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Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH

@drjenbalkus.bsky.social
195 followers 326 following 98 posts

Infectious Disease Epidemiologist 🏳️‍🌈with a focus on sexual health. Former academic, current local public health practitioner. Opinions are my own.

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Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH @drjenbalkus.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
There is still time to submit you comments about the horrible proposed OMB rule. I just submitted mine! Join me fellow procrastinators and submit by 11:59pm ET.
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Rebecca Nagle @rebeccanagle.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
FIRST AMERICA: the origin story of American fascism.🎙️To learn more, listen to First America–the true story of how the United States came to be. And how our current political moment is 250 years in the making. Episode 3 out today - wherever you get your podcasts! #FirstAmerica #America250
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Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH @drjenbalkus.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
I have learned so much from Rebecca Nagle's work. She is an incredible journalist and story teller, and she is at it again with her new podcast FIRST AMERICA. It is NEVER to late to unlearn the false narratives many of us were taught about how the US came to be. @rebeccanagle.bsky.social
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Defend Public Health @defendpublichealth.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
For those who are planning to write comments about the OMB rule that will take all federal funding decisions out of the hands of experts and put them into the hands of political appointees, check out our handy guide and visit our website (link in next post) for more information!
THE ARCHITECTURE OF A POWERFUL COMMENT

Clear. Specific. Personal. Urgent.

WHO AM I? Introduce yourself and your perspective. Who are you speaking as—your role, your community, your experience?WHAT PROVISION CONCERNS ME? Name the section or part of the rule that concerns you most. Be specific. You can reference the provision number or topic.WHAT WOULD CHANGE? Explain what could happen if this rule is finalized. What are the real-world consequences for you, your work, your patients, or your community?WHY DOES IT MATTER? Share the story behind your concern. What have you seen, experienced, or witnessed that shows what is at stake? Make it personal. Make it real.WHAT AM I ASKING OMB TO DO? Be clear about what you want OMB to do. Example: / urge OMB to not finalize this rule. Or: I urge OMB to strike this provision. Or: / urge OMB to preserve scientific independence.
MAKE IT STRONG
SpecificRelevant to the proposalGrounded in facts, expertise, or lived experienceClear about consequencesDirect in your request
BRING IN YOUR STORY & URGENCY
What's happening in your community?Who is impacted?What do you want decision makers to understand?Your story is evidence.Your voice matters.
WORD COUNT
Your comment is limited to 5,000 characters (including spaces).
SAVE IT. SEND IT. SHARE IT.
SAVE IT. Keep a copy of your comment.SEND IT. Submit to OMB before the deadline.SHARE IT. Send to your members of Congress, local officials, and your networks. Amplify your voice.
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Garnet Henderson @garnethenderson.com · 15/05/2026
I want to highlight this detail from our story: We at @autonomynews.co are first to report that, when the Fifth Circuit's decision was briefly in effect earlier this month, abortion providers in some states were advised not to even prescribe mifepristone in person.
However, while the Fifth Circuit’s order was briefly in effect from the evening of May 1 until the morning of May 4, multiple sources told Autonomy News that abortion providers in some states were advised not to prescribe mifepristone in person, either. This concern arose because of the fact that, in certain restrictive states, clinicians could have been accused of prescribing “misbranded” drugs if they gave patients mifepristone even in person for abortion or miscarriage, because the actual label and drug information would have been out of step with the restrictions imposed by the Fifth Circuit.
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ACOG @acog.org · 14/05/2026
Today, the United States Supreme Court ordered that mifepristone remain available via telehealth and the mail while the Louisiana court case continues. ACOG will continue our efforts to protect patients’ access to evidence-based reproductive health care, which includes mifepristone.
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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
The two oldest justices — both over 75 — would have allowed an order blocking mailed mifepristone nationwide to go into effect today.
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Ida Bae Wells @nhannahjones.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
We must understand that the Voting Rights Act was not merely about ensuring Black Americans rights, it was about democratizing America. This ruling is not just a decimation of Black rights and Black Americans’ ability to have representation, it is a fatal blow to multiracial democracy.
