hjillianh
@hjillianh.bsky.social
(She/her), 🧪Peds ID PhD researcher at Duke studying the respiratory microbiome in ear infections 👂 (and the vagina!) developing informatics skills, bee and chicken keeper 🐓, knitter, terrible potter, Durhamite; opinions are mine #IDSky #Pedsky #Scisky
Reposted by hjillianh
The guy who made ‘Did Duke Win?’ didn't mean to dunk on Duke: The untold story of how a Duke student accidentally made UNC-Chapel Hill basketball fans’ favorite website.
www.theassemblync.com/education/hi...
www.theassemblync.com/education/hi...
The 'Did Duke Win?' Guy Didn't Mean to Dunk on Duke
The untold story behind "Did Duke Win?"—and how a Duke student accidentally made UNC-Chapel Hill basketball fans’ favorite website.
www.theassemblync.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:10 AM
The guy who made ‘Did Duke Win?’ didn't mean to dunk on Duke: The untold story of how a Duke student accidentally made UNC-Chapel Hill basketball fans’ favorite website.
www.theassemblync.com/education/hi...
www.theassemblync.com/education/hi...
Reposted by hjillianh
Finally got my hands on a rare find: Sonja Buckley’s autobiography. She was instrumental in the development of tissue culture techniques for virus isolation & study, which required CONSIDERABLE skill pre-gloves, BSCs, & mechanical pipettes - & was the first person to isolate Lassa virus.
November 2, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Finally got my hands on a rare find: Sonja Buckley’s autobiography. She was instrumental in the development of tissue culture techniques for virus isolation & study, which required CONSIDERABLE skill pre-gloves, BSCs, & mechanical pipettes - & was the first person to isolate Lassa virus.
Reposted by hjillianh
Plans to halt food stamps Nov. 1 will impact more than 1 million veterans
www.stripes.com/veterans/202...
www.stripes.com/veterans/202...
Plans to halt food stamps Nov. 1 will impact more than 1 million veterans
Monthly food stamps to low-income veterans will end Nov. 1, as funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is scheduled to run out.
www.stripes.com
October 28, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Plans to halt food stamps Nov. 1 will impact more than 1 million veterans
www.stripes.com/veterans/202...
www.stripes.com/veterans/202...
Reposted by hjillianh
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
June 19, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
Reposted by hjillianh
They kicked Lia Smith off the Middlebury College Swimming and Diving team for being trans and now, as the 2026 season kicks off, she's dead. Rest in power, Lia. The world is so cruel sometimes.
October 27, 2025 at 8:38 PM
They kicked Lia Smith off the Middlebury College Swimming and Diving team for being trans and now, as the 2026 season kicks off, she's dead. Rest in power, Lia. The world is so cruel sometimes.
Reposted by hjillianh
When I was on SNAP, I:
-had a B.S. from a Big Ten university
-was working 80 hours/week, every week.
-was living in NYC, renting rooms in apartments month to month.
-making $11,100/year *BEFORE* taxes.
-I was working a federal job!
-at one point, they stopped covering our transit costs, too…
-had a B.S. from a Big Ten university
-was working 80 hours/week, every week.
-was living in NYC, renting rooms in apartments month to month.
-making $11,100/year *BEFORE* taxes.
-I was working a federal job!
-at one point, they stopped covering our transit costs, too…
SNAP isn't about "people who don't work." It's about people who don't get paid enough to live.
Of the 40 or so million people who rely on food stamps:
* Two-thirds are children, seniors, or disabled
* Most working-age adults who receive SNAP are employed—but in jobs that pay poverty wages
Of the 40 or so million people who rely on food stamps:
* Two-thirds are children, seniors, or disabled
* Most working-age adults who receive SNAP are employed—but in jobs that pay poverty wages
October 27, 2025 at 10:49 PM
When I was on SNAP, I:
-had a B.S. from a Big Ten university
-was working 80 hours/week, every week.
-was living in NYC, renting rooms in apartments month to month.
-making $11,100/year *BEFORE* taxes.
-I was working a federal job!
-at one point, they stopped covering our transit costs, too…
-had a B.S. from a Big Ten university
-was working 80 hours/week, every week.
-was living in NYC, renting rooms in apartments month to month.
-making $11,100/year *BEFORE* taxes.
-I was working a federal job!
-at one point, they stopped covering our transit costs, too…
Reposted by hjillianh
This is Minnie. She let out her first ever puppy bark today in an effort to bravely fend off her own reflection. 12/10 (TT: minnieandme11)
October 27, 2025 at 10:57 PM
This is Minnie. She let out her first ever puppy bark today in an effort to bravely fend off her own reflection. 12/10 (TT: minnieandme11)
Reposted by hjillianh
Another reason to get your flu shot:
The CDC Fluview map of influenza and ILI (influenza like illness) is normally updated weekly. It has not been changed since September 20.
Patient: Help me doctor I'm really sick!
Me: Ok
Patient: Is flu going around?
Me: Fuck if I know 🤷
The CDC Fluview map of influenza and ILI (influenza like illness) is normally updated weekly. It has not been changed since September 20.
