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Elaine Hernandez

@emhernandez.bsky.social
5.5K followers 1.1K following 307 posts

Inequities in health are ubiquitous. I study the processes that create and perpetuate them. Medical sociology (PhD), health policy (MPH), & health demography. Personal account

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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
📢 Oh hey, another job ad just dropped. Come join us in the rolling hills of Bloomington at Indiana University! We’re hiring a sociologist specializing in organizations, open rank. Submit apps by 10/16.
Sociology Open Rank Organizations/MHO
College of Arts and Sciences, 2026-27
The Department of Sociology at Indiana University, Bloomington, invites applications for a rank-
open (tenured or tenure-track) position beginning in the fall of 2027. We seek an individual with
expertise in the sociology of organizations, interpreted broadly, who is committed to excellence in
scholarship and teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels. We are especially interested
in candidates who use innovative methods in their research and can contribute to teaching in the
undergraduate Management + Human Organization major that we adminster and to substantive
and methods training in our graduate program. Ph.D. is required at time of appointment.
Applicants should apply online at http://indiana.peopleadmin.com, including a cover letter; CV;
statements on research and teaching; 1-3 writing samples; and three letters of reference. Review
of applications will begin on October 16, 2026 and continue until the position is filled. Queries
can be sent to Art Alderson, Department Chair (aralders@iu.edu), or Andrew Halpern-Manners,
Chair of the Personnel Committee (ahm@iu.edu).
Indiana University is an equal opportunity employer and provider of ADA services and prohibits
discrimination in hiring. See Indiana University Notice of Non-Discrimination here which includes
contact information.
Before a conditional offer of employment with tenure is finalized, candidates will be asked to
disclose any pending investigations or previous findings of sexual or professional misconduct.
They will also be required to authorize an inquiry by Indiana University Bloomington with all
current and former employers along these lines. The relevance of information disclosed or
ascertained in the context of this process to a candidate’s eligibility for hire will be evaluated by
Indiana University Bloomington on a case-by-case basis. Applicants should be aware that IndianaSample Gates on the Indiana University campus in fall Autumn-colored trees line a road winding through Brown County State Park Fall colors in Brown County State Park
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Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science @iaphs.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
👀 Don’t miss the #IAPHS2026 plenary sessions! 🎤 This year’s plenaries bring together researchers and practitioners to explore trust, influence, public-facing communication, research impact, and how population health science reaches the public. iaphs.org/conference/c...
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Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science @iaphs.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
👀 Don’t miss the #IAPHS2026 plenary sessions! 🎤 This year’s plenaries bring together researchers and practitioners to explore trust, influence, public-facing communication, research impact, and how population health science reaches the public. iaphs.org/conference/c...
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Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science @iaphs.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
👀 Don’t miss the #IAPHS2026 plenary sessions! 🎤 This year’s plenaries bring together researchers and practitioners to explore trust, influence, public-facing communication, research impact, and how population health science reaches the public. iaphs.org/conference/c...
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Sociology skills for the win!* Cheering on our colleague Dr Loblack (Jelly) as she competes on this season of survivor. She said her interview skills gave her an edge when she inquired about her competitors families! www.idsnews.com/article/2026...
idsnews.com
From classroom to castaway: IU postdoctoral fellow competes on Survivor 51
Angelica Loblack is a visiting assistant sociology professor at IU.
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Rebecca Spang @rlspang.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
My jaw literally locked open when I first saw this piece of news
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Raise your hand if, like me, you’ve sat through countless conversations about women’s life expectancy being longer than men’s but the quality of their life being worse without any mention of the word MENOPAUSE. Inspired by this @ologies.bsky.social episode podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...
podcasts.apple.com
Emmenology (MENOPAUSE & PERIMENOPAUSE) Part 1 with Monica Christmas, Mary Claire Haver and Lara Durgavich
Podcast Episode · Ologies with Alie Ward · July 15 · 1h 5m
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
“Local Mom Drops Kids Off in Backyard”
Two fawns sitting in the grass in the summer sun
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
What happens to racial inequities in Medicaid enrollment when we roll back the red tape required of beneficiaries? We used the ‘20-23 pause on administrative burdens to test if they narrowed. Spoiler: They do! But primarily after a concerted effort to ensure equal access. doi.org/10.1111/1475...
