Julia Brown, PhD
@juliaehbrown.bsky.social
Assistant Prof at UCSF | anthropologist and bioethicist | currently focused on prenatal genetic tech, previously on mental healthcare | Author of 'The Clozapine Clinic: Health Agency in High-Risk Conditions'
Reposted by Julia Brown, PhD
A person's genetics has a role in susceptibility to many diseases (Figure), but has little correlation with how the disease may progress or lead to a fatal outcome.
nature.com/articles/s4158
nature.com/articles/s4158
September 30, 2025 at 7:08 PM
A person's genetics has a role in susceptibility to many diseases (Figure), but has little correlation with how the disease may progress or lead to a fatal outcome.
nature.com/articles/s4158
nature.com/articles/s4158
Reposted by Julia Brown, PhD
What to Know About Painkillers, Vaccines, Genes and Autism: For decades, researchers have looked for links. Most believe the disorder springs from a complex interplay of genetics and environmental factors. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/h...
What to Know About Painkillers, Vaccines, Genes and Autism
www.nytimes.com
September 22, 2025 at 9:59 PM
What to Know About Painkillers, Vaccines, Genes and Autism: For decades, researchers have looked for links. Most believe the disorder springs from a complex interplay of genetics and environmental factors. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/h...
Reposted by Julia Brown, PhD
In a proposed update to its guidelines, the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence retains its recommendation of three NHS-funded IVF cycles for those eligible under 40 and critiques unproven IVF add-ons. The draft is open for consultation until October 21.
NICE publishes draft update to Fertility Guideline | PET
Updated NICE draft guidance recommends three NHS-funded IVF cycles for eligible under 40s and recommends against IVF add-ons.
www.progress.org.uk
September 22, 2025 at 9:56 PM
In a proposed update to its guidelines, the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence retains its recommendation of three NHS-funded IVF cycles for those eligible under 40 and critiques unproven IVF add-ons. The draft is open for consultation until October 21.
Excellent piece by @alanlevinovitz.bsky.social @awaisaftab.bsky.social on the therapeutic effect of diagnosis +
the need for qual research. Reading Parson’s “sick role” theory in undergrad sociology was the moment I realized how much is missed by psych models. www.cambridge.org/core/service...
the need for qual research. Reading Parson’s “sick role” theory in undergrad sociology was the moment I realized how much is missed by psych models. www.cambridge.org/core/service...
www.cambridge.org
September 11, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Excellent piece by @alanlevinovitz.bsky.social @awaisaftab.bsky.social on the therapeutic effect of diagnosis +
the need for qual research. Reading Parson’s “sick role” theory in undergrad sociology was the moment I realized how much is missed by psych models. www.cambridge.org/core/service...
the need for qual research. Reading Parson’s “sick role” theory in undergrad sociology was the moment I realized how much is missed by psych models. www.cambridge.org/core/service...
“Metrics can be measured only by taking into account the starting point and ending point, as well as relevant features of the journey — the whole story.” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/o...
Opinion | What I Got Wrong About D.E.I.
www.nytimes.com
September 5, 2025 at 2:16 PM
“Metrics can be measured only by taking into account the starting point and ending point, as well as relevant features of the journey — the whole story.” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/o...
“Declining fertility is only a disaster if you don’t adapt" (by valuing individual lives more through better access to education and healthcare) www.nature.com/articles/d41...
People are having fewer babies: Is it really the end of the world?
Steep population declines in most countries are expected to have negative impacts over the next several generations, but adaptation is possible.
www.nature.com
August 22, 2025 at 3:40 PM
“Declining fertility is only a disaster if you don’t adapt" (by valuing individual lives more through better access to education and healthcare) www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What a shame that Fox News couldn’t publish this instead. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/21/o...
Opinion | I’m a Proud Conservative. My Disabled Son Needs Medicaid to Live.
www.nytimes.com
August 21, 2025 at 3:23 PM
What a shame that Fox News couldn’t publish this instead. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/21/o...
Reposted by Julia Brown, PhD
NEW: People are being involuntarily committed to psychiatric care facilities — and even ending up arrested or jailed — after becoming fixated on ChatGPT and other chatbots and spiraling into psychosis.
futurism.com/commitment-j...
futurism.com/commitment-j...
June 28, 2025 at 1:49 PM
NEW: People are being involuntarily committed to psychiatric care facilities — and even ending up arrested or jailed — after becoming fixated on ChatGPT and other chatbots and spiraling into psychosis.
futurism.com/commitment-j...
futurism.com/commitment-j...
