Jeffrey Townsend
@jeffreytownsend.bsky.social
Elihu Professor of Biostatistics @yalesph.bsky.social--Cancer, Infectious disease, Evolutionary biology, Fungi, sometimes running
Pinned
Optimal Annual COVID-19 Vaccine Boosting Dates Following Previous Booster Vaccination or Breakthrough Infection
Optimal timing for COVID-19 boosters improves their efficacy. There is an optimal delay of boosters after breakthrough infection. Our analysis enables bene
academic.oup.com
Our recent paper, "Optimal Annual COVID-19 Vaccine Boosting Dates Following Previous Booster Vaccination or Breakthrough Infection", is amongst the most-read recent articles in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Maybe because everyone can benefit from reading it?
academic.oup.com/cid/article-...
Maybe because everyone can benefit from reading it?
academic.oup.com/cid/article-...
@thebeilab.bsky.social meets malaria where it lives—with an altruistic transmission-blocking vaccine!
ysph.yale.edu/news-article...
🌐🧪🌍
ysph.yale.edu/news-article...
🌐🧪🌍
Meeting Malaria Where It Lives
Yale epidemiologist Dr. Amy Bei is betting on a radical idea to stop malaria from ravaging populations: a new vaccine that stops mosquitoes from transmitting
ysph.yale.edu
January 16, 2026 at 11:32 AM
@thebeilab.bsky.social meets malaria where it lives—with an altruistic transmission-blocking vaccine!
ysph.yale.edu/news-article...
🌐🧪🌍
ysph.yale.edu/news-article...
🌐🧪🌍
The New Dietary Guidelines serve up a muddled mix of ideology and science www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco...
Opinion | The New Dietary Guidelines Serve Up a Muddled Mix of Ideology and Science
The U.S. is now a global outlier in evidence-based dietary recommendations
www.medpagetoday.com
January 16, 2026 at 11:12 AM
The New Dietary Guidelines serve up a muddled mix of ideology and science www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco...
New Medicaid eligibility rules could block access to lifesaving cancer screenings for over 1 million people and result in 150+ preventable deaths within two years—and even more in years to come.
www.statnews.com/2026/01/08/m...
www.statnews.com/2026/01/08/m...
Medicaid restrictions may lead to a million missed cancer screenings over two years: study
New Medicaid eligibility rules may cause more than a million missed cancer screenings, and more than 100 preventable deaths, new study says.
www.statnews.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:35 AM
New Medicaid eligibility rules could block access to lifesaving cancer screenings for over 1 million people and result in 150+ preventable deaths within two years—and even more in years to come.
www.statnews.com/2026/01/08/m...
www.statnews.com/2026/01/08/m...
Reposted by Jeffrey Townsend
A new American Cancer Society report shows that the US reached a historic milestone in cancer survivorship. 70% patients now live for 5 yrs after diagnosis. A notable advance is targeted immunotherapy for cancer treatment.
Thank sustained #NIH funding.
🧪 www.nbcnews.com/health/cance...
Thank sustained #NIH funding.
🧪 www.nbcnews.com/health/cance...
A new milestone in the cancer fight: 7 in 10 patients now survive five-plus years
Better treatment options have improved survival rates in the U.S., according to a report from the American Cancer Society.
www.nbcnews.com
January 15, 2026 at 2:33 AM
A new American Cancer Society report shows that the US reached a historic milestone in cancer survivorship. 70% patients now live for 5 yrs after diagnosis. A notable advance is targeted immunotherapy for cancer treatment.
Thank sustained #NIH funding.
🧪 www.nbcnews.com/health/cance...
Thank sustained #NIH funding.
🧪 www.nbcnews.com/health/cance...
Reposted by Jeffrey Townsend
Im filled with memories then. Specially since Jan 1st, we're making soooo many memories 🤪
January 14, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Im filled with memories then. Specially since Jan 1st, we're making soooo many memories 🤪
Movement matters in the fight against cancer.
Muscles actually outcompete tumors for glucose, starving them of the fuel they need to grow. Even modest activity — like regular walks — reshapes metabolism in ways that may slow tumor progression.
🧪
m.yale.edu/dd8j
Muscles actually outcompete tumors for glucose, starving them of the fuel they need to grow. Even modest activity — like regular walks — reshapes metabolism in ways that may slow tumor progression.
🧪
m.yale.edu/dd8j
How Exercise Slows Tumor Growth
In her latest study, Rachel Perry, PhD, of Yale School of Medicine, reveals one of the clearest mechanisms to date behind a question patients often ask: Why
m.yale.edu
January 14, 2026 at 1:10 PM
Movement matters in the fight against cancer.
Muscles actually outcompete tumors for glucose, starving them of the fuel they need to grow. Even modest activity — like regular walks — reshapes metabolism in ways that may slow tumor progression.
