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
Reposted by Kara Gavin
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
November 11, 2025 at 1:50 AM
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Does health insurance save lives? Our member Helen Levy of @umisr.bsky.social has done original research and research reviews on this exact question and is quoted in this new @washingtonpost.com story: wapo.st/3XmmT3I
Is health insurance a matter of life and death? Scientists may have an answer.
The surprisingly tricky question stumped researchers for decades. But they think they finally have an answer.
wapo.st
November 10, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Does health insurance save lives? Our member Helen Levy of @umisr.bsky.social has done original research and research reviews on this exact question and is quoted in this new @washingtonpost.com story: wapo.st/3XmmT3I
Meanwhile, in other SNAP news: work requirements for people in their 50s and early 60s just took effects (at exactly the same time the benefits were suspended nationwide): www.aarp.org/advocacy/sna...
What to Know as SNAP Work Requirements for Older Adults Take Effect
People ages 55 to 64 now must prove they are working to receive food aid
www.aarp.org
November 10, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Meanwhile, in other SNAP news: work requirements for people in their 50s and early 60s just took effects (at exactly the same time the benefits were suspended nationwide): www.aarp.org/advocacy/sna...
Reposted by Kara Gavin
National 211 hotline calls for food assistance quadrupled in a matter of days, a magnitude typically seen during disasters www.cnn.com/2025/11/08/h...
#SNAP #shutdown #hunger
#SNAP #shutdown #hunger
National 211 hotline calls for food assistance quadrupled in a matter of days, a magnitude typically seen during disasters | CNN
Between January and mid-October 2025, calls to local 211 helplines from people seeking food pantries in their community held steady at nearly 1,000 calls per day.
www.cnn.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:34 AM
National 211 hotline calls for food assistance quadrupled in a matter of days, a magnitude typically seen during disasters www.cnn.com/2025/11/08/h...
#SNAP #shutdown #hunger
#SNAP #shutdown #hunger
Reposted by Kara Gavin
📰 @nytimes.com celebrates life & work Dr Bartlett: Robert H Bartlett, father of innovative life-support system, dies at 86. He developed extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or #ECMO, a treatment that can sustain patients whose hearts and lungs are failing, for days, weeks or longer
🖇️ bit.ly/4qKFt3b
🖇️ bit.ly/4qKFt3b
November 8, 2025 at 7:45 PM
📰 @nytimes.com celebrates life & work Dr Bartlett: Robert H Bartlett, father of innovative life-support system, dies at 86. He developed extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or #ECMO, a treatment that can sustain patients whose hearts and lungs are failing, for days, weeks or longer
🖇️ bit.ly/4qKFt3b
🖇️ bit.ly/4qKFt3b
Did you see this image go viral on your social media earlier this fall?
Come hear me give a #medicalhistory talk on Thursday night partly inspired by it!
You can drink while you listen because it's at a bar! (and will also be livestreamed) @aadl.org
Details: aadl.org/node/634398
Come hear me give a #medicalhistory talk on Thursday night partly inspired by it!
You can drink while you listen because it's at a bar! (and will also be livestreamed) @aadl.org
Details: aadl.org/node/634398
November 8, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Did you see this image go viral on your social media earlier this fall?
Come hear me give a #medicalhistory talk on Thursday night partly inspired by it!
You can drink while you listen because it's at a bar! (and will also be livestreamed) @aadl.org
Details: aadl.org/node/634398
Come hear me give a #medicalhistory talk on Thursday night partly inspired by it!
You can drink while you listen because it's at a bar! (and will also be livestreamed) @aadl.org
Details: aadl.org/node/634398
Reposted by Kara Gavin
"Food lines amid SNAP cuts are hard to challenge. Skyrocketing health insurance is hard to lie about, not when you have that bill sitting on your counter. But whether a person can take that newfound moment of questioning what they’re fed and ascertain what is going on is a question of information."
