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Amit Chandra, MD

@amitchandramd.bsky.social
686 followers 595 following 532 posts

Emergency Physician | Public Health Diplomat | ex-USAID Health x Environment x Tech Writing featured by: Science, BMJ, Ars Technica, STAT, & Salon apothek.substack.com

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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
"If we don't see that these people who don't make any money, and aren't famous, and don't like to talk about what they do, but are working their tails off for us, have value for our society... we're in trouble." -Michael Lewis on his book "Blockers" on federal workers www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUWq...
youtube.com
Michael Lewis on "Blockers": Profiling government workers confronted by DOGE
YouTube video by CBS Sunday Morning
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Latest monthly dispatch is live… covering outbreaks in the DRC, Fiji, and the US, the super El Niño, and AI applications going rogue! +dozens of fellowships, job opportunities, and conferences crossing the health, environment, and technology sectors. apothek.substack.com/p/september-...
apothek.substack.com
September 2026 Apothek Dispatch
Decoding the signal: health x environment x technology
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Latest monthly dispatch is live… covering outbreaks in the DRC, Fiji, and the US, the super El Niño, and AI applications going rogue! +dozens of fellowships, job opportunities, and conferences crossing the health, environment, and technology sectors. apothek.substack.com/p/september-...
apothek.substack.com
September 2026 Apothek Dispatch
Decoding the signal: health x environment x technology
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OneAID @oneaid.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
After #USAID, they made art. 🎨 Global Rhythms collects 100+ works by former staff and partners, and it was just dedicated at the JFK Presidential Library. Read Lily Kak's story on the OneAID blog: oneaidcommunity.org/2026/09/29/g... and order the book at bit.ly/global_rhythms 📖
oneaidcommunity.org
Guest Blog: Remembering USAID Through Art
Visit the post for more.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Worth a read... and a review of the medicine cabinets of older adults!
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The Boundary Waters is a priceless freshwater sanctuary... Protecting it from exploitation is critical for biodiversity, clean water, and the climate! Sharing pics below from my canoe trip out there last May:
Campsite with rocky ground and sunset at the Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe area in Minnesota.View from a campsite out over a lake with a canoe in the foreground. Taken at the Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area in Minnesota.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
This is scary to read... and also the reason I'm hesitant when local businesses want to scan my ID instead of performing a visual check for legal age compliance. "For your safety and ours" is a poor excuse for hoarding data you can't secure. Via @dangoodin.bsky.social in @arstechnica.com
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
In Halifax, Nova Scotia: helmets attached to e-scooters 🛴⛑️ is a #publichealth win... Without built-in gear, shared micromobility defaults to helmetless rides. This behavioral nudge is how we protect riders and build smart & healthy cities.
Line of rentable e-scooters each with a blue helmet attached. Photos from Halifax, Nova Scotia.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
NYT's coverage today on "social rings" as a wellness strategy... www.nytimes.com/2026/08/28/w...
nytimes.com
How to Find More Time for Your Friends
Commit to your friendships like you do the gym.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Worth a read... and a review of the medicine cabinets of older adults!
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” -Dolly Parton
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Interesting read on the two faces of capitalism, and its possible futures:
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Reflection on AI & Health: In the future, good clinical judgment will mean knowing when to trust an AI generated output and when to discard it. When to recognize an AI generated alarm and when to ignore it. These are learnable skills... but we have not yet begun to try and teach them.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Hint: it's the shingles vaccine!
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The Boundary Waters is a priceless freshwater sanctuary... Protecting it from exploitation is critical for biodiversity, clean water, and the climate! Sharing pics below from my canoe trip out there last May:
Campsite with rocky ground and sunset at the Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe area in Minnesota.View from a campsite out over a lake with a canoe in the foreground. Taken at the Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area in Minnesota.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
This is scary to read... and also the reason I'm hesitant when local businesses want to scan my ID instead of performing a visual check for legal age compliance. "For your safety and ours" is a poor excuse for hoarding data you can't secure. Via @dangoodin.bsky.social in @arstechnica.com
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
In Halifax, Nova Scotia: helmets attached to e-scooters 🛴⛑️ is a #publichealth win... Without built-in gear, shared micromobility defaults to helmetless rides. This behavioral nudge is how we protect riders and build smart & healthy cities.
Line of rentable e-scooters each with a blue helmet attached. Photos from Halifax, Nova Scotia.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
August dispatch is live! This month covers the executive order on vaccines, climate mediated heatwaves and flooding, and FDA clearance for an autonomous medical robot. apothek.substack.com/p/august-202...
apothek.substack.com
August 2026 Apothek Dispatch
Decoding the signal: health x environment x technology
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Latest #SubStack article live this AM! What if the next frontier of health lies outside of the clinic and within our communities and social interactions? Read more below on Social Prescribing and the power of connection, nature, and the arts: apothek.substack.com/p/social-pre...
apothek.substack.com
Reflections on Social Prescribing and Functional Medicine:
The Next Frontier of Longevity is Free (and Fun)
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Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 30/08/2026
It's so damn hot down there. A guerrilla thermometer campaign found NYC subway platforms hitting a 132°F heat index—well past the point where heatstroke sets in. It's a public health crisis. Over to you, MTA:
motherjones.com
Just how ridiculously, hellishly hot are New York City's subways? Jack can tell you.
