www.aaas.org/news/aaas-ma...

15 colorful headshots of the 2026 AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship class in a grid. Welcome to the New MMF Class!

Donnisa (she/her)@donnisa.bsky.social · 7mo ago

going through months of figure edits feels worth it when one ends up on a text book cover! thanks to @bradpostle.bsky.social and @rodbraga.bsky.social

Rodrigo Braga@rodbraga.bsky.social · 7mo ago

As a high-school student learning about science, I never even dreamed that my research would ever be on the cover of a textbook 🥹 Thank you @bradpostle.bsky.social ! And congrats to 1st author @donnisa.bsky.social ! www.amazon.com/Essentials-C...

Donnisa (she/her)@donnisa.bsky.social · 9mo ago

A little late to share, but check the link below for an article I wrote about the important work being done through the seed bank at the Chicago Botanic Garden!

Scientists at Chicago Botanic Garden save local plant species, one seed at a time - Medill Reports Chicago

By Donnisa Edmonds Medill Reports Amid rising global concern about climate change, scientists at the Chicago Botanic Garden are tackling conservation and extinction in a unique way — by seed banking. ...

news.medill.northwestern.edu

Rodrigo Braga @rodbraga.bsky.social · 10mo ago

📣 New preprint from the Braga Lab! 📣 The ventral visual stream for reading converges on the transmodal language network Congrats to Dr. Joe Salvo for this epic set of results Big Q: What brain systems support the translation of writing to concepts and meaning? Thread 🧵 ⬇️

Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 11mo ago

PSA: If you haven’t yet, it may be a good idea to get your COVID shot this week. Reports suggest that CDC may further restrict COVID vaccine access to people aged 75 and up, unless you have an condition. The committee that advises the CDC on vaccines meets this Thursday.

RFK Jr.’s CDC may limit COVID shots to 75 and up, claim they killed kids

A battle is brewing over mRNA vaccines, which could intensify backlash against Kennedy.

arstechnica.com

Rodrigo Braga @rodbraga.bsky.social · last yr.

🚨 New Preprint 🚨 Targeting intracranial electrical stimulation (ES) to network regions defined within individuals causes network-level effects By Cyr et al. *** Q: Can we use individualized network maps from precision fMRI to modulate a targeted network via intracranial ES? A: Yes! 🧵:

Rodrigo Braga @rodbraga.bsky.social · last yr.

🚨 🧠 We have a new preprint out where we studied which brain networks are engaged during mental imagery and self-generated thought. We used a precision fMRI approach along with multidimensional experience sampling (mDES) to get trialwise self-reports from each participant about what they imagined.

Rodrigo Braga @rodbraga.bsky.social · 2y ago

Excited to share that our symposium "Mapping of amygdala circuits in humans" was accepted for OHBM 2025 in Brisbane! 🇦🇺🦘 @ohbmofficial.bsky.social Featuring: @coryshain.bsky.social @donnisa.bsky.social @peterkaskan.bsky.social Austin Brotman & Christina Zelano

Rodrigo Braga @rodbraga.bsky.social · 2y ago

As if there wasn’t enough to worry about… It turns out the Salience (SAL) and Parietal Memory Networks (PMN) are the same thing! 😩😩😩 🧵

Dr Ramesh Raghupathi @rameshraghupathi.bsky.social · 2y ago

It was great to chat with @taymccork.bsky.social and Nishell Savory about their experiences. #proudPI. Any mentors/mentees want to participate- please contact me.

Neuronline (SfN)@neuronline.sfn.org · 2y ago

Listen now to the second episode of "Think Alike?", @sfn.org's new mentoring podcast on @neuronline.sfn.org! Mentor Ramesh Raghupathi discusses the dynamics of mentorship styles and creating a supportive environment in the lab with mentees Taylor McCorkle and Nishell Savory. 🎧: bit.ly/3PSnuGR

Al Cappuccino…☕️🇮🇹@alcappuccinoit.bsky.social · 2y ago

Cutting off grants to academia, pausing clinical trials, etc., is key to this administration’s plan to kill higher education. Targeting intellectuals is textbook fascism.

Diana Williams @dlwilliams.bsky.social · 2y ago

James was a PhD student in neuroscience at FSU, and his recent death was devastating for those who knew and loved him. He was extremely bright, motivated, and a strong advocate for marginalized people in STEM. This fundraiser is for his mom, who must be in so much pain right now. #neuroskyence

Donate to Celebrating the Life of James S. Brown, organized by Trevon Hill

Celebrating the Life of James S. Brown (November 23, 1993 - January 3, 2025) It… Trevon Hill needs your support for Celebrating the Life of James S. Brown

gofund.me

MaskTogetherAmerica @togetherwemask.bsky.social · 2y ago

“Masking keeps friends and loved ones safe and is an important part of community care!” Dephanie Stiaz @kickballcomics.bsky.social posed for @msjulieslam.bsky.social to support #MaskTogetherAmerica at a mask-required event hosted by The Artistic Alphabet Mafia + Parallel Play Chicago #CovidIsNotOver

Dephanie Stiaz dressed up as the healing angel with golden wings and a KN95 respirator.

MaskTogetherAmerica @togetherwemask.bsky.social · 2y ago

“I mask because it helps everyone!” Behind the white KF94 is Donnisa Edmonds @donnisa.bsky.social shining under the holiday lights. 🌟🍒✨Donnisa posed for @msjulieslam.bsky.social at a mask-required event in #Chicago. #MaskTogetherAmerica because Masking = Love + Community Care. 🤍😷

Donnisa is wearing a white KF94, a white outfit and deer horns. Photography by Julie Lam, founder of MaskTogetherAmerica 💗

Gabriela (Gaby) Lopez, PhD @glopez.bsky.social · 2y ago

As I board my flight home for the holidays, I wanted to share that a review I wrote with @talialerner.bsky.social just came out! It’s titled “How dopamine enables learning from aversion.” Super grateful for the opportunity - hope you can check it out! 😊😊🎄🎄 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

How dopamine enables learning from aversion

Dopamine is heavily studied for its role in reward learning, but it is becoming increasingly appreciated that dopamine can also enable learning from a…

sciencedirect.com

Donnisa (she/her)@donnisa.bsky.social · 2y ago

⬇️ Check thread & preprint below for new work from my labmates Joseph Salvo and Nathan Anderson on the multimodal functions of the language network!

Rodrigo Braga@rodbraga.bsky.social · 2y ago

🔈 New preprint! 🔈 Intrinsic functional connectivity delineates transmodal language functions biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...

Donnisa (she/her)@donnisa.bsky.social · 2y ago

i fear the only thing that this app is missing from twitter is the bookmarks feature 😔 i keep seeing posts that i wanted to save and clicked on the "..." to bookmark them only to be surprised that its not an option 😭

Neil Renic @ncrenic.bsky.social · 2y ago

Two stages of writing: 1) This shouldn't take too long 2) Oh no