Cynthia K Wallace MD, MSPH, etc
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patientdoc.bsky.social
Cynthia K Wallace MD, MSPH, etc
@patientdoc.bsky.social
Infectious disease, internal medicine and palliative care doc. Ethics consultant. News junkie (recovering). Opinions here are my own.
Trump’s paltry Get Out The Vote campaign…

🎁 article 👉 www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/o...
Opinion | Pardon Me. I Am Not Done Committing Crimes.
www.nytimes.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Always amazed that people will accept really high end healthcare (transplants, heart surgery, artificial valves and joints, pacemakers) from us, then think that vaccines are a con job by us.

Why would we save you to intentionally hurt you?

🎁 article 👉
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/w...
How Canada Lost Decades of Progress in Fighting Measles
www.nytimes.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:47 PM
The Trump admin cure for too expensive housing? Raise the cost but hide the price…

www.wsj.com/personal-fin...
Will a 50-Year Mortgage Make Homes More Affordable? Here’s How It Would Work.
A mortgage this long would reduce a home buyer’s monthly payments, but the interest owed would be much higher.
www.wsj.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:12 PM
She loves some MNF…
November 11, 2025 at 3:56 AM
Reposted by Cynthia K Wallace MD, MSPH, etc
That means SNAP beneficiaries in these blue states now have money to buy groceries.
I'm not aware of any red states that got SNAP money out during the brief window where court had greenlit sending funds. (Tell me if I've missed any though.)
November 8, 2025 at 7:35 PM
The commitment to hurting people is stunning, if not surprising…
Undo? Would that involve pulling back payments?
cnn.com CNN @cnn.com · 5d
USDA orders states to stop paying full SNAP benefits and "immediately undo" steps taken to issue them for November. Follow live updates.
https://cnn.it/47LOq3z
November 9, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Completely agree - much of our populace is held hostage by healthcare needs and has to make employment and other decisions based on whether healthcare will be affordable.

This is nuts in a wealthy, developed country.

www.theguardian.com/business/202...
I’m as capitalist as they get but Medicare for all is the best hope for US healthcare | Gene Marks
With the US government shut down over impending rises to insurance premiums it’s clear the status quo cannot continue
www.theguardian.com
November 9, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Reposted by Cynthia K Wallace MD, MSPH, etc
A PIV bundle based on best evidence demonstrated promising results in reducing catheter-associated phlebitis & SAB…

- hand hygiene
- aseptic technique
- timely removal
- transparent dressings
- line extensions

SAB reduced 41%, phlebitis reduced 14-28%. #IDSky
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Implementation of a Peripheral Intravenous Catheter Bundle to Reduce Phlebitis and Hospital-Onset Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia: A Quality Improvement Project
Peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) are widely used in hospitals and account for up to one-third of hospital-onset Staphylococcus aureus bacterem…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Reposted by Cynthia K Wallace MD, MSPH, etc
With UW’s Dr Paul Pottinger and others, new discussion re: fostering ID advocacy in ID fellowship.

They note:
Policies with a negative impact on ID clinical care, public health, & research underscore the importance of mobilizing the field of ID to advocacy

academic.oup.com/ofid/advance... #IDSky
Amplifying Our Voices: Fostering Advocacy in Infectious Diseases Fellowship
This white paper, devised from the Infectious Diseases Society of America's National Training Program Director annual meeting, outlines practical strategie
academic.oup.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Reposted by Cynthia K Wallace MD, MSPH, etc
#IDSky
Reminded of the ActUp slogan, silence = death.

Lack of knowledge hampers our ability to meaningfully intervene and reduce burden of illness, including mortality.
A major loss for everyone trying to understand how to prevent respiratory viruses and other major pathogens worldwide.

Sharing data assures we are prepared.

Now we are not
On Oct 1, 2025, GISAID informed us that they had ended updates to the flat file of SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences and associated metadata that we had used to update Nextstrain analyses since Feb 2020. GISAID's stated rationale was that their "resources are limited". 1/5
November 7, 2025 at 8:15 PM
A particular interest of mine now - the passion of the convert, years in IM practice and I did not realize how important this problem was …
AALs complicate first-line prescribing and delay time to effective antibiotics. Consequently, allergy assessment is critical component of ID & AMS practice. Evidence-based frameworks guide risk stratification, safe delabeling, and informed prescribing. #IDSky

academic.oup.com/cid/article/...
Executive Summary: State-of-the-Art Review: Antibiotic Allergy—A Multidisciplinary Approach to Delabeling
Antibiotic allergy labels (AALs), especially to beta-lactams, remain highly prevalent across healthcare systems. In high-income countries, up to 11.5% of a
academic.oup.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Reposted by Cynthia K Wallace MD, MSPH, etc
Great UW Medicine Grand Rounds today with UW ID’s Dr Jen Ross, winner of this year’s Fialkow Award which recognizes the outstanding achievements of junior faculty in medicine in research, teaching, clinical work & academic citizenship.

Congratulations Dr Ross and thanks for an awesome talk! #IDSky
November 7, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Trump administration shuts down air travel just prior to the holidays to make point that they don’t want you to have affordable healthcare.

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Flight Cancellations Could Rise to 20% if Government Shutdown Continues
As the air-traffic controllers miss paychecks, more might start to miss their shifts, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
www.wsj.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:25 AM
So weird that in a country of laws, we appear to have no real enforcement mechanisms when the gov’t simply breaks them…

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Anonymous Donor Gives $130 Million to Pay Troops During Shutdown, Pentagon Says
Servicemembers were expected to miss their first full paychecks in mid-October.
www.wsj.com
October 24, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Reposted by Cynthia K Wallace MD, MSPH, etc
“Advocacy is the antidote for depression”, Dr Melanie Thompson… #IDWeek #IDSky

www.idsociety.org/science-spea...
October 21, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Reposted by Cynthia K Wallace MD, MSPH, etc
Advocacy is not just for ID leadership - wherever you are in your training, you can advocate with what you know. #IDSA and #HIVMA are there to help!

UW ID Fellow, Dr Jerrica Werner, explains… #IDWeek #IDSky @idsainfo.bsky.social @hivma.bsky.social
October 21, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Reposted by Cynthia K Wallace MD, MSPH, etc
UW pharmacist, Dr Whitney Hartlage, presenting on non-severe CAP, asking the very good question, “do we really need to add empirical atypical coverage routinely?”

Spoiler alert, the data suggests “No”

#IDWeek #IDSky
October 21, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by Cynthia K Wallace MD, MSPH, etc
Prolonged applause for Dr Demetri Daskalakis, formerly of the CDC, winner of the HIV Medical Association Transformative Leader Award… #IDSky #IDWeek #IDStrong
October 19, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Reposted by Cynthia K Wallace MD, MSPH, etc
Paige Alexander, CEO of The Carter Center, giving us a window into the work of The Carter Center, and also insight into how private foundations can rise to the occasion for public health funding during these insecure times… #IDSKy #IDWeek #IDStrong
October 19, 2025 at 9:10 PM
May Susan Collins learn *her* lesson… (don’t support authoritarians in a democracy)

www.wsj.com/politics/ele...
Susan Collins Could Face Toughest Re-Election Fight Yet
Maine’s Democratic Gov. Janet Mills officially launched her bid for Senate.
www.wsj.com
October 14, 2025 at 2:32 PM