Fil Bednar
@filbednar.bsky.social
Father/husband, GI cancer surgeon, science enthusiast and occasional practitioner. Cancer sucks. Stochastic noise rules. Current abode: University of Michigan.
Some tremendous photography on this site showing the everyday beauty around us. We make the world around us, so I will try to contribute in my own little way…
This is not the Carribean, Fiji, or the Med. This is southwest Michigan!
This is not the Carribean, Fiji, or the Med. This is southwest Michigan!
October 19, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Some tremendous photography on this site showing the everyday beauty around us. We make the world around us, so I will try to contribute in my own little way…
This is not the Carribean, Fiji, or the Med. This is southwest Michigan!
This is not the Carribean, Fiji, or the Med. This is southwest Michigan!
Reposted by Fil Bednar
Activity of most genes is controlled by multiple enhancers, but is there activation coordinated? We leveraged Nanopore to identify a specific set of elements that are simultaneously accessible on the same DNA molecules and are coordinated in their activation. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
August 18, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Activity of most genes is controlled by multiple enhancers, but is there activation coordinated? We leveraged Nanopore to identify a specific set of elements that are simultaneously accessible on the same DNA molecules and are coordinated in their activation. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Fil Bednar
🚨 Last week to apply for AAS Student Travel Awards!
Both awards provide travel funding to attend the AAS Annual Meeting, connect with leaders in the field, and advance your academic surgery career.
📅 Deadline: September 5, 2025
Don’t miss your chance! Apply today: www.aasurg.org/awards/stude...
Both awards provide travel funding to attend the AAS Annual Meeting, connect with leaders in the field, and advance your academic surgery career.
📅 Deadline: September 5, 2025
Don’t miss your chance! Apply today: www.aasurg.org/awards/stude...
September 1, 2025 at 1:54 PM
🚨 Last week to apply for AAS Student Travel Awards!
Both awards provide travel funding to attend the AAS Annual Meeting, connect with leaders in the field, and advance your academic surgery career.
📅 Deadline: September 5, 2025
Don’t miss your chance! Apply today: www.aasurg.org/awards/stude...
Both awards provide travel funding to attend the AAS Annual Meeting, connect with leaders in the field, and advance your academic surgery career.
📅 Deadline: September 5, 2025
Don’t miss your chance! Apply today: www.aasurg.org/awards/stude...
Reposted by Fil Bednar
What to do with carcinoid crisis? 🦓
A frequent concern for patients with #NETs having surgery
We put together an international 🌎🌍🌏 multidisciplinary expert consensus statement
📢 Now open for feedback!
Sign-up here 🔗 surveymonkey.com/r/periopcarc...
📆 Open until March 3rd!
A frequent concern for patients with #NETs having surgery
We put together an international 🌎🌍🌏 multidisciplinary expert consensus statement
📢 Now open for feedback!
Sign-up here 🔗 surveymonkey.com/r/periopcarc...
📆 Open until March 3rd!
February 14, 2025 at 1:19 AM
What to do with carcinoid crisis? 🦓
A frequent concern for patients with #NETs having surgery
We put together an international 🌎🌍🌏 multidisciplinary expert consensus statement
📢 Now open for feedback!
Sign-up here 🔗 surveymonkey.com/r/periopcarc...
📆 Open until March 3rd!
A frequent concern for patients with #NETs having surgery
We put together an international 🌎🌍🌏 multidisciplinary expert consensus statement
📢 Now open for feedback!
Sign-up here 🔗 surveymonkey.com/r/periopcarc...
📆 Open until March 3rd!
Reposted by Fil Bednar
Having funded teams/contracts that required six figure+ funds a few times now, these numbers SOUND really huge in isolation to normal folks but they're not! Don't make floating numbers! I like to say things like this: "A cancer lab is basically a small business, with many jobs created by each grant"
Earth & Life Sciences Academics communicating the new EO about indirect rates, imma need you to improve yer messaging- maybe don't say "If I get a million dollar grant, my uni gets another $700k to keep the lights on & water running" bc isn't going to get the traction you think it is-
a woman in a floral dress is sitting in front of a sign that says chuckles in rich .