Patient: Help me doctor I'm really sick!
Me: Ok
Patient: Is flu going around?
Me: Fuck if I know 🤷
October 27, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Another reason to get your flu shot:
The CDC Fluview map of influenza and ILI (influenza like illness) is normally updated weekly. It has not been changed since September 20.
Patient: Help me doctor I'm really sick!
Me: Ok
Patient: Is flu going around?
Me: Fuck if I know 🤷
The CDC Fluview map of influenza and ILI (influenza like illness) is normally updated weekly. It has not been changed since September 20.
Patient: Help me doctor I'm really sick!
Me: Ok
Patient: Is flu going around?
Me: Fuck if I know 🤷
Reposted by hjillianh
Did you know that over 1.3M active duty service members and veterans rely on SNAP benefits to feed themselves and their families?
Now you know.
Now you know.
October 26, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Did you know that over 1.3M active duty service members and veterans rely on SNAP benefits to feed themselves and their families?
Now you know.
Now you know.
Reposted by hjillianh
Take a lesson from the Black Panthers who understood how to feed people
If I were running the DNC, there would be Democratic Party sponsored food relief banks across the country right now that specifically welcomed anyone regardless of party affiliation.
Along with the food, there could be voter registration and links to runforsomething.net
Along with the food, there could be voter registration and links to runforsomething.net
October 26, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Take a lesson from the Black Panthers who understood how to feed people
Reposted by hjillianh
Preprint: Lipid composition controls the temperature dependent fluidity of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid that impacts neutralization of RSV via agglutination in the human bronchoalveolar space
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
October 21, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Preprint: Lipid composition controls the temperature dependent fluidity of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid that impacts neutralization of RSV via agglutination in the human bronchoalveolar space
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by hjillianh
Here is the Ravelry link for my free #AbolishICE beanie. Extensive notes cover all aspects of #knitting and refer to video tutorials; versions in cotton/wool fingering/sport. I appreciate any favorites there/here to boost the pattern! #knitsky #AbolishICE #NoKings 🧶
www.ravelry.com/patterns/lib...
www.ravelry.com/patterns/lib...
Abolish ICE Beanie pattern by Daniel Drennan ElAwar
My patterns are free. If you like my patterns and wish to further support my work, please visit my ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/ddelawar
www.ravelry.com
October 20, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Here is the Ravelry link for my free #AbolishICE beanie. Extensive notes cover all aspects of #knitting and refer to video tutorials; versions in cotton/wool fingering/sport. I appreciate any favorites there/here to boost the pattern! #knitsky #AbolishICE #NoKings 🧶
www.ravelry.com/patterns/lib...
www.ravelry.com/patterns/lib...
Reposted by hjillianh
Dismantling the Institutional Review Board (IRB), that oversees all human subjects research, is bad. Really bad.
The entire HR department at the CDC is gone. Everyone at the IRB, which makes sure studies are conducted ethically and rigorously, and the ethics office, which oversee conflicts of interest for CDC leaders and advisory committee members, were also let go.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
‘Instability and confusion’ as CDC slashes 1,300 jobs before reinstating half
Trump administration says 700 notices were sent in error, while top CDC officer says ‘they didn’t think through what they were doing’
www.theguardian.com
October 19, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Dismantling the Institutional Review Board (IRB), that oversees all human subjects research, is bad. Really bad.
Reposted by hjillianh
Hi, I'm the ProPublica reporter who's been tracking an unusual stat: U.S. citizens grabbed by immigration agents.
I did it because the government isn’t.
This is what I found.
I did it because the government isn’t.
This is what I found.
October 18, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Hi, I'm the ProPublica reporter who's been tracking an unusual stat: U.S. citizens grabbed by immigration agents.
I did it because the government isn’t.
This is what I found.
I did it because the government isn’t.
This is what I found.
Reposted by hjillianh
Great review on The Genetics of Human Handedness: Microtubules and Beyond www.cell.com/trends/genet... - handedness is such an interesting phenotype!
Genetics of human handedness: microtubules and beyond
Handedness (i.e., the preference to use either the left or the right hand for fine
motor tasks) is a widely investigated trait. Handedness heritability is consistently
estimated to be 25%. After decad...
www.cell.com
October 16, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Great review on The Genetics of Human Handedness: Microtubules and Beyond www.cell.com/trends/genet... - handedness is such an interesting phenotype!
Reposted by hjillianh
It's that time again.
For the next 24 hours, drop any infectious disease and/or vaccine-related questions below in response to this post, and I will do my best to answer them. Responses are for information only and are NOT medical advice.
#AskAnIDDoc October 2025 edition.
For the next 24 hours, drop any infectious disease and/or vaccine-related questions below in response to this post, and I will do my best to answer them. Responses are for information only and are NOT medical advice.
#AskAnIDDoc October 2025 edition.
a sign that says v is for vaccinated
ALT: a sign that says v is for vaccinated
media.tenor.com
October 18, 2025 at 12:15 PM
It's that time again.
