Katelyn Jetelina
kkjetelina.bsky.social
Katelyn Jetelina
@kkjetelina.bsky.social

Epidemiologist, lover of the ocean and ice cream. Mom of two toddlers. Founder of “Your Local Epidemiologist”. https//yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com

Psychology 43%
Public Health 28%
Can’t believe I have to say this, but in Minnesota you will continue to have the freedom to get your COVID and flu shots.
School shootings, brace for vaccine headlines this week, Covid-19 vaccine access, another measles death, and more.
by @kkjetelina.bsky.social
yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/school-sho...
School shootings, brace for vaccine headlines this week, Covid-19 vaccine access, another measles death, and more.
The Dose (September 15)
yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com

Physicians need to have a plan if they aren’t going to be offering vaccines to their patients.
We need a public health expert in the United States Senate to hold RFK Jr. accountable.
LIVE NOW: Join "Your Local Epidemiologist" author @kkjetelina.bsky.social for a Reddit AMA. www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comme...
From the IAmA community on Reddit: I am an epidemiologist and former Senior Advisor to three CDC Directors. Ask me anything.
Explore this post and more from the IAmA community
www.reddit.com

The amazing Dr. Deb Houry— former and recently pushed out Deputy and Chief Medical Officer of CDC— is ready to join the public conversation.

Follow her at @drdebhoury.bsky.social !!
NEW: The CDC has been in crisis for months. After the firing of its director, resignations of senior leaders, staff + experts are bracing for what could be death knell for public health credibility. Me + @laurenweberhp.bsky.social + @davidovalle.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
The CDC is falling deeper into crisis. What it means for the nation’s health.
Months of upheaval at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have undercut the agency’s work, employees said, and put the future of vaccines into doubt.
www.washingtonpost.com
Demetre Daskalakis is an absolute GOAT of modern US public health, he should be the next head of the CDC and subsequently a US senator
only so many words you can put in a headline but the whole response is loud and proud support for the trans community and worth reading
CDC employees standing up and walking out in light of the mass shootings, firings, and *waves hands in the air* everything else.

#USAnotRFK

Lets gooooo
"CDC basically imploded yesterday and now it’s truly in shambles,” said @kkjetelina.bsky.social. Also: vaccines? My latest:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
RFK Jr faces calls to quit as CDC chief fired and senior staff resign: ‘an embarrassment’
Susan Monarez’s ousting and four top resignations follow vaccine confusion, leaving US health agencies in turmoil
www.theguardian.com
The most helpful info I've found on the Covid-19 vaccine at this point, from @kkjetelina.bsky.social, particularly point 12, "What should I do right now?" I'm interested to see what our pediatrician, who is extremely pro-vaccine, has to say about this...
Covid-19 vaccine license change: 12 key questions answered
And an important note about the ousted CDC leaders
open.substack.com
STAT @statnews.com · Aug 18
“Kennedy would be less hazardous if he decided to do cardiac surgery. Then he would kill people only one at a time,” writes former CDC Director William Foege.
www.statnews.com/2025/08/18/r...
Former CDC Director William Foege: How public health can fight back in a time of dangerous nonsense
“Kennedy would be less hazardous if he decided to do cardiac surgery. Then he would kill people only one at a time,” writes former CDC Director William Foege.
www.statnews.com
@kkjetelina.bsky.social

Where "omg this is such a mess" meets "let's just press record and talk this out."

tl;dr: Fall vaccines are anything but business as usual this year and all eyes will be on independent orgs and health insurance companies.

Let's listen.

open.spotify.com/episode/4C7p...
933 - Fall Vaccine Confusion with Your Local Epidemiologist
Public Health On Call · Episode
open.spotify.com
"We are drowning in the abnormal, yet forced to carry on our 'normal' lives, living in a constant state of cognitive dissonance." @kkjetelina.bsky.social

yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/public-hea...
Public health in the face of trauma and violence
And what you can do.
yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com
“Those bullet holes are a haunting, terrible metaphor for what public health has endured over the past six months—and the past six years.” @kkjetelina.bsky.social

open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...
Bullets in the windows
Until now, it was only a metaphor.
open.substack.com
Four CDC buildings shot up. Employees under lockdown and in fear for hours. Public health is physically under attack, and the silence from the administration is deafening.
@kkjetelina.bsky.social has been my "go-to" epidemiologist for. some time now. CA peeps....she's starting a CA sub stack! You can sign up for a free weekly update here.