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Apoorva Mandavilli @apoorvanyt.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
The CDC has paused testing for rabies and pox viruses, the family of viruses that includes smallpox and mpox — and by July will have no experts to advise states on clinical aspects of the diseases Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/04/01/h...
nytimes.com
C.D.C. Pauses Testing for Rabies and Mpox
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ElieNYC @elienyc.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
All right, live whatevering of Trump v. Barbara, the birthright citizenship case. Arguing for the bad guys is US Solitictor General John (voice is an immutable characteristic so let's show some respect) Sauer. For the plaintiffs it's ACLU legal director Cecillia Wang.
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Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH @drjenbalkus.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Justice Jackson’s words sit heavy in my heart. “The Constitution does not pose a barrier to reasonable reg of harmful medical treatment just because substandard care comes via speech instead of scalpel… [SCOTUS] risks grave harm to Americans’ health and well-being.” www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/u...
nytimes.com
Justices Reject Colorado Law Banning ‘Conversion Therapy’ for L.G.B.T.Q. Minors
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Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH @drjenbalkus.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
A reminder that this is a choice. Not funding highly effective, safe, life-saving treatment is a CHOICE.
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Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH @drjenbalkus.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Feeling all the feels listening to a powerful opening plenary from the legend Peter Staley @peterstaley.bsky.social. Thank you for all that you have done (and continue to do) and your incredible words encouragement to us all. #CROI2026
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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
I am glad to see large media outlets reporting on this. Hopefully it shames the researchers into not continuing with the planned study or at minimum making sure ALL children in the study receive the birth dose of the HepB vaccine. www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
CDC funds controversial hepatitis B vaccine trial in African newborns
Scientists question the value of the proposed study, which will investigate a vaccine long known to be efficacious and safe
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Alt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · 04/12/2025
🦠What happens when you say you will only protect babies of infected moms, but you are bad at detecting infected moms❓ 🚫You miss a lot of babies who needed protection. This is exactly why in 1991 we went from only vaccinating babies of Hepatitis B positive moms to vaccinating all babies.
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Senator Bernie Sanders @sanders.senate.gov · 05/12/2025
Sec. Kennedy must appear before the HELP Committee to explain why his vaccine advisory committee, in strong disagreement with the medical & scientific community, voted to end a decades-long recommendation that newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine. This vaccine saves lives.
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Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH @drjenbalkus.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
This whole thread 💔. It is more than heartbreaking, it is the road map for poorer health and more preventable deaths in the US and globally.
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Ms. Magazine @msmagazine.com · 25/11/2025
Wisconsin has shown that it’s cost-effective and completely possible to keep families together by stabilizing their housing. That’s not the only promising development in the field. #MsReads via @thenation.com www.thenation.com/article/soci...
thenation.com
This Is How the Child Welfare System Becomes Less Traumatizing
Wisconsin has shown that it’s cost-effective and completely possible to keep families together by stabilizing their housing. That’s not the only promising development in the field.
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Kiera Butler @kieraevebutler.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
New from me: I talked to CDC staffers about the new vaccines and autism page. They said things like: “The best way I can put it is it feels like we’re on a hijacked airplane.” “I think people are starting to see that we can’t fulfill our mission here.”
motherjones.com
“Embarrassing” and “horrifying”: CDC workers describe the new vaccines and autism page
"The best way I can put it is it feels like we're on a hijacked airplane."
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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
If there was any doubt at all that the CDC is fully destroyed, this page on autism and vaccines on its website confirms it. It's now just another vessel of dangerous health misinformation. I have no words. This is beyond sad.
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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 25/10/2025
➡️ It only takes 5 minutes, and all links are in our bio 1. Sign the petition to #impeachthequack RFK Jr & have him removed from office. 2. Mark your calendar to join us on November 5th as we march on Congress to deliver our petitions. 3. Become a member of our Science Fight Club! Easy peasy!
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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
"A river doesn't argue with rocks, it flows around them" Public health, Science and evidence based medicine much like a river will find a way to keep flowing during this time. Sad it's coming to this, but alternatives are important and needed right now. www.statnews.com/2025/10/21/c...
statnews.com
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
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Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH @drjenbalkus.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
The gross harms of this administration permeate every aspect of daily life.