For the next 24 hours, drop any infectious disease and/or vaccine-related questions below in response to this post, and I will do my best to answer them. Responses are for information only and are NOT medical advice.
#AskAnIDDoc October 2025 edition.
For the next 24 hours, drop any infectious disease and/or vaccine-related questions below in response to this post, and I will do my best to answer them. Responses are for information only and are NOT medical advice.
#AskAnIDDoc October 2025 edition.
Reposted by hjillianh
Este sábado 18 de octubre, millones de personas saldrán a las calles y habrán más de 2,700 protestas pacíficas en todo el país para condenar los crecientes abusos de poder de la administración Trump. Para obtener mas información sobre sus derechos, vaya a aclu.org/deployment_kyr
October 17, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Este sábado 18 de octubre, millones de personas saldrán a las calles y habrán más de 2,700 protestas pacíficas en todo el país para condenar los crecientes abusos de poder de la administración Trump. Para obtener mas información sobre sus derechos, vaya a aclu.org/deployment_kyr
Reposted by hjillianh
This Saturday, October 18, millions of people will take to the streets at more than 2,700 peaceful protests across the country to condemn the Trump administration’s escalating abuses of power. Read more Know Your Rights resources at aclu.org/deployment_kyr
October 17, 2025 at 10:54 PM
This Saturday, October 18, millions of people will take to the streets at more than 2,700 peaceful protests across the country to condemn the Trump administration’s escalating abuses of power. Read more Know Your Rights resources at aclu.org/deployment_kyr
Reposted by hjillianh
“Framing this reduction of fellowships solely as a hit to the poor trainees and their career aspirations is perpetuating this mistake.
It would be far better to explain to all and sundry how the reduction in F31 support is a functional reduction in research funding.”
#MedSky
It would be far better to explain to all and sundry how the reduction in F31 support is a functional reduction in research funding.”
#MedSky
F this and F that drugmonkey.wordpress.com/2025/10/17/f...
F this and F that
In Fiscal Year 2024, NIDA funded 7 new F30 (undergraduate) fellowships, 40 new F31 (graduate level) fellowships and 16 new F32 (postdoc) fellowships. So far*, for 2025 they have funded 8 new F30s, …
drugmonkey.wordpress.com
October 17, 2025 at 7:37 PM
“Framing this reduction of fellowships solely as a hit to the poor trainees and their career aspirations is perpetuating this mistake.
It would be far better to explain to all and sundry how the reduction in F31 support is a functional reduction in research funding.”
#MedSky
It would be far better to explain to all and sundry how the reduction in F31 support is a functional reduction in research funding.”
#MedSky
Reposted by hjillianh
VERY TROUBLING NEWS REGARDING NIH INSTITUTE DIRECTORS
A new appointment for NIEHS
1/3
A new appointment for NIEHS
1/3
October 17, 2025 at 8:11 PM
VERY TROUBLING NEWS REGARDING NIH INSTITUTE DIRECTORS
A new appointment for NIEHS
1/3
A new appointment for NIEHS
1/3
Reposted by hjillianh
This is just one entry in a 16-part Bluesky series sharing what I learned about smart development aid while filming my 2020 public television special “Hunger & Hope: Lessons from Ethiopia and Guatemala.” The full hour is streaming free & ad-free on the @pbs.org app and at www.ricksteves.com/hunger.
Hunger and Hope: Lessons from Ethiopia and Guatemala
In his new hour-long special available February 1, 2020, Rick Steves travels through Ethiopia and Guatemala to learn about extreme poverty — the more than 700 million people who struggle to live on le...
www.ricksteves.com
October 16, 2025 at 12:37 AM
This is just one entry in a 16-part Bluesky series sharing what I learned about smart development aid while filming my 2020 public television special “Hunger & Hope: Lessons from Ethiopia and Guatemala.” The full hour is streaming free & ad-free on the @pbs.org app and at www.ricksteves.com/hunger.
Reposted by hjillianh
Wow. NHANES js incredibly for population health surveillance, and is nationally representative as well. What a loss.
Ugh... This study has existed for decades, providing valuable health data for all sorts of topics and publications. This is just more awful news. 🛟😷 Sociology medsky
CDC team running top survey on health and nutrition is laid off
NHANES has collected data on eating patterns, diabetes, and other common diseases for decades. The CDC team that runs it has been fired.
www.statnews.com
October 15, 2025 at 1:04 AM
Wow. NHANES js incredibly for population health surveillance, and is nationally representative as well. What a loss.
Reposted by hjillianh
and remember, it especially matters who they have illegally fired and how — they have effectively destroyed many of the CDC's core capacities by targeting leadership, policy, comms, and administrative offices
The CDC's union estimates that a quarter of the agency been gutted under the Trump administration. Here's our story at @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/cdc-te...
A Quarter of the CDC Is Gone
Another round of terminations, combined with previous layoffs and departures, has reduced the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention workforce by about 3,000 people since January.
www.wired.com
October 15, 2025 at 1:22 AM
and remember, it especially matters who they have illegally fired and how — they have effectively destroyed many of the CDC's core capacities by targeting leadership, policy, comms, and administrative offices