Information resilience, revisited
I'm not quite as gloomy about the state of our information environment as I was back in late January
jeremylittau.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:38 AM
"Food lines amid SNAP cuts are hard to challenge. Skyrocketing health insurance is hard to lie about, not when you have that bill sitting on your counter. But whether a person can take that newfound moment of questioning what they’re fed and ascertain what is going on is a question of information."
Reposted by Kara Gavin
UPDATE: It looks like a few other states may have beefed up their premium alignment factor more than I thought. Will explain tomorrow!
📣📣📣 NEW: If you're an #ACA enrollee living in #WASHINGTON, #ILLINOIS or #ARKANSAS (or one of several other states) and earn between 2x - 4x the federal poverty level, I have some very good news for you:
acasignups.net/25/11/06/pre...
acasignups.net/25/11/06/pre...
Premium Alignment, or how a dozen states are quietly providing ACA enrollees w/better options even in the face of expiring tax credits
I've written multiple times in the past about "Silver Loading," the ACA health insurance policy pricing strategy in which insurance carriers load the extra cost of their Cost Sharing Reduction financi...
acasignups.net
November 7, 2025 at 3:48 AM
UPDATE: It looks like a few other states may have beefed up their premium alignment factor more than I thought. Will explain tomorrow!
Reposted by Kara Gavin
This is the correct explanation of what happened tonight👇
KBJ threaded the needle thanks to CA1’s unfinished business.
-if she denied the admin stay, the full SCOTUS woulda stepped in to override her.
-if she immediately referred the case to the full Court, they coulda dragged feet.
-instead she boxed them in to act quickly once she does refer the case.
-if she denied the admin stay, the full SCOTUS woulda stepped in to override her.
-if she immediately referred the case to the full Court, they coulda dragged feet.
-instead she boxed them in to act quickly once she does refer the case.
November 8, 2025 at 3:35 AM
This is the correct explanation of what happened tonight👇
I think this gets a WTAF and a ?!?
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to stop order requiring SNAP benefits be paid
www.freep.com/story/news/p...
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to stop order requiring SNAP benefits be paid
www.freep.com/story/news/p...
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to stop order requiring SNAP benefits be paid
The Trump administration filed a last-minute appeal with the Supreme Court to not have to pay full SNAP food aid benefits to millions of Americans.
www.freep.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:38 AM
I think this gets a WTAF and a ?!?
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to stop order requiring SNAP benefits be paid
www.freep.com/story/news/p...
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to stop order requiring SNAP benefits be paid
www.freep.com/story/news/p...
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Important finding from our systematic review:
For adults 65+, choosing the right flu vaccine makes a huge difference. A Danish study from the 2024/25 season found a 17 percentage point gap between high-dose and standard flu vaccines in preventing hospitalization.
🧵
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
For adults 65+, choosing the right flu vaccine makes a huge difference. A Danish study from the 2024/25 season found a 17 percentage point gap between high-dose and standard flu vaccines in preventing hospitalization.
🧵
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Updated Evidence for Covid-19, RSV, and Influenza Vaccines for 2025–2026 | NEJM
Changes in the vaccine advisory process in the United States have disrupted immunization guidance, which reinforces the need for independent evidence review to inform decisions regarding immunizati...
www.nejm.org
November 7, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Important finding from our systematic review:
For adults 65+, choosing the right flu vaccine makes a huge difference. A Danish study from the 2024/25 season found a 17 percentage point gap between high-dose and standard flu vaccines in preventing hospitalization.
🧵
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
For adults 65+, choosing the right flu vaccine makes a huge difference. A Danish study from the 2024/25 season found a 17 percentage point gap between high-dose and standard flu vaccines in preventing hospitalization.
🧵
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
There's no home game in Ann Arbor this weekend, and the weather's looking iffy.
What better time to visit the Museum on Main Street and learn about 175 years of @umich.edu #medicalhistory?
