Kara Gavin
@karagavin.bsky.social
Science/medical writer & media relations for University of Michigan (Michigan Medicine/Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation) focusing on #primarycare, #mentalhealth, aging & #healthpolicy Mom, wife, baker, French horn player, AAAS Fellow, J! bronze
Pinned
Kara Gavin
@karagavin.bsky.social
· Jan 8
It’s great to see a growing community of #medsky folks from the Univ. of Michigan on this platform! Here’s a starter pack I’ve begun to compile - please share and ask to be added if you’re in any role at the Med School or the clinical world! go.bsky.app/NKhdFPM
It was great to share #scicomm tips with firearm injury prevention researchers & their community partners yesterday in DC alongside @christenrexing.bsky.social & @tracymehan.bsky.social!
We put together links to free tools researchers can use to share science with the public.
Here's a 🧵 of them!
We put together links to free tools researchers can use to share science with the public.
Here's a 🧵 of them!
February 14, 2026 at 2:13 PM
It was great to share #scicomm tips with firearm injury prevention researchers & their community partners yesterday in DC alongside @christenrexing.bsky.social & @tracymehan.bsky.social!
We put together links to free tools researchers can use to share science with the public.
Here's a 🧵 of them!
We put together links to free tools researchers can use to share science with the public.
Here's a 🧵 of them!
Reposted by Kara Gavin
I don't usually go into smoke shops.
But I did it recently, to see how easy it'd be to buy products containing the opioid 7-OH.
Colorful packaging & fruity flavors make them look safe.
But then I spoke to a person in recovery from 7-OH addiction, his @umich.edu doctor & others: michmed.org/MDB2g
But I did it recently, to see how easy it'd be to buy products containing the opioid 7-OH.
Colorful packaging & fruity flavors make them look safe.
But then I spoke to a person in recovery from 7-OH addiction, his @umich.edu doctor & others: michmed.org/MDB2g
Life-destroying addiction can start at a corner store
In this story a patient, his doctor and other Michigan Medicine experts warn of dangers of 7-OH, which is touted as a derivative of kratom and is widely available, but packs far more opioid danger.
michmed.org
February 13, 2026 at 1:48 AM
I don't usually go into smoke shops.
But I did it recently, to see how easy it'd be to buy products containing the opioid 7-OH.
Colorful packaging & fruity flavors make them look safe.
But then I spoke to a person in recovery from 7-OH addiction, his @umich.edu doctor & others: michmed.org/MDB2g
But I did it recently, to see how easy it'd be to buy products containing the opioid 7-OH.
Colorful packaging & fruity flavors make them look safe.
But then I spoke to a person in recovery from 7-OH addiction, his @umich.edu doctor & others: michmed.org/MDB2g
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Just got to be on a panel talking about #SciComm with @christenrexing.bsky.social and @karagavin.bsky.social talking to a group of researchers & community partners doing some amazing gun violence prevention work. And I got invited in part because of our podcast which I am so proud of. #GreatDay
February 13, 2026 at 8:19 PM
Just got to be on a panel talking about #SciComm with @christenrexing.bsky.social and @karagavin.bsky.social talking to a group of researchers & community partners doing some amazing gun violence prevention work. And I got invited in part because of our podcast which I am so proud of. #GreatDay
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Ok, I know promised a thread on the fascinating and important new research explaining what happened with the rare, serious side effects of AstraZeneca's and Johnson&Johnson's Covid-19 vaccines.
So, @science.org story is here and 🧪🧵 is coming:
www.science.org/content/arti...
So, @science.org story is here and 🧪🧵 is coming:
www.science.org/content/arti...
Rare, dangerous side effects of some COVID-19 vaccines explained
“Groundbreaking” study uncovers why adenovirus-based shots caused life-threatening blood clots and bleeding in some people
www.science.org
February 12, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Ok, I know promised a thread on the fascinating and important new research explaining what happened with the rare, serious side effects of AstraZeneca's and Johnson&Johnson's Covid-19 vaccines.
So, @science.org story is here and 🧪🧵 is coming:
www.science.org/content/arti...
So, @science.org story is here and 🧪🧵 is coming:
www.science.org/content/arti...
I don't usually go into smoke shops.
But I did it recently, to see how easy it'd be to buy products containing the opioid 7-OH.
Colorful packaging & fruity flavors make them look safe.
But then I spoke to a person in recovery from 7-OH addiction, his @umich.edu doctor & others: michmed.org/MDB2g
But I did it recently, to see how easy it'd be to buy products containing the opioid 7-OH.