ALT: a woman in a floral dress is sitting in front of a sign that says chuckles in rich .
media.tenor.com
February 8, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Having funded teams/contracts that required six figure+ funds a few times now, these numbers SOUND really huge in isolation to normal folks but they're not! Don't make floating numbers! I like to say things like this: "A cancer lab is basically a small business, with many jobs created by each grant"
Kluivert is on fire! Cherries FTW again! #afcbournemouth #premierleague
January 18, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Kluivert is on fire! Cherries FTW again! #afcbournemouth #premierleague
War Cherries FTW!!! #FAcup #AFCBournemouth
January 11, 2025 at 4:55 PM
War Cherries FTW!!! #FAcup #AFCBournemouth
Hot take (or lukewarm…): with “AI” models predicting all sorts of genome/chromatin phenomena, it’s important to remember that these are still models! Experimental validation remains hard and is still key!
#GeneRegulation #GeneSky #Chromatin
#GeneRegulation #GeneSky #Chromatin
January 9, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Hot take (or lukewarm…): with “AI” models predicting all sorts of genome/chromatin phenomena, it’s important to remember that these are still models! Experimental validation remains hard and is still key!
#GeneRegulation #GeneSky #Chromatin
#GeneRegulation #GeneSky #Chromatin
Reposted by Fil Bednar
Yes it's important people understand a preprint hasn't been peer-reviewed. BUT it's also important to understand that what "peer-reviewed" means varies considerably, in some cases signifying nothing... www.science.org/content/arti...
Preprints often make news. Many people don’t know what they are
The public needs context about unreviewed manuscripts, survey suggests
www.science.org
January 8, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Yes it's important people understand a preprint hasn't been peer-reviewed. BUT it's also important to understand that what "peer-reviewed" means varies considerably, in some cases signifying nothing... www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Fil Bednar
1/Happy new year from the Metastasis Research Society!
As we close out 2024, here are some additional studies that have shaped our understanding of metastasis biology this year. 🧵...
As we close out 2024, here are some additional studies that have shaped our understanding of metastasis biology this year. 🧵...
December 31, 2024 at 4:32 PM
1/Happy new year from the Metastasis Research Society!
As we close out 2024, here are some additional studies that have shaped our understanding of metastasis biology this year. 🧵...
As we close out 2024, here are some additional studies that have shaped our understanding of metastasis biology this year. 🧵...
Reposted by Fil Bednar
For anyone reading blogs over the holiday: Despite claims that the lecture is (or should be) dead, we'll still be doing it for the foreseeable future. So, we might as well do it well. Some tips based on my career of gradually sucking less: scientistseessquirre...
Lightening up the lecture
I write occasional commissioned pieces for Jobs.ac.uk, and today I’m mostly pointing you to my latest one over there. The lecture gets a bad rap. It’s pretty easy to find essays deploring the whole…
scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com
December 23, 2024 at 1:36 PM
For anyone reading blogs over the holiday: Despite claims that the lecture is (or should be) dead, we'll still be doing it for the foreseeable future. So, we might as well do it well. Some tips based on my career of gradually sucking less: scientistseessquirre...
Reposted by Fil Bednar
Bluetorial: Mentors III The tall chemist from Nantucket
My PhD thesis advisor was a great synthetic chemist and a true scholar. He gave me freedom to pursue my dissertation research. Lots of chemistry today. And a surprising and somewhat distressing ending.
My PhD thesis advisor was a great synthetic chemist and a true scholar. He gave me freedom to pursue my dissertation research. Lots of chemistry today. And a surprising and somewhat distressing ending.
a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on
ALT: a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on
media.tenor.com
December 22, 2024 at 8:34 AM
Bluetorial: Mentors III The tall chemist from Nantucket
My PhD thesis advisor was a great synthetic chemist and a true scholar. He gave me freedom to pursue my dissertation research. Lots of chemistry today. And a surprising and somewhat distressing ending.