Open 12-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Or, book a private weekday tour for your group.
Info: michmed.org/museum
What better time to visit the Museum on Main Street and learn about 175 years of @umich.edu #medicalhistory?
Open 12-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Or, book a private weekday tour for your group.
Info: michmed.org/museum
175 years of U-M medical history come alive in new exhibit
A free museum exhibit explores the medical history of the University of Michigan from 1850 to today.
michmed.org
November 7, 2025 at 2:21 PM
There's no home game in Ann Arbor this weekend, and the weather's looking iffy.
What better time to visit the Museum on Main Street and learn about 175 years of @umich.edu #medicalhistory?
Open 12-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Or, book a private weekday tour for your group.
Info: michmed.org/museum
What better time to visit the Museum on Main Street and learn about 175 years of @umich.edu #medicalhistory?
Open 12-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Or, book a private weekday tour for your group.
Info: michmed.org/museum
Absolutely spot-on piece by a @michiganstateu.bsky.social medical leader on how decades of publicly funded research led to the advances that kept Dick Cheney alive - and the potential implications of research funding decimation: www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | The science that extended Dick Cheney’s life was a choice
The biomedical research engine will create more breakthroughs — if we keep it up and running.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Absolutely spot-on piece by a @michiganstateu.bsky.social medical leader on how decades of publicly funded research led to the advances that kept Dick Cheney alive - and the potential implications of research funding decimation: www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Poverty and disability often go together
Most people have no idea how fast their life can change
One accident or illness is all it takes
Losing your health can quickly wipe out your finances, your contingencies and your support network
It’s why we need robust social supports.
Most people have no idea how fast their life can change
One accident or illness is all it takes
Losing your health can quickly wipe out your finances, your contingencies and your support network
It’s why we need robust social supports.
November 7, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Poverty and disability often go together
Most people have no idea how fast their life can change
One accident or illness is all it takes
Losing your health can quickly wipe out your finances, your contingencies and your support network
It’s why we need robust social supports.
Most people have no idea how fast their life can change
One accident or illness is all it takes
Losing your health can quickly wipe out your finances, your contingencies and your support network
It’s why we need robust social supports.
Ahead of today's news on weight loss medications and Medicare, a reminder that 2 years ago, we published poll data on older adults' feelings about Medicare coverage for GLP-1s and other options: ihpi.umich.edu/news-events/...
@loshman.bsky.social
@loshman.bsky.social
Medicare doesn’t cover obesity drugs, but 76% of older adults think it should
Poll of people aged 50 to 80 finds 63% of those who say they are overweight are interested in taking a prescription medication for weight management
ihpi.umich.edu
November 6, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Ahead of today's news on weight loss medications and Medicare, a reminder that 2 years ago, we published poll data on older adults' feelings about Medicare coverage for GLP-1s and other options: ihpi.umich.edu/news-events/...
@loshman.bsky.social
@loshman.bsky.social
It’s been so great to help @umich.edu healthcare researchers hone their communication and policy skills and crystallize their messages in our three day Boot Camp the last three years. Applications are now open! You must be a member of @um-ihpi.bsky.social
ihpi.umich.edu/members/poli...
ihpi.umich.edu/members/poli...
Impact Accelerator Program
ihpi.umich.edu
November 5, 2025 at 1:47 PM
It’s been so great to help @umich.edu healthcare researchers hone their communication and policy skills and crystallize their messages in our three day Boot Camp the last three years. Applications are now open! You must be a member of @um-ihpi.bsky.social
ihpi.umich.edu/members/poli...
ihpi.umich.edu/members/poli...
From @freep.com :
Mary Sheffield elected Detroit's next mayor, will make history as first woman to lead city
www.freep.com/story/news/p...
Mary Sheffield elected Detroit's next mayor, will make history as first woman to lead city
www.freep.com/story/news/p...