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Senator Patty Murray @murray.senate.gov · 13/10/2025
Sea-Tac Airport won't air Kristi Noem's miserable propaganda, and that's a good thing. Donald Trump is not a king, and dog killer Kristi Noem can't just force our airports to break the law on her behalf.
seattletimes.com
Sea-Tac won’t air Noem video blaming shutdown on Democrats
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport won’t broadcast a video of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem saying Democrats caused the federal government shutdown.
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Joseph Cherabie MD MSc (They/He) @jncherabiemd.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
Measles, Ebola, major disease outbreak investigators, HIV prevention…we’re f***ed. I’m not trying to be over dramatic here, but we currently have no defense against infectious diseases threats C.D.C. Layoffs Included 2 Top Measles Experts Amid Rising Cases www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/h...
nytimes.com
C.D.C. Layoffs Included 2 Top Measles Experts Amid Rising Cases
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Liz Neeley @lizneeley.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
The specifics of the RIFs I’ve seen in group chats have been staggering. Bracing & reminding myself these are specifically intended to cause fear & distress. Please share URLs for any good trackers you seen as they emerge. (I want more than OMB’s version) fedscoop.com/trump-federa...
Table of how many federal employees have been laid off in the latest RIF (Reduction in Force). This is from an OMB legal filing from Oct 10. For each agency, it lists number of fired employees, RIF notice date, and whether the administrations has recalled any of those employees to do work. Total headcount is 4,100 across 8 agencies. Treasury (1446) and HHS (1200) are the most affected. EPA (30) had the fewest layoffs this time.
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Lena Sun @lenasun.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
NEW: @CDCgov hit hard by massive firings that several staff describe to me as a “bloodbath.” Among those RIFd: —leadership of the center for immunization and respiratory diseases; —leadership of global health center —leadership of the measles outbreak response; 1/4
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Imani Gandy @angryblacklady.blacksky.app · 08/10/2025
"Black people are tired. Not metaphorically tired—actually tired. The kind of tired that turns every group chat into a mix of gallows humor and emotional triage." I write about white ignorance and how exhausting it is to hear white ppl insist "this isn't who we are, when it's ALWAYS who we've been.
rewirenewsgroup.com
White People’s Performative Ignorance Is Exhausting—Opinion
Disbelief over authoritarianism in America isn’t a cutesy personality trait. It’s a confession: You haven’t been paying attention.
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 03/10/2025
"This is extortion, plain and simple.... The only solution is solidarity and collective action against this effort at federal control over higher education." A sobering analysis of the illegality of the administration's "compact" and its stakes for higher ed. 🎁🔗 www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Universities Is Just Extortion
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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
Information on sexual and gender identity and health equity is now being erased.
cnbc.com
CDC takes down more than a dozen webpages on sexual and gender identity, health equity
Some health equity advocates say removing such resources could create gaps in access to critical health information, especially for marginalized groups.
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Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH @drjenbalkus.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
These proposed cuts will be devastating. Take a moment to use your voice! (See below).
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ACOG @acog.org · 22/09/2025
ACOG reaffirms that acetaminophen is safe for managing pain and fever during pregnancy. No reputable studies support suggestions like those in HHS’s recent announcement linking acetaminophen use in pregnancy to autism; in fact, high-quality studies show no such risk. bit.ly/47Wxc59
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Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH @drjenbalkus.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Thinking of my friends with autism and their families, especially this week as the storm of misinformation and stigma from HHS & RFK Jr swirls again. One of my fav artists on social media @devthepineapple.bsky.social says it best:
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Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Ugh “Many, if not most, of the removed pages have obvious tie-ins to topics known to be disfavored by the Trump administration……the care of LGBTQ+ people, health equity issues related to a variety of diseases or disabilities, sexually transmitted infections, and related educational resources.”
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Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
The @washingtonpost.com story on Tylenol & autism leaves out a MAJOR 2.5M sibling-controlled study of children in Denmark, which "found no evidence that acetaminophen use during pregnancy was associated with children’s risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disability." jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com
Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children’s Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability
This nationwide cohort study with sibling control analysis examines the association of acetaminophen use during pregnancy with children’s risk of autism, ADHD, and intellectual disability.