🧪
m.yale.edu/dd8j
Muscles actually outcompete tumors for glucose, starving them of the fuel they need to grow. Even modest activity — like regular walks — reshapes metabolism in ways that may slow tumor progression.
🧪
m.yale.edu/dd8j
Reposted by Jeffrey Townsend
Sending jack-booted thugs to invade American cities.
Unilaterally launching wars and plundering foreign nations.
Suspending funding for states that voted against him.
Trump is the "big government" nightmare Republicans have always warned us about.
And yet they're silent.
Unilaterally launching wars and plundering foreign nations.
Suspending funding for states that voted against him.
Trump is the "big government" nightmare Republicans have always warned us about.
And yet they're silent.
January 13, 2026 at 6:15 PM
Sending jack-booted thugs to invade American cities.
Unilaterally launching wars and plundering foreign nations.
Suspending funding for states that voted against him.
Trump is the "big government" nightmare Republicans have always warned us about.
And yet they're silent.
Unilaterally launching wars and plundering foreign nations.
Suspending funding for states that voted against him.
Trump is the "big government" nightmare Republicans have always warned us about.
And yet they're silent.
Reposted by Jeffrey Townsend
NEW: Statement of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Trump’s criminal investigation into him. He says they are seeking an indictment over his Congressional testimony, but calls it pretext to pressure him into lowering interest rates.
January 12, 2026 at 1:07 AM
NEW: Statement of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Trump’s criminal investigation into him. He says they are seeking an indictment over his Congressional testimony, but calls it pretext to pressure him into lowering interest rates.
Just published—a detailed look at the mutational landscape of histologically normal breast tissue adjacent to tumors, examining how cancer-associated evolutionary processes extend beyond the tumor itself, with implications for early carcinogenesis and risk assessment.
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Mutational landscape of normal breast tissues adjacent to invasive breast cancer
Suwalska et al. show that cancer-adjacent normal breast tissues share genomic alterations
with cancer, and many changes in cancer-relevant genes arise from specific combinations
of germline polymorphi...
www.cell.com
January 11, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Just published—a detailed look at the mutational landscape of histologically normal breast tissue adjacent to tumors, examining how cancer-associated evolutionary processes extend beyond the tumor itself, with implications for early carcinogenesis and risk assessment.
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Reposted by Jeffrey Townsend
The CDC's new childhood immunization schedule represents one of the most dramatic changes in childhood disease prevention policy in decades.
Keep reading for what parents should know ⬇️
1/5
Keep reading for what parents should know ⬇️
1/5
January 7, 2026 at 5:40 PM
The CDC's new childhood immunization schedule represents one of the most dramatic changes in childhood disease prevention policy in decades.
Keep reading for what parents should know ⬇️
1/5
Keep reading for what parents should know ⬇️
1/5
Reposted by Jeffrey Townsend
Given current changes to early vaccine recommendations in the US, I though it worth emphasizing again that “Vaccines work… and do not cause autism”
#VaccinesWork #ImmunoSky #ViroSky #MicroSky
🧪
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
#VaccinesWork #ImmunoSky #ViroSky #MicroSky
🧪
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Vaccines work… and do not cause autism
Vaccines have saved millions of lives, yet their importance and safety is repeatedly in question. W e cannot let disinformation campaigns get in the way of global public health – it is not time to def...
journals.plos.org
January 7, 2026 at 8:26 PM
Given current changes to early vaccine recommendations in the US, I though it worth emphasizing again that “Vaccines work… and do not cause autism”
#VaccinesWork #ImmunoSky #ViroSky #MicroSky
🧪
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
#VaccinesWork #ImmunoSky #ViroSky #MicroSky
🧪
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
This post falls short of its objectives. Key assumptions are insufficiently justified, the analysis lacks rigor, and the conclusions extend beyond what the data support. Its contribution is limited, and substantial revision would be required before it could be considered reliable or persuasive.
January 7, 2026 at 8:48 PM
This post falls short of its objectives. Key assumptions are insufficiently justified, the analysis lacks rigor, and the conclusions extend beyond what the data support. Its contribution is limited, and substantial revision would be required before it could be considered reliable or persuasive.
The “common cold” isn’t one virus—it’s dozens. Rhinoviruses, coronaviruses, adenoviruses, and more all cause cold symptoms, each evolving differently. That diversity is a big reason a single cure remains elusive.
www.discovermagazine.com/scientists-a...
www.discovermagazine.com/scientists-a...
Scientists Are No Closer to Finding a Cure For the Common Cold — Here’s Why
Learn more about the common cold, the viruses that cause it, and why it’s so difficult to find a vaccine for it.
www.discovermagazine.com
January 7, 2026 at 6:29 PM
The “common cold” isn’t one virus—it’s dozens. Rhinoviruses, coronaviruses, adenoviruses, and more all cause cold symptoms, each evolving differently. That diversity is a big reason a single cure remains elusive.
www.discovermagazine.com/scientists-a...
www.discovermagazine.com/scientists-a...
According to Yale study, stress can be good for us and helps us form memories www.ctinsider.com/living/artic...
According to Yale study, stress can be good for us and helps us form memories
"This response evolved to help us cope with new challenges and can help us form stronger memories in order to deal with these situations better in the future,” Elizabeth Goldfarb said.
www.ctinsider.com
January 7, 2026 at 6:12 PM
According to Yale study, stress can be good for us and helps us form memories www.ctinsider.com/living/artic...
Reposted by Jeffrey Townsend
On Jack Smith deposition, now released:
100% obvious why GOP refused to allow this as open testimony, aired live. It's damning.
Testimony from John Dean or Alex ("wiretaps") Butterfield in Watergate days would have 1/10th the impact if just in print.
What Smith says is far more incriminating.
100% obvious why GOP refused to allow this as open testimony, aired live. It's damning.
Testimony from John Dean or Alex ("wiretaps") Butterfield in Watergate days would have 1/10th the impact if just in print.
What Smith says is far more incriminating.
December 31, 2025 at 10:46 PM
On Jack Smith deposition, now released:
100% obvious why GOP refused to allow this as open testimony, aired live. It's damning.
Testimony from John Dean or Alex ("wiretaps") Butterfield in Watergate days would have 1/10th the impact if just in print.
What Smith says is far more incriminating.
100% obvious why GOP refused to allow this as open testimony, aired live. It's damning.
Testimony from John Dean or Alex ("wiretaps") Butterfield in Watergate days would have 1/10th the impact if just in print.
What Smith says is far more incriminating.
Reposted by Jeffrey Townsend
One of the most lopsided results you'll ever see in a poll, from our weekend Washington Post poll www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
January 5, 2026 at 3:39 PM
One of the most lopsided results you'll ever see in a poll, from our weekend Washington Post poll www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
Reposted by Jeffrey Townsend
We can all be as healthy as a known racist corpse
January 5, 2026 at 7:17 PM
We can all be as healthy as a known racist corpse
Reposted by Jeffrey Townsend
This guy here is dead 👇
January 5, 2026 at 7:15 PM
This guy here is dead 👇
Connecticut's flu season is bad and getting worse, with 'no end in sight,' doctors say www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/...
Connecticut's flu season is bad and getting worse, with 'no end in sight,' doctors say
The flu season is being driven by a variant called subclade K.
www.ctinsider.com
January 5, 2026 at 7:49 PM
Connecticut's flu season is bad and getting worse, with 'no end in sight,' doctors say www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/...
Reposted by Jeffrey Townsend
Reposted by Jeffrey Townsend
My producer and I recently got over a common cold. A colleague is working from home with flu. Seemed like a good time to do a story on winter respiratory viruses.
December 24, 2025 at 8:36 PM
My producer and I recently got over a common cold. A colleague is working from home with flu. Seemed like a good time to do a story on winter respiratory viruses.
Reposted by Jeffrey Townsend
Although this year’s vaccine match is suboptimal, it is better protection against severe influenza disease than going without #vaccines
🎁 article 👉 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/26/n... #IDSky
🎁 article 👉 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/26/n... #IDSky
Flu Cases Climb to Highest Levels in New York State in Two Decades
www.nytimes.com
December 26, 2025 at 11:41 PM
Although this year’s vaccine match is suboptimal, it is better protection against severe influenza disease than going without #vaccines
🎁 article 👉 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/26/n... #IDSky
🎁 article 👉 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/26/n... #IDSky
Reposted by Jeffrey Townsend
The report estimates that mRNA vaccines could avert over $75 billion in economic costs annually.
2/3
2/3
December 22, 2025 at 8:53 PM
The report estimates that mRNA vaccines could avert over $75 billion in economic costs annually.
2/3
2/3
Reposted by Jeffrey Townsend
A new report from researchers at the Yale School of Public Health warns that the U.S. government’s abrupt cancellation of funding for mRNA vaccine research could have devastating health and economic consequences for the nation.
New report sounds alarm on health fallout from mRNA vaccine funding cuts
A new report from the Yale School of Public Health warns that the U.S. government’s abrupt cancellation of funding for mRNA vaccine research could have
ysph.yale.edu
December 22, 2025 at 8:43 PM
A new report from researchers at the Yale School of Public Health warns that the U.S. government’s abrupt cancellation of funding for mRNA vaccine research could have devastating health and economic consequences for the nation.
Reposted by Jeffrey Townsend
Beyond the financial toll, the researchers found that withdrawing support for rapidly advancing mRNA vaccine technology could result in over 49,000 preventable deaths annually among patients diagnosed with four major cancers.
3/3
3/3
December 22, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Beyond the financial toll, the researchers found that withdrawing support for rapidly advancing mRNA vaccine technology could result in over 49,000 preventable deaths annually among patients diagnosed with four major cancers.
3/3
3/3