My PhD thesis advisor was a great synthetic chemist and a true scholar. He gave me freedom to pursue my dissertation research. Lots of chemistry today. And a surprising and somewhat distressing ending.
Reposted by Fil Bednar
only just learned that using "from:me" in the search bar along with whatever phrases you're looking for is the way to look for posts on here that were made by you and I feel like I'm not the only one who didn't realize that and would probably be glad to know such a function exists
December 19, 2024 at 2:06 AM
only just learned that using "from:me" in the search bar along with whatever phrases you're looking for is the way to look for posts on here that were made by you and I feel like I'm not the only one who didn't realize that and would probably be glad to know such a function exists
Commencing the FA portion of FAFO. To be soon followed by … FO, of course!
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
Louisiana forbids public health workers from promoting COVID, flu and mpox shots
An NPR investigation found Louisiana health officials told staff to stop promoting vaccines for COVID, flu and mpox, holding flu shot events or otherwise encouraging the public to get those vaccines.
www.npr.org
December 20, 2024 at 2:11 PM
Commencing the FA portion of FAFO. To be soon followed by … FO, of course!
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
All sorts of winning happening this morning in my office! Thanks to the unnamed journal sending a friendly SECOND notice for a review of a manuscript, which isn’t due until a week from today! Gee, I almost forgot after the first one…
(Narrator: he didn’t forget…)
(Narrator: he didn’t forget…)
December 12, 2024 at 3:24 PM
All sorts of winning happening this morning in my office! Thanks to the unnamed journal sending a friendly SECOND notice for a review of a manuscript, which isn’t due until a week from today! Gee, I almost forgot after the first one…
(Narrator: he didn’t forget…)
(Narrator: he didn’t forget…)
Wanna talk about why patients and doctors are angry and tired of health insurance companies? I just spent 15 minutes of my day across two phone calls with two humans and one robot to appeal a denial of a CT scan for a cancer patient. The CT is a standard of care in their case. 1/2
December 12, 2024 at 3:10 PM
Wanna talk about why patients and doctors are angry and tired of health insurance companies? I just spent 15 minutes of my day across two phone calls with two humans and one robot to appeal a denial of a CT scan for a cancer patient. The CT is a standard of care in their case. 1/2
Reposted by Fil Bednar
One thing that all professors have in common in that we weren't trained for our jobs.
Now that I've been doing this for a few decades, I'm starting an occasional series called Professor School. It's not advice, just bunch of ideas and information to make things easier.
🧪
Now that I've been doing this for a few decades, I'm starting an occasional series called Professor School. It's not advice, just bunch of ideas and information to make things easier.
🧪
Professor School: Writing recommendation letters
Because we were never trained for this job
open.substack.com
December 9, 2024 at 11:13 PM
One thing that all professors have in common in that we weren't trained for our jobs.
Now that I've been doing this for a few decades, I'm starting an occasional series called Professor School. It's not advice, just bunch of ideas and information to make things easier.
🧪
Now that I've been doing this for a few decades, I'm starting an occasional series called Professor School. It's not advice, just bunch of ideas and information to make things easier.
🧪
💯 yes!
I participated in a faculty panel a few weeks ago in which senior (ahem) faculty gave advice on careers in academia by pretending luck had very little to do with our success. One piece of advice riled me up, in which it was argued that a reason for their success was their ability to say no. 1/
December 9, 2024 at 9:08 PM
💯 yes!
Wow!
Dr. Brian Druker is a giant of #oncology, and one of the #cancerresearch physician-scientist leaders I admire most. I was fortunate to meet him very early in my career and hear sage advice on navigating life and science. I appreciate his stand for integrity.
www.oregonlive.com/health/2024/...
www.oregonlive.com/health/2024/...