Colorful packaging & fruity flavors make them look safe.
But then I spoke to a person in recovery from 7-OH addiction, his @umich.edu doctor & others: michmed.org/MDB2g
Life-destroying addiction can start at a corner store
In this story a patient, his doctor and other Michigan Medicine experts warn of dangers of 7-OH, which is touted as a derivative of kratom and is widely available, but packs far more opioid danger.
michmed.org
February 13, 2026 at 1:48 AM
I don't usually go into smoke shops.
But I did it recently, to see how easy it'd be to buy products containing the opioid 7-OH.
Colorful packaging & fruity flavors make them look safe.
But then I spoke to a person in recovery from 7-OH addiction, his @umich.edu doctor & others: michmed.org/MDB2g
But I did it recently, to see how easy it'd be to buy products containing the opioid 7-OH.
Colorful packaging & fruity flavors make them look safe.
But then I spoke to a person in recovery from 7-OH addiction, his @umich.edu doctor & others: michmed.org/MDB2g
Reposted by Kara Gavin
This week, Michigan launched Rx Kids Detroit, expanding a program providing cash support during pregnancy & infancy. Now in 29 communities, it’s expected to reach ~100,000 babies. Our member Sumit Agarwal leads research on RxKids' impact on health & financial outcomes: ihpi.umich.edu/news-events/...
Rx Kids’ “cash prescription” aims to give babies a stronger start
Throughout Michigan, unconditional perinatal cash support is proving to be an important public health tool, and a U-M physician-economist helps measure what it changes
ihpi.umich.edu
February 12, 2026 at 4:46 PM
This week, Michigan launched Rx Kids Detroit, expanding a program providing cash support during pregnancy & infancy. Now in 29 communities, it’s expected to reach ~100,000 babies. Our member Sumit Agarwal leads research on RxKids' impact on health & financial outcomes: ihpi.umich.edu/news-events/...
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Happy Birthday, Abe!
February 12, 2026 at 6:21 AM
Happy Birthday, Abe!
40 years ago this #ValentinesDay, the new @umich.edu hospital opened, after hundreds of staff wheeled 400+ patients from the "Old Main" hospital built in 1925 to the one we call University Hospital today.
I explore this bit of Michigan #medicalhistory in this story: michmed.org/GQx8W #histmed
I explore this bit of Michigan #medicalhistory in this story: michmed.org/GQx8W #histmed
February 11, 2026 at 3:08 PM
40 years ago this #ValentinesDay, the new @umich.edu hospital opened, after hundreds of staff wheeled 400+ patients from the "Old Main" hospital built in 1925 to the one we call University Hospital today.
I explore this bit of Michigan #medicalhistory in this story: michmed.org/GQx8W #histmed
I explore this bit of Michigan #medicalhistory in this story: michmed.org/GQx8W #histmed
Reposted by Kara Gavin
WHO Didn’t Recommend Lockdowns, Contrary to Health Officials’ Suggestions
www.factcheck.org/2026/02/who-...
www.factcheck.org/2026/02/who-...
February 10, 2026 at 3:59 PM
WHO Didn’t Recommend Lockdowns, Contrary to Health Officials’ Suggestions
www.factcheck.org/2026/02/who-...
www.factcheck.org/2026/02/who-...
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Each year, Rackham selects & funds four students in Rackham graduate programs to participate in the AAAS Catalyzing Advocacy for Science & Engineering (CASE) Workshop in Washington, D.C. to learn more about the role of science in federal policy making.
More: myumi.ch/Mkd1e
#UMich #GradSchool
More: myumi.ch/Mkd1e
#UMich #GradSchool
February 9, 2026 at 9:31 PM
Each year, Rackham selects & funds four students in Rackham graduate programs to participate in the AAAS Catalyzing Advocacy for Science & Engineering (CASE) Workshop in Washington, D.C. to learn more about the role of science in federal policy making.
More: myumi.ch/Mkd1e
#UMich #GradSchool
More: myumi.ch/Mkd1e
#UMich #GradSchool
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Immigration is important for the health and care of older Americans
👇👇👇👇👇
👇👇👇👇👇
Major news outlets: Please consider prominently reporting what this all-star team of researchers has found.
www.nber.org/papers/w34791
www.nber.org/papers/w34791
February 9, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Immigration is important for the health and care of older Americans
👇👇👇👇👇
👇👇👇👇👇
Reposted by Kara Gavin
💖 Tomorrow morning! 💖 Join us for the webinar "Disappearing Data: Monitoring Federal SOGI Data Losses and Advancing Accountability."