ABSTRACT
Objective: To determine whether personal responsibility incentives in Medicaid differentially affect enrollment and the compre-
hensiveness of plan benefits among members who are non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White.
Study Setting and Design: We conducted an interrupted time series analysis to estimate trends in racial disparity ratios of
enrollment across more comprehensive Healthy Indiana Plans (HIP) before and during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
(PHE) when the state suspended personal responsibility incentives, including monthly premium contributions.
Data Sources and Analytic Sample: We analyzed restricted-access administrative data from the Indiana Family and Social
Services Administration from 2018 through 2023.
Principal Findings: Before the PHE, members who are non-Hispanic Black were approximately 23 percentage points less likely
to be in the more comprehensive HIP Plus plan relative to members who are non-Hispanic White. An increase in the disparity
ratio of 0.076 points toward parity (95% CI, 0.054–0.097 points) for HIP Plus recipients was observed following suspension of
personal responsibility incentives during the PHE. After an administrative upgrade of all HIP Basic recipients to HIP Plus plans
during July 2021, this disparity ratio increased an additional 0.146 points from the start of the PHE (95% CI, 0.141–0.151 points)
to 0.994 (95% CI, 0.993–0.994).
Conclusions: Personal responsibility incentives in Medicaid are associated with substantial and persistent racial disparities in
enrollment and plan comprehensiveness. The study indicates that while the temporary removal of these incentives can reduce
disparities, proactive policy interventions may be necessary to achieve and maintain equitable access to care.
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
I get my kicks from watching powerful women invest wisely: more than $600 million for women’s health over the past two years. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/04/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Melinda French Gates: Women, We Deserve Better Than This
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Join us for a discussion about medical polarization in health care: MIT campus, Friday, June 5th 2:30-4:30
Medical polarization how politics infects the doctors office and what to do about it. A planetary session as part of the APSA health politics and policy conference 2026. Friday, June 5, 2:30 PM to 4 PM Wong auditorium, MIT Campus. Speakers include Julianna Pacheco, Alister Martin, Wes Boyd, Elaine Hernandez, Timothy Callahan, Michael Stein.
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
As a prof this whole op-ed is, just, really more than I’d post publicly. But this got me: “Because of A.I., most of us now take our tests by writing in blue books, like students a century ago, scribbling out answers by hand under keen observation.” A CENTURY ago! www.nytimes.com/2026/05/17/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | What A.I. Did to My College Class
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Knock, knock, higher ed, is this a good time? Future enrollments here … www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/u...
nytimes.com
U.S. Schools Face a Crisis as the Number of Children Drops
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 07/05/2026
Kind of surprised that this hasn't been bigger news. It's finals week for a whole lot of universities, and yet, Canvas (a learning/grading platform used by ~9,000 schools globally) is currently inaccessible because of a pay-or-have-your-data-leaked hack. www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-in...
insidehighered.com
“PAY OR LEAK”: Hackers Target Big Higher Ed Vendor
The criminal extortion group ShinyHunters breached Instructure last week. The hackers, who have also attacked individual universities, demanded the ed-tech giant pay up or face a data leak.
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
It’s a great day to follow a demographer, starter packs here @popassocamerica.bsky.social #PAA2026
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
That‘s a wrap on my medical sociology graduate spring seminar. As disheartened as I feel about the state of [insert topic] I‘m also inspired by the future sociologists I’m teaching & mentoring. My goal now is to inspire them to feel empowered to lead us in the future.
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Highly recommend the award winning Indiana University student paper for info about the Bloomington, Indiana shooting near campus: @idsnews.bsky.social www.idsnews.com/article/2026...
idsnews.com
LIVE UPDATES: 5 wounded by gunfire in stable condition after Kirkwood shooting; no suspects in custody
A press conference took place at 1 p.m. at City Hall.
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
That time of year when Bloomington is dripping with flowers
A tree with white bell flowers hanging from a branch, backlit from the morning sun
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Let me get this straight, we exclude women from biomedical research for decades & then defund hundreds of NIH grants mentioning women? And after ignoring AND defunding them, we wonder why our maternal mortality rate is so high? Why women don’t *want* to become pregnant? Shocking.
Where U.S. science has been hit hardest after Trump’s first year
The Trump administration has slashed the number of grants from the National Institutes of Health, with far fewer focused on women, cancer and mental health.
April 19, 2026