Dr. Brian Druker, head of OHSU’s Knight Cancer Institute, steps down: ‘We have ... forgotten our mission’
Dr. Brian Druker is known for his pioneering cancer research and development of leukemia drug Gleevec.
www.oregonlive.com
December 4, 2024 at 9:34 PM
Wow!
Cool analysis of large public scRNA-seq datasets and how stringent our approaches should be to scRNA-seq quality control.
The DropletQC paper from 2021 may not currently have as many citations as expected, but the idea is sound and good ideas stand the test of time. This work supports this notion!
The DropletQC paper from 2021 may not currently have as many citations as expected, but the idea is sound and good ideas stand the test of time. This work supports this notion!
Not checking nuclear markers like MALAT1 or intronic reads in your scRNA-seq data?🚨
We show their power to flag low-quality cells—even in top public datasets. It’s time to prioritize better QC for cleaner, more reliable genomics research!
Read more: bmcgenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
1/8
High content of nuclei-free low-quality cells in reference single-cell atlases: a call for more stringent quality control using nuclear fraction - BMC Genomics
The advent of droplet-based single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) has dramatically increased data throughput, enabling the release of a diverse array of tissue cell atlases to the public. However, we...
bmcgenomics.biomedcentral.com
December 4, 2024 at 1:13 AM
Cool analysis of large public scRNA-seq datasets and how stringent our approaches should be to scRNA-seq quality control.
The DropletQC paper from 2021 may not currently have as many citations as expected, but the idea is sound and good ideas stand the test of time. This work supports this notion!
The DropletQC paper from 2021 may not currently have as many citations as expected, but the idea is sound and good ideas stand the test of time. This work supports this notion!
Reposted by Fil Bednar
1/23 Big news for the #ObenaufLab! So excited to finally share our new study providing another puzzle piece, why immunotherapy fails in many tumors, now out in @Nature 🧵👇 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
November 27, 2024 at 5:58 PM
1/23 Big news for the #ObenaufLab! So excited to finally share our new study providing another puzzle piece, why immunotherapy fails in many tumors, now out in @Nature 🧵👇 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Fil Bednar
The danger theory of immunity strikes back... rdcu.be/d1uQN
November 26, 2024 at 6:13 PM
The danger theory of immunity strikes back... rdcu.be/d1uQN
Reposted by Fil Bednar
Starter packs are fab, but skew towards established folks
Cue intros into all the amazing people in our lab… give them a follow 🚶
First up Marzia Munafo. Leading a spectacular oocyte epigenomics project (watch this space 👀) and science illustrator extraordinaire. Check out the beautiful works 👇👇
Cue intros into all the amazing people in our lab… give them a follow 🚶
First up Marzia Munafo. Leading a spectacular oocyte epigenomics project (watch this space 👀) and science illustrator extraordinaire. Check out the beautiful works 👇👇
Time for an new intro under these skies 🔵
I’m a molecular biologist (currently postdoc-ing at EMBL) & also a science illustrator - taking your scientific discoveries and turning them into unconventional, colourful and creative illustrations! ✨ #sciart #scicomm
more at www.munafomarzia.com
I’m a molecular biologist (currently postdoc-ing at EMBL) & also a science illustrator - taking your scientific discoveries and turning them into unconventional, colourful and creative illustrations! ✨ #sciart #scicomm
more at www.munafomarzia.com
November 28, 2024 at 9:56 PM
Starter packs are fab, but skew towards established folks
Cue intros into all the amazing people in our lab… give them a follow 🚶
First up Marzia Munafo. Leading a spectacular oocyte epigenomics project (watch this space 👀) and science illustrator extraordinaire. Check out the beautiful works 👇👇
Cue intros into all the amazing people in our lab… give them a follow 🚶
First up Marzia Munafo. Leading a spectacular oocyte epigenomics project (watch this space 👀) and science illustrator extraordinaire. Check out the beautiful works 👇👇
Reposted by Fil Bednar
@sproullab.bsky.social has made chromatin starter packs!
November 27, 2024 at 8:50 AM
@sproullab.bsky.social has made chromatin starter packs!