“I feel like the balance that is being discussed right now, is actually very much out of kilter with what are acceptable risks for me as a parent, acceptable risks to me as physician and what I think should be acceptable risks to FDA and Sarepta” www.statnews.com/2025/07/24/d...
For many Duchenne families, halt to gene therapy is heartbreak upon heartbreak
As gene therapy maker Sarepta Therapeutics tangles with FDA over its Duchenne treatment, patients and their families are caught in the middle.
www.statnews.com
July 24, 2025 at 5:59 PM
“I feel like the balance that is being discussed right now, is actually very much out of kilter with what are acceptable risks for me as a parent, acceptable risks to me as physician and what I think should be acceptable risks to FDA and Sarepta” www.statnews.com/2025/07/24/d...
Reposted by Julia Brown, PhD
Not a good idea, uninformed
Front page @washingtonpost.com today www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Front page @washingtonpost.com today www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
July 17, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Not a good idea, uninformed
Front page @washingtonpost.com today www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Front page @washingtonpost.com today www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Another tragic case of the risks of coming off clozapine altogether (and why psych meds are complicated). In Australia, clozapine takers also need blood monitoring each month, a crucial community-oriented check in that I believe helps as much as the medication itself.
How Bondi Junction killer fell through cracks in mental health system: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-01/bondi-junction-killer-fell-through-cracks-mental-health-system/105355258
How Bondi Junction killer fell through cracks in mental health system
Joel Cauchi stabbed six people dead at Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre in 2024. For five weeks an inquest has sought to uncover shortcomings that led to that day.
www.abc.net.au
June 1, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Another tragic case of the risks of coming off clozapine altogether (and why psych meds are complicated). In Australia, clozapine takers also need blood monitoring each month, a crucial community-oriented check in that I believe helps as much as the medication itself.
“I had been the pregnant woman fetishizing the normal test result. Now that I was the mother of a child with a rare condition, I found an enemy in my past self”. Just finished Second Life by @amandahess.bsky.social. It is brilliant.
May 31, 2025 at 9:34 PM
“I had been the pregnant woman fetishizing the normal test result. Now that I was the mother of a child with a rare condition, I found an enemy in my past self”. Just finished Second Life by @amandahess.bsky.social. It is brilliant.
It’s also true that therapy teaches how those that upset us reflect unresolved parts of ourselves. It allows for more intentional parenting, ideally with more compassion for grandparents, & the littlest versions of ourselves. Too many boomers & their kids missed out. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/o...
Opinion | There’s a Link Between Therapy Culture and Childlessness
www.nytimes.com
May 31, 2025 at 5:29 AM
It’s also true that therapy teaches how those that upset us reflect unresolved parts of ourselves. It allows for more intentional parenting, ideally with more compassion for grandparents, & the littlest versions of ourselves. Too many boomers & their kids missed out. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/o...
"when deciding complex policy questions ... resisting empathy impairs our decision-making. It keeps us from understanding what’s at stake ... it is vital to ask ourselves what policies we would favor if we were ... fully informed of the plight of others." theconversation.com/empathy-can-...
Empathy can take a toll – but 2 philosophers explain why we should see it as a strength
Empathy affords us a more accurate understanding of others’ experiences and emotions. Just like pain, it can be hard to bear – but that’s also the source of its strength.
theconversation.com
May 29, 2025 at 4:04 PM
"when deciding complex policy questions ... resisting empathy impairs our decision-making. It keeps us from understanding what’s at stake ... it is vital to ask ourselves what policies we would favor if we were ... fully informed of the plight of others." theconversation.com/empathy-can-...
Reposted by Julia Brown, PhD
🧵 Speaking at the Global Observatory for Genome Editing summit at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in Cambridge this week, I highlighted a critical challenge: the deliberate fracturing of our knowledge ecosystems along ideological lines. www.statnews.com/2025/05/27/g...
At a major genome-editing summit, spotlight turns to the value of human life
Earlier gatherings focused on gaining public acceptance for what scientists want to do with CRISPR. This meeting flipped that on its head.
www.statnews.com
May 28, 2025 at 4:23 PM
🧵 Speaking at the Global Observatory for Genome Editing summit at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in Cambridge this week, I highlighted a critical challenge: the deliberate fracturing of our knowledge ecosystems along ideological lines. www.statnews.com/2025/05/27/g...
Great discussion highlighting limitations to genetic determinism. More discussion still needed on parental pressures and variations of "autism", including insights from people with lived experience www.npr.org/2025/05/28/1...