🗓️ Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026
🕛 Time: 10–11 a.m. ET
🔗 Register: myumi.ch/g3dmq
#SOGIdata #LoveData26 #ICPSRDataFair
🗓️ Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026
🕛 Time: 10–11 a.m. ET
🔗 Register: myumi.ch/g3dmq
#SOGIdata #LoveData26 #ICPSRDataFair
February 9, 2026 at 7:10 PM
💖 Tomorrow morning! 💖 Join us for the webinar "Disappearing Data: Monitoring Federal SOGI Data Losses and Advancing Accountability."
🗓️ Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026
🕛 Time: 10–11 a.m. ET
🔗 Register: myumi.ch/g3dmq
#SOGIdata #LoveData26 #ICPSRDataFair
🗓️ Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026
🕛 Time: 10–11 a.m. ET
🔗 Register: myumi.ch/g3dmq
#SOGIdata #LoveData26 #ICPSRDataFair
We know that big ideas in #healthcare and #healthpolicy research need big data. That's why we've brought on two more statisticians to the IHPI team, and formed a partnership with the U-M Mixed Methods Program.
Learn how IHPI members can access our services & data sets: ihpi.umich.edu/members/data...
Learn how IHPI members can access our services & data sets: ihpi.umich.edu/members/data...
Data and Methods
ihpi.umich.edu
February 10, 2026 at 12:02 PM
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Bad Bunny has a consulting historian. news.wisc.edu/pop-star-bad...
Pop star Bad Bunny needed a Puerto Rican history scholar. UW–Madison had just the one.
Bad Bunny collaborated with UW–Madison history professor Jorell Meléndez-Badillo on Puerto Rican narratives that accompany the new album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS.”
news.wisc.edu
February 9, 2026 at 4:46 AM
Bad Bunny has a consulting historian. news.wisc.edu/pop-star-bad...
It’s… so… beautiful…
And it’s got me pegged: hanging out right between the science & health journalists and the medical professionals. (Beyoncé fans are next door in case we need some tunes.)
Seriously though this is neat!
And it’s got me pegged: hanging out right between the science & health journalists and the medical professionals. (Beyoncé fans are next door in case we need some tunes.)
Seriously though this is neat!
The hopeless victims stand in the Vortex, and are suddenly shown, for the merest instant, the whole of the Universe: the whole infinity of creation, spanning over several trillion light years, and countless millennia, with an insignificant dot saying "You Are Here".
I made a map of 3.4 million Bluesky users - see if you can find yourself!
bluesky-map.theo.io
I've seen some similar projects, but IMO this seems to better capture some of the fine-grained detail
bluesky-map.theo.io
I've seen some similar projects, but IMO this seems to better capture some of the fine-grained detail
February 9, 2026 at 10:36 AM
It’s… so… beautiful…
And it’s got me pegged: hanging out right between the science & health journalists and the medical professionals. (Beyoncé fans are next door in case we need some tunes.)
Seriously though this is neat!
And it’s got me pegged: hanging out right between the science & health journalists and the medical professionals. (Beyoncé fans are next door in case we need some tunes.)
Seriously though this is neat!
Reposted by Kara Gavin
thank you bad bunny for highlighting the importance of critical power distribution infrastructure bsky.app/profile/cost...
It’s the weekend everyone, so you know what that means. Time to drink two polar seltzers and do a thread on the power transformer shortage. Without transformers, we don’t get a clean energy transition. And as energysky knows, there’s been a shortage due to covid, supply chain, & labor constraints 🔌🔋
February 9, 2026 at 1:35 AM
thank you bad bunny for highlighting the importance of critical power distribution infrastructure bsky.app/profile/cost...
The only thing more powerful than hate is love.
February 9, 2026 at 1:32 AM
The only thing more powerful than hate is love.
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Physics in action: Figure skaters pull their arms inward to spin faster, speedskaters lean dramatically without falling, and ski jumpers' tight suits control drags.
buff.ly/XJUu4w6
#WinterOlympics
buff.ly/XJUu4w6
#WinterOlympics
From ski jumping to speedskating, winter sports represent physics in action
Watching, modeling and even playing winter sports help students internalize physics concepts, including acceleration, momentum and friction.
buff.ly
February 8, 2026 at 1:07 PM
Physics in action: Figure skaters pull their arms inward to spin faster, speedskaters lean dramatically without falling, and ski jumpers' tight suits control drags.
buff.ly/XJUu4w6
#WinterOlympics
buff.ly/XJUu4w6
#WinterOlympics
Reposted by Kara Gavin
#Brain swelling is one of #measles’ side effects, and it’s happening in South #Carolina ...