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Robin Marty @robinmarty.com · 22/09/2025
Since apparently this needs to be stated again, a reminder that TWO THIRDS OF THE US VOTERS believe abortions should be legal in all or most cases, making it FAR more popular or unifying than Ezra Klein....
pbs.org
Most U.S. adults think abortion should be legal 3 years after Roe was overturned, poll shows
The new findings from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll show that about two-thirds of U.S. adults think abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
25% of Drs in US are foreign grads. Many are on an H1B visa. This will hit health systems hard especially rural hospitals and hospitals in underserved areas that sponsor these visas through waiver programs. The old cost was about 5000$ a year. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
theguardian.com
Trump signs proclamation imposing annual $100,000 fee on H-1B visas
Move deals potentially major blow to US tech industry, which relies heavily on workers from India and China
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Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH @drjenbalkus.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
As a WA resident, very much appreciate the solidarity and evidence-based guidelines, but it shouldn’t have to be this way. Every American deserves this and had this just 8 months ago.
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Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH @drjenbalkus.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
PH experts acknowledge "that a baby’s risk of contracting hep B is low if the [birthing parent] is negative... But they say the broad recommendation should be maintained bc of the original reason it was put in place: Many babies slipped through the cracks." www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
washingtonpost.com
CDC advisers to scrutinize vaccines given during pregnancy
The CDC is reviewing guidance for newborns to receive the hepatitis B vaccine, potentially the first major shift on routine childhood shots under Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH @drjenbalkus.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
“The risk of missing a case of hepatitis B is so significant that I just can’t imagine why we would delay a vaccine that is proven to be helpful and efficacious,” Dr. Brenna Hughes @acog.org & @idsog.bsky.social member. Important context for ACIP tomorrow. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/h...
nytimes.com
C.D.C. Vaccine Advisers May Limit Hepatitis B Shots for Newborns
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Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH @drjenbalkus.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
There has been a lot written in the past week. This piece by Ta-Nehisi Coastes is a must read. www.vanityfair.com/news/story/c...
vanityfair.com
Charlie Kirk, Redeemed: A Political Class Finds Its Lost Cause
By ignoring the rhetoric and actions of the Turning Point USA founder, pundits and politicians are sanitizing his legacy.
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AVAC @avac.org · 16/09/2025
Happening now!! AVAC is part of 24 Hours to Save AIDS Research – join us NOW as scientists, researchers, and advocates showcase successes in HIV research and call for an end to federal budget cuts and project terminations. #24hourstosaveAIDSresearch #HIV #HIVresearch bit.ly/45Qftts
bit.ly
24 Hours to Save AIDS Research
You've been invited to join this webinar!
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Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
#DonaldTrump, #RussellVought, #RFKJr & #JayBhattacharya are shutting down the war on cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's Disease, HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease and all the rest. As the #NIH is destroyed research on ALL diseases goes with it. There is no coming back. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/m...
nytimes.com
Trump Is Shutting Down the War On Cancer
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Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH @drjenbalkus.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
@nwslsoccer.com My heart goes out to @savdemelo @racinglouisvillefc and @reignfc. Please tell me when a player goes off unconscious in an ambulance that the game will be called @nwsl. Nothing is bigger than the physical and mental well-being of the players.
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Jen Balkus, PhD, MPH @drjenbalkus.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Public health folks! ⬇️
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 10/09/2025
It's frustrating to see that news outlets covering this story aren't stressing that--despite what the student claims in the video--Executive Orders can't override the Constitution or Congressional statutes, and don't carry the same force of law. www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
insidehighered.com
Texas A&M Professor and Administrators Out After Viral Video
Video circulated by Texas state representative shows student accusing English professor of teaching material related to gender identity and violating Trump’s executive orders. State officials pressure...
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
The professor has been fired and senior administrators removed from their post. No mention of this in the New York Times, The Free Press, The Atlantic or other outlets who drove the campus speech moral panic.
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