Can doctors test embryos for autism? And should they? : It's Been a Minute
A newly available kind of genetic testing, called polygenic embryo screening, promises to screen for conditions that can include cancer, obesity, autism, bipolar disorder, even celiac disease. These c...
www.npr.org
May 28, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Great discussion highlighting limitations to genetic determinism. More discussion still needed on parental pressures and variations of "autism", including insights from people with lived experience www.npr.org/2025/05/28/1...
Reposted by Julia Brown, PhD
For the first time, scientists say they have reached into the genome of a severely ill child and rewritten the unique misspelling in his DNA.
CRISPR is used in landmark treatment to correct genetic misspelling of a single patient
In a world first, scientists used CRISPR to fix a baby's unique genetic mutation. The report offers hope for personalized treatments of rare diseases.
buff.ly
May 15, 2025 at 6:19 PM
For the first time, scientists say they have reached into the genome of a severely ill child and rewritten the unique misspelling in his DNA.
A great piece about why social acceptance and feelings of competence is everything for those struggling with psychosis. (Many anthropological studies show as much). www.nytimes.com/2025/05/07/n...
He Hears Voices in His Head. He Also Helped Win an Election.
www.nytimes.com
May 7, 2025 at 5:57 PM
A great piece about why social acceptance and feelings of competence is everything for those struggling with psychosis. (Many anthropological studies show as much). www.nytimes.com/2025/05/07/n...
Great commentary by Dr. Ravitksy. "I would like young women to really have options," for society (and markets) to make it possible to start a family when pregnancy in less risky, where workplaces are more accommodating of mothers who work, where women don't have to gamble under economic coercion...
🚨 Hastings in the spotlight! 🚨
HC President Vardit Ravitsky featured on 60 Minutes, where she discusses the growing trend of #eggfreezing and the opportunities and risks it raises about pausing the biological clock. 🧬⏳
Watch: cbsn.ws/3Z1owoI
#Bioethics
HC President Vardit Ravitsky featured on 60 Minutes, where she discusses the growing trend of #eggfreezing and the opportunities and risks it raises about pausing the biological clock. 🧬⏳
Watch: cbsn.ws/3Z1owoI
#Bioethics
May 6, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Great commentary by Dr. Ravitksy. "I would like young women to really have options," for society (and markets) to make it possible to start a family when pregnancy in less risky, where workplaces are more accommodating of mothers who work, where women don't have to gamble under economic coercion...
Reposted by Julia Brown, PhD
My opinion piece in today’s @nytimes.com . I discuss how clinical neglect of medication-related harms has made RFK Jr’s stance on antidepressants appealing to so many and moving the public conversation in a productive direction requires us to remedy this neglect.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/03/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/03/o...
Opinion | What Kennedy Gets Right, And Wrong, About Antidepressants (Gift Article)
Harm from these drugs is real. Let’s not cede the conversation to Kennedy.
www.nytimes.com
May 3, 2025 at 1:55 PM
My opinion piece in today’s @nytimes.com . I discuss how clinical neglect of medication-related harms has made RFK Jr’s stance on antidepressants appealing to so many and moving the public conversation in a productive direction requires us to remedy this neglect.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/03/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/03/o...
“ChatGPT will reify the problems that it purports to solve, and thus make itself essential: encouraging users to rely less and less on inner resources and personal capacity … with which we handle the task of being alive.” — 🙏🏼Jia Tolentino www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
My Brain Finally Broke
Much of what we see now is fake, and the reality we face is full of horrors. More and more of the world is slipping beyond my comprehension.
www.newyorker.com
May 3, 2025 at 7:47 PM
“ChatGPT will reify the problems that it purports to solve, and thus make itself essential: encouraging users to rely less and less on inner resources and personal capacity … with which we handle the task of being alive.” — 🙏🏼Jia Tolentino www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
"On the internet it could seem that our children were defined by the medical system, or else the tabloids. But inside the photo app on my phone, I could create a proud corrective archive." Beautiful piece on Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome by a mother, Amanda Hess www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/m...
My Son Has a Rare Syndrome. So I Turned to the Internet. (Gift Article)
Social media became a place of both solace and torment. How much was mine to share?
www.nytimes.com
April 23, 2025 at 4:16 AM
"On the internet it could seem that our children were defined by the medical system, or else the tabloids. But inside the photo app on my phone, I could create a proud corrective archive." Beautiful piece on Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome by a mother, Amanda Hess www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/m...
Great conversation about the importance of human intimacy in neurodevelopmental trajectories — tech can only get us so far! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
The future of pediatric development and disability
Podcast Episode · The Future of Everything · 04/18/2025 · 32m
podcasts.apple.com
April 22, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Great conversation about the importance of human intimacy in neurodevelopmental trajectories — tech can only get us so far! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...