A young transplant raises awareness of a very old problem.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
NYT's coverage today on "social rings" as a wellness strategy... www.nytimes.com/2026/08/28/w...
nytimes.com
How to Find More Time for Your Friends
Commit to your friendships like you do the gym.
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Reposted by Amit Chandra, MD
Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Via @npr.org Morning Edition today... Midwives and health systems struggle to fill gaps in maternity care: "...one in three counties, or nearly 35%, are maternity care deserts, meaning they have no birthing facilities or obstetric clinicians." www.npr.org/2026/08/11/n...
npr.org
A midwife crosses 'maternity deserts' to make a difference for Black moms and babies
New research from the March of Dimes says more than half of U.S. counties have no labor and delivery hospitals. One Black midwife tries to make a difference for moms in Alabama.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” -Dolly Parton
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Interesting read on the two faces of capitalism, and its possible futures:
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Vaishali Sinha @vaishalisinha.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
“If documentaries are supposed to spark conversations, Give It a Shot is arriving armed with a megaphone, a wicked sense of humour, and perhaps the world’s most overdue question: why has contraception been almost entirely women’s business for so long?” Filmuforia 🎟️ TICKETS: tinyurl.com/499jdcyt
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Latest #SubStack article live this AM! What if the next frontier of health lies outside of the clinic and within our communities and social interactions? Read more below on Social Prescribing and the power of connection, nature, and the arts: apothek.substack.com/p/social-pre...
apothek.substack.com
Reflections on Social Prescribing and Functional Medicine:
The Next Frontier of Longevity is Free (and Fun)
061
Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Reflection on AI & Health: In the future, good clinical judgment will mean knowing when to trust an AI generated output and when to discard it. When to recognize an AI generated alarm and when to ignore it. These are learnable skills... but we have not yet begun to try and teach them.
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Zeke Emanuel, MD, PhD @zekeemanuel.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Running errands with a friend could add years to your life. Loneliness and social isolation carry mortality risk on par with smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Even 15-30 minutes of connection a day matters. Talk to people. Read more in @nytimes.com.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
An interview with @agawande.bsky.social in the @newyorker.com on the global human costs of DOGE's destruction of USAID. "When J.F.K. argued for U.S.A.I.D., he was arguing that assistance abroad, first and foremost, was also assistance to the United States itself." www.newyorker.com/news/the-new...
newyorker.com
The Human Cost of DOGE’s War on U.S.A.I.D.
Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and the “public man-made death” that they’ve caused.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Interesting #longread via @sciencepolitics.bsky.social on #America250, extreme heat + climate change, and the American Revolution... sciencepolitics.org/2026/07/13/h...
sciencepolitics.org
How Climate Change and Weather Shaped 250 Years of U.S. History - Science Politics
Cold, rain, drought, and warming have both helped and harmed Americans' efforts at pivotal moments.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Hint: it's the shingles vaccine!
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Via the NYT on new research related to Omega-3 supplements: “Regardless of the reason for why omega-3 supplements seem to fall short, the current research suggests it’s a balanced diet, rather than a pill, that can help keep your brain healthy.” www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/w...
nytimes.com
Are Omega-3 Supplements Actually Good for Your Brain?
Researchers have been surprised by the study findings.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Via @craigspencer.bsky.social in @thelancet.com: The expanding Ebola epidemic in the DRC and Uganda reflects a wider breakdown in cooperation and collaboration for global health security:
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Via @npr.org Morning Edition today... Midwives and health systems struggle to fill gaps in maternity care: "...one in three counties, or nearly 35%, are maternity care deserts, meaning they have no birthing facilities or obstetric clinicians." www.npr.org/2026/08/11/n...
npr.org
A midwife crosses 'maternity deserts' to make a difference for Black moms and babies
New research from the March of Dimes says more than half of U.S. counties have no labor and delivery hospitals. One Black midwife tries to make a difference for moms in Alabama.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Good advice here via Lisa Cuchara: 1) "When possible, buy locally grown produce, since nationwide outbreaks generally come from large commercial producers." 2) "If you do go for bagged and prewashed greens & other produce, give them a good rinse even when they say "prewashed.""