| #SouthCarolina | #virus | #infections | #publichealth | By @meghanbartels.bsky.social via @sciam.bsky.social
| #SouthCarolina | #virus | #infections | #publichealth | By @meghanbartels.bsky.social via @sciam.bsky.social
Brain swelling is one of measles’ nastiest side effects, and it’s happening in South Carolina
The South Carolina measles outbreak has triggered rare but serious brain swelling in some children
www.scientificamerican.com
February 8, 2026 at 10:00 AM
#Brain swelling is one of #measles’ side effects, and it’s happening in South #Carolina ...
| #SouthCarolina | #virus | #infections | #publichealth | By @meghanbartels.bsky.social via @sciam.bsky.social
| #SouthCarolina | #virus | #infections | #publichealth | By @meghanbartels.bsky.social via @sciam.bsky.social
Watch live or later as the @detroitsymphony.bsky.social plays the Swing Symphony by Wynton Marsalis as well as a world premiere orchestral suite from the opera Omar by Michael Abels and @rhiannongiddens.bsky.social : www.youtube.com/live/sHlhotC...
MARSALIS'S SWING SYMPHONY WITH PARADISE THEATRE BIG BAND - Saturday, February 7 at 8:00PM
YouTube video by Detroit Symphony Orchestra
www.youtube.com
February 8, 2026 at 1:57 AM
Watch live or later as the @detroitsymphony.bsky.social plays the Swing Symphony by Wynton Marsalis as well as a world premiere orchestral suite from the opera Omar by Michael Abels and @rhiannongiddens.bsky.social : www.youtube.com/live/sHlhotC...
I first wrote this story about important people of color in @umich.edu #medhistory a few years ago. Now, for #BlackHistoryMonth, I expanded it, adding more on aspects of our history that deserve examination, as well as celebration.
Here it is:
www.michiganmedicine.org/news-release... #histmed
Here it is:
www.michiganmedicine.org/news-release... #histmed
Pioneers and pathbreakers: Black History milestones at Michigan Medicine
As part of the celebration and examination of U-M medical history, an overview of some of the key Black Americans who learned, taught, worked and led at the Medical School and beyond.
www.michiganmedicine.org
February 7, 2026 at 3:37 PM
I first wrote this story about important people of color in @umich.edu #medhistory a few years ago. Now, for #BlackHistoryMonth, I expanded it, adding more on aspects of our history that deserve examination, as well as celebration.
Here it is:
www.michiganmedicine.org/news-release... #histmed
Here it is:
www.michiganmedicine.org/news-release... #histmed
Sharing this just in case anyone can use it. #mentalhealth #crisis
www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/h...
www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/h...
How to help someone, or yourself, in a mental health crisis
Mental health crisis care options have grown, from the 988 suicide lifeline to behavioral health urgent care, partial hospitalization and more, as this explainer of care levels describes.
www.michiganmedicine.org
February 7, 2026 at 4:39 AM
Sharing this just in case anyone can use it. #mentalhealth #crisis
www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/h...
www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/h...
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Important paper. Schools are high-risk environments for respiratory disease transmission MAINLY because classrooms are underventilated. This problem has a workable solution - it just needs political will. Air quality is as important as water quality for public health. MT @martinmckee.bsky.social
Our paper modelling transmission risk in schools is published in Nature Communications. **The relative contribution of close-proximity contacts, shared classroom exposure and indoor air quality to respiratory virus transmission in schools** doi.org/10.1038/s414...
February 5, 2026 at 10:59 PM
Important paper. Schools are high-risk environments for respiratory disease transmission MAINLY because classrooms are underventilated. This problem has a workable solution - it just needs political will. Air quality is as important as water quality for public health. MT @martinmckee.bsky.social
This post would be perfect in modern English. Somehow having it in middle English makes it even better....
Cyberpunke dystopia was a cautionarye tale not a businesse planne
February 5, 2026 at 2:18 PM
This post would be perfect in modern English. Somehow having it in middle English makes it even better....
I'm running a session for health care researchers on writing op-eds and commentaries today at @umich.edu and just added a slide citing this...
This week on the @statnews.com First Opinion Newsletter, I wrote about how my submission inbox is like a buffet and sometimes there's way more good food than I can eat: www.statnews.com/signup/first...
Sign up for First Opinion — STAT
The smartest thinkers in life sciences on what's happening — and what's to come.
www.statnews.com
February 5, 2026 at 11:01 AM
I'm running a session for health care researchers on writing op-eds and commentaries today at @umich.edu and just added a slide citing this...