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pippa-matt.bsky.social
Philippa Matthews
@pippa-matt.bsky.social
2K followers 2.1K following 220 posts
Professor of infectious diseases working across continents & disciplines.
#HBV #hepatitis research @Crick.ac.uk & @UCL.ac.uk
https://www.crick.ac.uk/research/labs/philippa-matthews
🦠🧬🧪🩺🌍🇿🇦🇰🇪🇺🇬
#globalhealth #NHS #IDSky #MedSky #HepSky #European
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pippa-matt.bsky.social
Philippa Matthews @pippa-matt.bsky.social · Sep 18
"If you think research is expensive, try disease!"
🧪 #NIH #CDC #PEPFAR #NIHR @who.int
princess-vimentin.bsky.social Princess Vimentin PhD | Cancer Biologist @princess-vimentin.bsky.social · May 11
🧪Did you know that America is known for its cancer research b/c of the National Cancer Act in 1971 signed by Nixon. Mary Lasker took her cause to congress and the American public as a leading proponent of the National Cancer Act. She said, "If you think research is expensive, try disease!"
Letter to Mary Lasker from Richard Nixon dated Jan 11 1972. Regarding the signing of the National Cancer Act of 1971. https://laskerfoundation.org/the-promise-of-the-cancer-moonshot/
pippa-matt.bsky.social
📢 OPEN CALL for applications from early career group leaders… join this brilliant institute which provides a platform for #science without boundaries. All disciplines welcome incl clinician scientists
🧫🔭🔬🧬🧪🩺🩻🦠🌍 @crick.ac.uk
www.crick.ac.uk/careers-stud... #career #PostDoc #STEM #research #funding
Early career group leaders
We appoint researchers from across biology and biomedicine to set up their first groups at the Crick.
www.crick.ac.uk
November 10, 2025 at 10:28 AM
pippa-matt.bsky.social
No words wasted in this headline: "Bleeding to death: the #science & #technology growth emergency". #Visa hostility holds us all back. Far-reaching implications for economy, equity, excellence & ethics.
🧪
@houseoflords.parliament.uk
#STEM #UK #research
publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5901/ld...
November 9, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Reposted by Philippa Matthews
markusdeserno.bsky.social
The “canonical” story how Rosalind Franklin got wronged by Watson and Crick inadvertently makes her look far less scientifically competent than she was (“She did not realize the significance of her own data!”). This article offers a much more nuanced account of what happened.
What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.
www.nature.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Reposted by Philippa Matthews
drhigginsmd.bsky.social
PAHO meets this week to decide if we’ve lost measles elimination status. I warned in this interview that we’re marching toward that threshold—and getting this close signals widening vaccination gaps and eroding public health capacity.

🔗 www.scientificamerican.com/article/meas...

#Vaccines #Measles
North America May Soon No Longer Be Officially Measles-Free, Experts Say
A meeting of the Pan American Health Organization this week will address the resurgence of measles in the Americas
www.scientificamerican.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:45 PM
pippa-matt.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Yes this is happening in the NHS… and yes it’s also happening in schools, on buses, in cafes, at sports events and on the street. Nowhere is immune. Frightening times.
#racism #UK #NHS
NHS staff bearing brunt as ‘ugly’ racism of 70s and 80s returns, says Streeting
Exclusive: Health secretary and NHS England chief warn of winter pressures and rising levels of abuse
www.theguardian.com
November 4, 2025 at 10:45 PM
pippa-matt.bsky.social
End of #USAID part of the ebb and flow of misplaced global health interventions? No doubt the abrupt termination of programmes is a disaster, but what comes next, & can the global community work to support local solutions?
#MedSky #Ebola #HIV #PublicHealth 🧪

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
‘They take the money and go’: why not everyone is mourning the end of USAID
The long read: When Donald Trump set about dismantling USAID, many around the world were shocked. But on the ground in Sierra Leone, the latest betrayal was not unexpected
www.theguardian.com
November 4, 2025 at 10:42 PM
pippa-matt.bsky.social
Community engagement in #Kilifi #Kenya to understand experiences & barriers to care for people living with #hepatitis #HBV in #Africa.

@lou-downs.bsky.social
@wellcometrust.bsky.social
@ndm.ox.ac.uk
@kemriwellcome.bsky.social
#MedSky #IDSky #stigma #NoHep 🧪

journals.plos.org/globalpublic...
“It would be better for those of us who have the disease not to be ashamed”: Insights from people living with chronic hepatitis B virus infection and healthcare workers providing HBV care in Kilifi, K...
Chronic hepatitis B infection (CHB) causes over 1 million deaths annually, with a large burden of morbidity and mortality in the WHO-African Region (WHO-AFRO) where <5% of people are diagnosed and 0.2...
journals.plos.org
November 3, 2025 at 8:10 PM
pippa-matt.bsky.social
‘Why #trains feel unsafe’. I agree… but should also note my commute feels unsafe *every day* with 10-15 people, plus luggage, bikes, dogs crammed into the link space between carriages. A disaster waiting to happen. I have raised concerns. Customer services don’t reply. #ChilternRail
@theipaper.com
November 3, 2025 at 8:02 PM
pippa-matt.bsky.social
#Cholera is spreading fast.
As for so many infectious diseases, we do have the tools to intervene… but poverty, neglect, disasters, and lack of real political buy-in perpetuate an epidemic ecosystem.
@who.int
@drtedros.who.int
#MedSky #IDSky #EpiSky 🧪

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
Cholera is spreading fast, yet it can be stopped. Why haven’t we consigned it to history? | Hakainde Hichilema and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Vaccine production must be expanded to combat this ancient disease, especially in Africa, but a lack of political will is holding us back
www.theguardian.com
October 25, 2025 at 9:41 PM
pippa-matt.bsky.social
#Treatment of #hepatitisB infection: huge consortium effort via the Health Informatics Collaborative. 🧪
#NHS data to inform clinical care, public health practice, funding & policy. #MedSky #HBV #NoHep
@nihr.bsky.social @ouhospitals.bsky.social
hic.nihr.ac.uk/viral-hepati...
doi.org/10.1111/jvh....
Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Treatment Eligibility in the UK: Retrospective Longitudinal Cohort Data to Explore the Impact of Changes in Clinical Guidelines
Nucleos/tide analogue (NA) drugs are used for long-term treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, with treatment eligibility criteria changing rapidly amidst globally evolving clinical ....
doi.org
October 23, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Reposted by Philippa Matthews
healthcare-global.bsky.social
www.statnews.com/2025/10/21/c...
NEJM and public health group are launching rival to CDC’s MMWR publication
Two institutions are coming together to create an alternative to the CDC’s vaunted Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
www.statnews.com
October 22, 2025 at 5:39 AM
pippa-matt.bsky.social
All opportunities to develop and share robust evidence to help us enhance progress towards #elimination of viral #hepatitis should be welcomed! Note special issue of #BMCInfectiousDiseases planned for 2026.
#HepSky #MedSky #GastroSky #IDSky 🧪
isaacthomshawa.bsky.social Dr Isaac Thom Shawa @isaacthomshawa.bsky.social · 21d
CALL FOR PAPERS

BMC Infectious Diseases – Special Collection
Hepatitis Virus Infections and Treatment

Guest Editors: Dr Sofia Bartlett & Dr Isaac Thom Shawa

Now accepting submissions.
🗓️ Deadline: 30 June 2026
🔗 Submit here: www.biomedcentral.com/collections/...
Call for papers - Hepatitis virus infections and treatment
www.biomedcentral.com
October 22, 2025 at 6:23 AM
pippa-matt.bsky.social
Even a one year pause in #PEPFAR funding predicted to cause >10,000 new #HIV infections over 5 years in #Africa. As always, vulnerable groups hit hardest… but impact for us all.
@wellcometrust.bsky.social
@who.int
#LancetHIV
#FundingCuts
#MedSky #IDSky 🧪

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
The impact of cuts in the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief funding for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis in sub-Saharan Africa: a modelling study
In January, 2025, the US Government issued a directive, pausing all foreign aid programmes. This directive included a 90-day pausing of all US Preside…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 18, 2025 at 12:06 PM
pippa-matt.bsky.social
What has happened to your site @figshare.com? Our collections used to be a lovely summary with thumbnails but all that nice formatting has vanished.
Old / new views shown as screenshots.
No response from help desk.
Is anyone else having problems?
#figshare #openaccess #publishing 🧪
Screenshot showing thumbnails on figshare Screenshot showing loss of formatting
October 18, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Reposted by Philippa Matthews
gavinyamey.bsky.social
In our new piece in @bmj.com, @michaeldgreen.com & I argue that diversity matters when it comes to medical school admission not only for fairness, equality, & equity but also because research shows that population health outcomes are better with a diverse medical workforce

A matter of life & death
healthbegins.bsky.social HealthBegins @healthbegins.bsky.social · 28d
"[DEI] policies are not just about providing fair opportunities to all students. They are a matter of life and death."

Trump’s war on diversity in medical education could shorten Americans’ lives www.bmj.com/content/391/... by @gavinyamey.bsky.social @michaeldgreen.com via @bmj.com
www.bmj.com
October 15, 2025 at 12:41 AM
pippa-matt.bsky.social
Triple #elimination is possible - we have the tools to prevent vertical transmission of #HBV, #HIV & #syphilis.
Congratulations to #Maldives on doing it, evidencing it & maintaining it... hoping more will follow your lead.
🇲🇻 🧪
#PaedSky #PedSky #MedSky #PMTCT #IDSky
@who.int @sdgactioncampaign.org
World Health Organization statement: Maldives achieves historic 'triple elimination' of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B, HIV and syphilis.
October 14, 2025 at 9:53 PM
pippa-matt.bsky.social
Why invest in #Health #Science?
#ETHICS, #EXCELLENCE, and #ECONOMICS.
Link in thread.
@bmj.com
🧪
Screenshot from the BMJ: A narrative has been developed that presents international investment in health sciences as a luxury, an irrelevance, or a frivolous act of unilateral generosity that will never be reciprocated. The truth is that such investment is fundamental to protect and preserve health and humanity, to redress inequity, to develop and maintain skills, expertise and impact, to bolster struggling economies, and to strengthen national influence in a turbulent political ecosystem.
October 14, 2025 at 9:47 PM
pippa-matt.bsky.social
UK and international aid cuts are fuelling a worldwide health crisis: so how can we push back?

Some questions and reflections here:
www.bmj.com/content/390/...

#GlobalHealth #MedSky #EpiSky #FundingCuts #NIH #NIHR @who.int @uclnews.bsky.social @crick.ac.uk
🧪
October 14, 2025 at 2:59 PM
pippa-matt.bsky.social
#PANDAS: An #inflammatory or #autoimmune syndrome that is poorly understood: we need urgent #research, clinical pathways, education & multidisiplinry collaboration.
Who is leading? Where is the funding?
#PANS #immunology #MedSky #PaedSky #PedSky
🧪
sunlightlater.substack.com/p/one-year-o...
One Year On: Our PANDAS Journey
What happens when your child vanishes into an illness no one believes in.
sunlightlater.substack.com
October 13, 2025 at 8:51 AM
pippa-matt.bsky.social
The problem is: unscrupulous people tick the boxes, fill in more forms, & get their work published, while decades of meticulously collected population data get thrown out by the publishers because those who stick to rules aren’t willing to scissor through the red tape (I know because I’m in there) 🧪
October 9, 2025 at 8:39 PM
pippa-matt.bsky.social
Early career group leader positions are open @crick.ac.uk.
Diverse #science being done across many fields, all under one roof but with global connections, from molecules to patients to policy.
🧪🔬🧬🦠🌍💊🩺💉⚛️⚗️
crick.ac.uk The Francis Crick Institute @crick.ac.uk · Oct 9
We're now recruiting early career group leaders at the Crick to lead ambitious research programmes and explore bold scientific questions.

Hear our Director, Edith Heard, explain why the Crick is a unique place for curiosity-driven research.

Apply now ➡️ www.crick.ac.uk/careers-stud...
October 9, 2025 at 2:54 PM
pippa-matt.bsky.social
The impact of cutting #ClinicalTrials - yes this is certainly very bad for investigators & #patients… but also for #biotech, drug development, #academia, training & scientific progress, global collaboration, economic health, and so, in fact, all of our futures. 🧪 #MedSky @naturemedicine.bsky.social
‘When clinical trials are suddenly halted… there are repercussions for investigators and patients, and they do not stop at borders’
October 8, 2025 at 7:41 AM
pippa-matt.bsky.social
The number of people known to be living with #HBV is reported to have tripled in some areas of #SouthAfrica… as indeed in the #UK through routine screening of #NHS #EmergencyDepartment attendees. Increasing #diagnosis is essential to provide linkage to care & life-saving treatment.
🧪 #hepatitis
October 8, 2025 at 7:25 AM
pippa-matt.bsky.social
This is interesting as we realise something similar for hepatitis #viruses… maybe we should talk less about ‘resistance’ (binary) and more about ‘susceptibility’ (shades of grey).
#AMR #HBV #AntimicrobialResistance #Infection #IDSky 🧪
October 8, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Reposted by Philippa Matthews
worldhepalliance.bsky.social
It's #LiverCancerAwarenessMonth.

Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, and the majority of cases are caused by viral hepatitis.

This October, let’s unite to integrate hepatitis into cancer prevention strategies.

Read more on our white paper: https://bit.ly/4kRJeQk
October 7, 2025 at 12:00 PM