By Carolyn Y. Johnson, Lydia Sidhom and Susan SvrlugaTitle: Number of competitive grants mentioning “women” declined in 2025

The x axis is years from 2015-2025 & the y axis is from 1300 to 1900. Grants steadily rose from 1400 in 2015 to a high over 1900 and then plummeted in 2025 to 1288.
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Think ASA (@asanews.bsky.social) elections are boring? Not so fast. Brian Kelly (IU) and Mike Vuolo (OSU) are upping the ante with their personal statement and CAMPAIGN POSTER for chair & secretary-treasurer of the medical sociology section 😆
I’m not really sure how to describe this because the images look nothing like Brian and Mike. 😆Do you believe in hope? Do you want to end the tyranny of Brea Perry’s statements about “big, beautiful” things? Vote the Kelly-Vuolo ticket for Med Soc Chair and Secretary-Treasurer! In the past dozen years, we’ve co-authored over 50 articles together, been Investigators together on 6 NIH grants, received Med Soc and other sections’ awards for joint work, both been Chairs of other ASA sections, both been standing members of federal review panels, both been ASA Editors (Kelly for JHSB/Vuolo for Soc Methodology), yadda, yadda, yadda. Do you want to see that teamwork brought to you, Med Soc?!  What do you have to lose (aside from the functional integrity of the section)? See our campaign poster, here: tinyurl.com/e5mwpn57. (Disclaimer: Image generated by AI from faculty profile pictures; may not accurately display age or attractiveness.)
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John Bistline @bistline.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
This is my favorite climate change chart. Japanese monks, aristocrats, and emperors kept meticulous records of cherry blossom festivals for 1,200 years and accidentally built the world's longest climate dataset.
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Edwin Park @edwincpark.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
New @urbaninstitute.bsky.social estimates of two H.R. 1 cuts targeting #Medicaid expansion: work reporting requirements & 6 month renewals. Depending on state mitigation, expansion enrollment falls 5 to 10 million (27-55%) in 2028 compared to 18 million under prior law. www.urban.org/research/pub...
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Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Call for Nominations: The 2026 Paul Farmer Lectureship and Award for Global Health Equity @mcgill.ca @mcgillspgh.bsky.social www.mcgill.ca/spgh/about-u...
mcgill.ca
Call for Nominations: The 2026 Paul Farmer Lectureship and Award for Global Health Equity
The McGill School of Population and Global Health (SPGH) is now accepting nominations for the 2026 Paul Farmer Award for Global Health Equity. Submit your nomination by the deadline of Friday, June 12...
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Rolled up my sleeves for my once a year baking attempt to celebrate Pi Day, a mix of sweet and sour cherries
Unbaked pie with fluted crust, a pi symbol cut out the middle Cooked cherry pie featuring the golden crust and the pi symbol
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
Relatable: hasslers harm your health. Oh wow, they may make you age faster too. Wait, it’s work by @letitbk.bsky.social & Brea Perry, with quotes by Deb Umberson. wapo.st/3OVL3kK
wapo.st
Difficult people in your life might make you age faster, study suggests
New research suggests that difficult people, a.k.a. “hasslers,” contribute to chronic stress and elevate epigenetic biomarkers associated with aging.
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IU Sociology @iusociology.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
Our department is hiring! Consider applying for those who have research areas in medicine, health and/or well-being. Follow the link to apply: careercenter.asanet.org/job/1311234/...
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
Oh hey, little update. Indiana University Department of Sociology is hiring this fall. Keeping you on your toes deadline is 11/16. We’re looking for an assistant professor specializing in sociology of medicine, health, and/or well-being broadly defined. indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/30984
	IU Bloomington Sociology
Location	Bloomington
Position Summary	
The Department of Sociology (https://sociology.indiana.edu/index.html) at Indiana University, Bloomington, invites applications for a tenure-track position at the level of Assistant Professor to begin in the fall of 2026 in the general area of sociology of medicine, health, and/or well-being broadly defined. We encourage applicants whose research in medicine, health, and/or well-being would complement department strengths in the areas of education, social psychology, political sociology, sociology of the family, sociology of inequality, stratification, and population.
 
The tenure home for this position will be in the Department of Sociology. Ph.D. in Sociology is required at time of appointment. Applicants should apply online at https://indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/30984 including a cover letter; CV; statements on research and/or teaching; up to three writing samples; and contact information for three letters of reference. Applications must be complete by November 16, 2025, to receive full consideration. Applications will be considered until the position is filled. Queries can be sent to Fabio Rojas (frojas@iu.edu), Department of Sociology Chair, or Jennifer Barber (jenbarb@iu.edu), Chair of the Search Committee.  
 
Indiana University is an equal opportunity employer and provider of ADA services and prohibits discrimination in hiring. See Indiana University Notice of Non-Discrimination here which includes contact information.
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
It’s here, time to celebrate the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Sciences 10 year anniversary! #IAPHS2025
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Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science @iaphs.bsky.social · 10/08/2025
🏆 We’re excited to announce our 2025 award winners! 🏅 Recipients will be honored at our conference in Pittsburgh, September 8–11, 2025. