Rachel Widome
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rwidome.bsky.social
Rachel Widome
@rwidome.bsky.social
3.1K followers 470 following 1.4K posts
I'm an epidemiologist at the UMN's Division of Epidemiology and Community Health. I like rabbits. I like iced tea. I also like plots that involve time travel. On Twitter and elsewhere I'm rwidome too. More on me: https://widome.carrd.co/
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Reposted by Rachel Widome
elizabethjacobs.bsky.social
The anti-vaccination movement is largely to blame for the continuing measles outbreak and the fact that the U.S. is going to lose our measles elimination status.

Until RFK Jr. is removed from office, things are only going to get worse.

@jimalwine.bsky.social and I wrote about here:
The US is on track to lose its measles elimination status in months. RFK needs to go.
Canada has lost its measles elimination status and the U.S. is likely to be next. These failures are the result of the anti-vaccination movement, bolstered by the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ...
www.livescience.com
November 19, 2025 at 10:18 PM
rwidome.bsky.social
Here at UMN's Division of Epidemiology and Community Health we have a postdoc opening (available immediately) on our CVD epi T32!

redcap.ahc.umn.edu/redcap/surve...
Flyer states: CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PREVENTION POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP The Division of Epidemiology & Community Health of the University of Minnesota has a current opening and is seeking candidates for a postdoctoral training fellowship in cardiovascular disease epidemiology and prevention. Fellowship Experience Training emphasizes research methods in the epidemiology and prevention of cardiovascular disease. Training can include formal coursework in epidemiology, biostatistics, clinical research, nutrition, physiology, data science, and behavioral science. Graduates gain competency in designing, administering, and analyzing cardiovascular population studies or preventive programs. The Division provides a rich and collaborative environment for the investigation of cardiovascular disease and related areas, in one of the largest Academic Health Centers in the U.S. Current Division research in cardiovascular epidemiology includes a robust blend of observational studies (e.g., ARIC, MESA, CARDIA, DISCOVERY), pharmacoepidemiology and interventional investigations (e.g., mGlide hypertension control RCT, Stand & Move at Work group randomized trial) aimed at improving public health and engaging a multidisciplinary integration of epidemiology, biology and behavioral science. Benefits The program provides a stipend, tuition and fees for an MS or MPH degree, if desired, during the fellowship. This paid 2-3 year fellowship is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. Eligibility Candidates must have either an MD or a PhD degree and must be either a U.S. citizen or have permanent residency status. Apply Interested applicants will complete an online application
November 19, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Reposted by Rachel Widome
angierasmussen.bsky.social
I really did not enjoy Jay Bhattacharya & Matthew Memoli’s screed against pandemic & virology research for the flagship blog of a “free-market think tank." Instead of getting mad, I accepted @jeremyfaust.bsky.social's kind invitation to take a factual & scientific blowtorch to it.
November 16, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Reposted by Rachel Widome
apoorvanyt.bsky.social
SCOOP: CDC officials on Monday linked for the first time the measles outbreak that began in Texas with another in Utah and Arizona, a finding that could end America’s status as a nation that has eliminated measles.
(Gift link)

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/h...
C.D.C. Links Measles Outbreaks in Multiple States for the First Time
www.nytimes.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:28 AM
rwidome.bsky.social
It’s Monday morning and you know what? Jay Bhattacharya just continues to be a terrible NIH Director.
November 17, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Reposted by Rachel Widome
angierasmussen.bsky.social
Sen @murray.senate.gov continues to fight for accountability in the destruction of American biomedical science and politically-motivated retaliation against our brave colleagues who dissent, as is their right.