Mary Sheffield elected Detroit's next mayor, will make history as first woman to lead city
Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield made history, becoming the city's first woman mayor in an election she led from start to finish.
www.freep.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:21 AM
From @freep.com :
Mary Sheffield elected Detroit's next mayor, will make history as first woman to lead city
www.freep.com/story/news/p...
Mary Sheffield elected Detroit's next mayor, will make history as first woman to lead city
www.freep.com/story/news/p...
Reposted by Kara Gavin
The Mayor is here at hand.
November 5, 2025 at 2:14 AM
The Mayor is here at hand.
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Two new papers by our member Mark Fendrick, M.D. & industry colleagues examine key aspects of #coloncancer screening: Patient preference for initial screening options & the impact of a policy that removed patient costs for follow-up colonoscopies after stool tests: ihpi.umich.edu/news-events/...
As millions lag in colon cancer screening, new studies point to strategies to boost uptake and follow-up
More use of home-based screening is supported by findings of strong patient preference, and increased use of follow-up colonoscopy for abnormal results now that it’s free
ihpi.umich.edu
November 4, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Two new papers by our member Mark Fendrick, M.D. & industry colleagues examine key aspects of #coloncancer screening: Patient preference for initial screening options & the impact of a policy that removed patient costs for follow-up colonoscopies after stool tests: ihpi.umich.edu/news-events/...
Reposted by Kara Gavin
New on the blog! Esther Freeman from @share-uk.bsky.social explores the different ways women have used food throughout history, and how we can reframe it as a powerful political tool #womenshistory
womenshistorynetwork.org/kitchen-resi...
womenshistorynetwork.org/kitchen-resi...
Kitchen Resistance: how women used food to fight back – Esther Freeman
I’d been in the Women’s Library at LSE for hours, going through oral history transcripts in the Women Against Pit Closures collection. I’m not being hyperbolic when I say I felt close to tears. The…
womenshistorynetwork.org
November 4, 2025 at 9:09 AM
New on the blog! Esther Freeman from @share-uk.bsky.social explores the different ways women have used food throughout history, and how we can reframe it as a powerful political tool #womenshistory
womenshistorynetwork.org/kitchen-resi...
womenshistorynetwork.org/kitchen-resi...
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Fair is foul, and foul is fair
November 3, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Fair is foul, and foul is fair
They wrote about America’s past. Now their words are training the machines that might replace them. slate.trib.al/r4JsAUJ
Your Town’s Local History Books Have a Very Secret and Powerful New Buyer
Arcadia Publishing built its empire on small-town storytellers. Now it wants to sell their words to an A.I. company no one will name.
slate.trib.al
November 3, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Reposted by Kara Gavin
A reminder that less than two months ago, the Trump administration abruptly ended the federal government's 27-year practice of collecting data on hunger and food insecurity.
November 3, 2025 at 12:58 AM
A reminder that less than two months ago, the Trump administration abruptly ended the federal government's 27-year practice of collecting data on hunger and food insecurity.
Reposted by Kara Gavin
In 2017, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases began recommending exposing children to peanuts “early and often.” A @stanfordallergy.bsky.social physician shares what's happened since that recommendation. 🥜
Peanut Allergies In Kids Are Finally On The Decline
A 2017 change in guidance recommended exposing children to allergens “early and often,” likely preventing tens of thousands of allergy cases.
buff.ly
November 2, 2025 at 10:26 PM
In 2017, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases began recommending exposing children to peanuts “early and often.” A @stanfordallergy.bsky.social physician shares what's happened since that recommendation. 🥜
Reposted by Kara Gavin
Medicaid expansion in Michigan was associated with employment gains among enrollees, with those who experienced improved health reporting the largest increases in full-time work. ja.ma/48Wq4Gz
November 2, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Medicaid expansion in Michigan was associated with employment gains among enrollees, with those who experienced improved health reporting the largest increases in full-time work. ja.ma/48Wq4Gz