Your Local Epidemiologist in California yourlocalepidemiologistca.substack.com?r=9mc3r&utm_...
Your Local Epidemiologist in California | Substack
Translating the ever-changing science of public health for Californians so you can take action for your community’s health. Click to read Your Local Epidemiologist in California, a Substack publicatio...
yourlocalepidemiologistca.substack.com
Public health has a communication problem, and we need to fix it.

Excited to share our new piece in @nejm.org explaining the need to train more health communicators, with coauthors @meganranney.bsky.social, @kkjetelina.bsky.social, and @tedmelnick.bsky.social:

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Training Health Communicators — The Need for a New Approach | NEJM
To prevent the spread of inaccurate information, academic and health care institutions will need to equip scientists and clinicians to engage effectively on nontraditional media platforms.
www.nejm.org

thanks for the request! i’ll send this to my team!
It's exceedingly hard to argue that the administration & MAHA are committed to improving nutrition when they're simultaneously cutting everything from SNAP-Ed to innovative community nutrition work - cements the perception that food dyes are public health theatre.
www.healthbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Q&A: Nutrition expert discusses pioneering program terminated by USDA
Here’s a Q&A with a nutrition expert who created an after-school program for NYC middle-schoolers who take on adult responsibilities, like meal preparation. This spring, the USDA terminated it.
www.healthbeat.org
“...my biggest goal is to not turn people off that are curious… that means leading with a lot of empathy.” —
@kkjetelina.bsky.social

A powerful conversation on science, trust, and public health on Health & Veritas

🔗 insights.som.yale.edu/podcasts/hea...
#PublicHealth #ScienceCommunication
Katelyn Jetelina: A Visit from Your Local Epidemiologist
Howie and Harlan are joined by public health communicator Katelyn Jetelina for updates on COVID-19 and other issues, and to discuss how her emails to students and colleagues in the early days of the p...
insights.som.yale.edu
New Health & Veritas drops tomorrow!
We’re joined by the incredible @kkjetelina.bsky.social — epidemiologist, communicator, & author of Your Local Epidemiologist. We talk public health, trust, & translating science for millions.
@thehowie.bsky.social @yalesph.bsky.social @yalesom.bsky.social
So…what’s the latest in health research in the US?

Excellent overview from @kkjetelina.bsky.social & @sciencewhizliz.bsky.social

Watching this play out, I’ve been too sad to write much myself. I’m grateful to them for continuing to tell what’s happening

open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...
NIH: The quiet engine of science is being dismantled
And what you can do
open.substack.com
This week, @texasmonthly.bsky.social’s reporting on the floods in Kerr County has been so purposeful and so deeply empathetic. It was personal. This first person account is so, so horrific and so beautifully written.

You’ll cry very hard.
(CW: Child death.)

www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
“The River House Broke. We Rushed in the River.”
The July 4 Texas flooding ripped our Kerr County home from its pillars, pulling us into the water and into the night. Then morning came.
www.texasmonthly.com
"Instead of moving towards a health system that lifts people up—towards more prevention and better access to services, free from debt—we are moving towards one that increases bills, debt, and makes people sicker."

by @kkjetelina.bsky.social
yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/medicaid-c...
Medicaid cuts: The how and why
Plain language translation of what the heck happened and where this will go
yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com

Annnnddddd

❌Thousands of Louisianans will lose healthcare.
❌33 LA hospitals are at risk of closing
❌Thousands of children won’t get food

Seems like a real winner.
Sadly, I agree with most of this and it is nicely described and illustrated. Its clever to position the "hits" after the mid-term elections. This causes a challenge of how to describe the issue when its not being felt yet.

yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/medicaid-c...
Medicaid cuts: The how and why
Plain language translation of what the heck happened and where this will go
yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com

I tried to include good news in there too!!
Just a reminder that saying something is “Gold standard” is much easier than working to make it as good as it can possibly be