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Latest Substack post on the history of health insurance in the US: Employer insurance wasn't designed to optimize health. It was a WWII-era wage workaround that became permanent. Co-published @sciencepolitics.bsky.social magazine. apothek.substack.com/p/history-of...
apothek.substack.com
US Healthcare Was Never Built to Work – Here’s What Could Replace It
Meaningful reform requires acknowledging the gap between what health insurance promises and what it currently delivers
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Fascinating read on the human microbiome... and new research on how we could one day harness it to cure disease: www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/m...
nytimes.com
Our Bacteria Are Talking. We’ve Just Begun to Understand What They’re Saying.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Via the NYT on tick bite prevention: "Wearing long sleeves and tucking pants into socks, applying permethrin to clothes and performing a head-to-toe tick check back at home are all quite effective, too — if they become regular habits." www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | We’re Living in a Tick Nightmare. It’s Time to Go to War.
With ticks, we’ve barely begun to fight back. The longer we wait, the more territory they will claim across both our geographic and psychic maps.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Good advice here via Lisa Cuchara: 1) "When possible, buy locally grown produce, since nationwide outbreaks generally come from large commercial producers." 2) "If you do go for bagged and prewashed greens & other produce, give them a good rinse even when they say "prewashed.""
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Ed Maibach @maibached.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Hey, candidates who want to Make America Health Again: There are many great opportunities to advance this goal, and many voters whose votes you could earn if you're willing to champion real health solutions. I urge you to champion clean energy--a real health solution. @docsforclimate.bsky.social
grist.org
Trump tried to appease MAHA’s fury over Roundup. It backfired.
The coalition of voters who helped elect Trump to clean up America's food system is growing more disenchanted with the president.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Great episode of 1a on the rising cost of healthcare in the US: "For the first time in five years, fewer than half of Americans can consistently afford healthcare..." & most Americans are likely to vote for candidates who will lower their health costs. the1a.org/segments/hig...
the1a.org
High cost of healthcare and the political fallout
Congress lets premium tax credits expire in December and President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill made changes to the Affordable Care Act.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Via the NYT on new research related to Omega-3 supplements: “Regardless of the reason for why omega-3 supplements seem to fall short, the current research suggests it’s a balanced diet, rather than a pill, that can help keep your brain healthy.” www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/w...
nytimes.com
Are Omega-3 Supplements Actually Good for Your Brain?
Researchers have been surprised by the study findings.
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Reposted by Amit Chandra, MD
Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
July dispatch marks 1 year on SubStack! This year, I'm proud of: -Articles co-published in @science.org, @arstechnica.com, @statnews.com, & @sciencepolitics.bsky.social -269 newsletter subscribers to across 33 US states & 29 countries Read & Subscribe Below! apothek.substack.com/p/july-2026-...
apothek.substack.com
July 2026 Apothek Dispatch
Decoding the signal: health x environment x technology
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Dr. Jessie Christiansen @aussiastronomer.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Please check in on your elders and remind them (kindly but endlessly) not to use ChatGPT for medical advice.
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Craig Spencer MD MPH @craigspencer.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
A brilliant essay by my friend @helenouyang.bsky.social in the New York Times Magazine. Writing notes is one of my least favorite parts of working in the ER. But learning how to write them teaches physicians important skills. What impact will AI have on that skill? www.nytimes.com/2026/07/01/m...
nytimes.com
How A.I. Might Change the Way Doctors Think
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Deploying AI to speed up health insurance prior authorization... what could go wrong? This article describes an “...arms race to deny faster and appeal faster." In other words: "More automation of a broken system that shouldn’t exist in its current form.” arstechnica.com/ai/2026/07/w...
arstechnica.com
Will AI fix prior authorization—or make it worse?
The government is piloting a program that uses AI for insurance-coverage decisions.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
July dispatch marks 1 year on SubStack! This year, I'm proud of: -Articles co-published in @science.org, @arstechnica.com, @statnews.com, & @sciencepolitics.bsky.social -269 newsletter subscribers to across 33 US states & 29 countries Read & Subscribe Below! apothek.substack.com/p/july-2026-...
apothek.substack.com
July 2026 Apothek Dispatch
Decoding the signal: health x environment x technology
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
🚨Breaking: A Florida pastor is suing OpenAI after ChatGPT gave him incorrect medical advice, delaying care for a pulmonary embolism. AI sycophancy means we get the answers we want to hear. The advice to the pastor? “God did not design your body to endlessly fail.” www.nytimes.com/2026/07/22/w...
nytimes.com
OpenAI Sued Over ChatGPT’s ‘Dangerous’ Health Advice
The case appears to be the first to argue that a chatbot’s advice harmed someone seeking guidance about a medical condition.
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Via @craigspencer.bsky.social: "When this outbreak is stopped, it will be stopped largely by people who learned what the previous outbreaks taught. Yet this outbreak is also revealing how much the United States, once the backbone of the response to crises like this one, seems willing to forget."
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Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Deploying AI to speed up health insurance prior authorization... what could go wrong? This article describes an “...arms race to deny faster and appeal faster." In other words: "More automation of a broken system that shouldn’t exist in its current form.” arstechnica.com/ai/2026/07/w...
arstechnica.com
Will AI fix prior authorization—or make it worse?
The government is piloting a program that uses AI for insurance-coverage decisions.
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