Jay Bhattacharya must go.
November 15, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Reposted by Rachel Widome
elizabethjacobs.bsky.social
When NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya said “dissent is productive”, I’m pretty sure he meant “MY dissent is productive. It got me to the top of NIH, wheeeee! But YOUR dissent won’t be tolerated”.
November 14, 2025 at 2:57 PM
rwidome.bsky.social
“Hoffman underwent surgery on Monday, repairing bullet impact to his kidney, bladder and colon, according to a spokesperson for the family.”

www.kare11.com/article/news...
Sen. John Hoffman released from hospital after latest surgery
Hoffman underwent surgery on Monday, repairing bullet impact to his kidney, bladder and colon, according to a spokesperson for the family.
www.kare11.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:31 AM
Reposted by Rachel Widome
jeremymberg.bsky.social
The new policy seems to me to be another example of Director Bhattacharya talking a big game about supporting early stage investigators and high risk-high reward research but not considering how to achieve this (and taking step to make this harder).

12/13
November 14, 2025 at 3:31 PM
rwidome.bsky.social
I do love volcano rabbits.
debcha.bsky.social Deb Chachra @debcha.bsky.social · 5d
Timeline cleanse: Yesterday I was introduced to the teporingo (volcano rabbit) — it’s like a rabbit crossed with a pika and is only found on Popocatépetl and three of the other volcanoes near Mexico City: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano...
The cutest, tiniest little round-eared rabbit you have ever seen.
November 14, 2025 at 4:37 AM
rwidome.bsky.social
Jay Bhattacharya is still a very, very terrible NIH Director.
maxkozlov.bsky.social Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 6d
NIH program officer @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social has been placed on admin leave, sources say.

Norton has been outspoken about the Trump administration's dismantling of science, and she signed the Bethesda Declaration.

Bhattacharya has said that "science is dead without free speech".
November 14, 2025 at 4:36 AM
Reposted by Rachel Widome
maxkozlov.bsky.social
No other Bethesda Declaration signers have been affected yet.

@ddayen.bsky.social had it first ⤵️
ddayen.bsky.social David Dayen @ddayen.bsky.social · 6d
According to a source, Jenna Norton, who led a letter criticizing Trump's decimation of the NIH (see below), has been placed on administrative leave. She's the first at NIH to be put on leave, joining EPA officials who criticized Trump policies.
www.pbs.org/newshour/nat...
NIH scientists publish letter criticizing Trump's deep cuts in public health research
The letter addresses the termination of 2,100 research grants valued at more than $12 billion and some of the human costs that have resulted, such as cutting off medication regimens to participants in...
www.pbs.org
November 13, 2025 at 10:04 PM
rwidome.bsky.social
Wait... no more "Driven to Discover?"
November 13, 2025 at 7:33 PM
rwidome.bsky.social
"The Trump administration directed visa officers to consider obesity — and other chronic health conditions such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes — as reasons to deny foreigners visas to the United States." wapo.st/4nRcAQ4
U.S. visas can be denied for obesity, cancer and diabetes, Rubio says
The Trump administration has directed visa officers to consider obesity and other chronic health conditions when deciding whether to grant visas to immigrants.
wapo.st
November 13, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Reposted by Rachel Widome
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
NEW: @propublica.org investigated the Chicago apartment raid where kids were zip-tied and citizens detained for hours. They find:

- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
As a Black Hawk helicopter roared overhead, the slender, 28-year-old immigrant from Venezuela answered softly, his eyes darting to a television crew invited to film the raid. Next to Caicedo, masked Border Patrol agents inspected another man’s tattoos and asked him if he belonged to Tren de Aragua, the Venezuelan gang that the Trump administration has designated a terrorist group. Until that moment, Caicedo’s only interaction with law enforcement in his two-and-a-half years in the United States had been a traffic stop two weeks earlier for driving without a license or insurance, according to the records we reviewed. Chicago police had run a background check on him and found no prior arrests, no warrants and no evidence that he was in a gang. Caicedo said he had a pending asylum application, a steady job at a taco joint and a girlfriend whose daughter attended elementary school across the street. None of that mattered. The U.S. government paraded him and his neighbors in front of the cameras and called their arrests a spectacular victory against terrorism. But later, after the cameras had gone, prosecutors didn’t charge Caicedo with a crime. They didn’t accuse him of being a terrorist. And after a brief hearing in immigration court, the government sent him back to the country he had fled nine years earlier. “I lost everything,” he said in a phone interview from his mother’s home in the Venezuelan city of Valencia. “For those fools, everyone from Venezuela is a criminal.”
November 13, 2025 at 2:08 PM
rwidome.bsky.social
There are a lot of pressing issues in this world and at the top of that list is my dentist’s lobby bathroom needs better lighting.
November 12, 2025 at 2:14 PM
rwidome.bsky.social
In the past, when others could see it in Minneapolis, we couldn’t. It must be on fire tonight!
rwidome.bsky.social Rachel Widome @rwidome.bsky.social · 8d
Blown away that we can see it this close to downtown. That’s never happened!
Northern lights. The red part.
November 12, 2025 at 2:28 AM
Reposted by Rachel Widome
meredithmeredith.bsky.social
Finally, to help you determine the fake and malicious from the genuine, we have signposts (support.signal.org/hc/en-us/art...) in the application that can aid you in identifying fakers and phishing attempts.

We also have tools like Registration Lock to help protect against account takeovers. 6/
Signal Profiles and Message Requests
Signal Profiles and Message Requests let people know who's messaging them. Read more: Signal Profiles Learn more Edit your Profile Profiles Blog Post Message Requests What is my Signal Profil...
support.signal.org
November 11, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Reposted by Rachel Widome
tarahaelle.bsky.social
Remember when several high-ranking #CDC officials resigned after #RFKJr refused to follow scientific evidence & federal procedures in #vaccines & #publichealth policy? Here's a chance to hear from three of them on Nov 19 w @healthjournalism.org
Register here!
healthjournalism.org/event/trust-...
Trust, public health reporting and the CDC: Insider perspectives
In this webinar, we'll talk with former CDC officials on where to go for reliable reporting resources after the dismantling of the agency.
healthjournalism.org
November 11, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Reposted by Rachel Widome
brenttoderian.bsky.social
It’s not just about what you remove (cars, noise, dirty air). It’s about what you add (people walking, a lot of bike parking, trees, outdoor dining, and room for kids to play safely). Amsterdam: 1986 and today.

Streets for people.

HT @hackneycyclist.bsky.social for the great before-and-after
Before and after, street filled with cars to a street for people including kids
November 11, 2025 at 4:24 AM
rwidome.bsky.social
The proper reaction to hearing that someone is about to turn 50 is ~shock~ and DISBELIEF
November 11, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Reposted by Rachel Widome
jonathancohn.bsky.social
The shutdown deal includes a ban on hemp products that none of its negotiators debated in public.

Disappointing that only 24 senators voted against killing an amendment to strike that ban.

www.senate.gov/legislative/...
NAYs ---24 Baldwin (D-WI) Bennet (D-CO) Blumenthal (D-CT) Booker (D-NJ) Cruz (R-TX) Gallego (D-AZ) Hickenlooper (D-CO) Kaine (D-VA) Kelly (D-AZ) Klobuchar (D-MN) Markey (D-MA) Merkley (D-OR) Murphy (D-CT) Ossoff (D-GA) Paul (R-KY) Peters (D-MI) Sanders (I-VT) Schatz (D-HI) Schumer (D-NY) Smith (D-MN) Warnock (D-GA) Warren (D-MA) Welch (D-VT) Wyden (D-OR)
November 11, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Reposted by Rachel Widome
mplsnightmayor.bsky.social
/80 When I open Microsoft Word, the only thing I want to see is a blank page and a cursor staring back at me. Why don't you "take a tour" of my nuts. What is any of this? I've never clicked on any of these but "BLANK DOCUMENT"
Opening page of MS Word showing a bunhc of useless templates
November 10, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Reposted by Rachel Widome
elizabethjacobs.bsky.social
Canada has just lost measles elimination status. The U.S. will undoubtedly follow shortly.

Elimination means that there is no continuous spreading of measles within the country for a year or longer.

Canada and the U.S. have blown it, and it’s largely the fault of the anti-vaccination movement.
Canada loses measles elimination status after three decades, health agency says
Canada has lost its measles elimination status after nearly three decades due to its failure to curb a year-long outbreak, the country's public health agency said on Monday.
www.reuters.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:52 PM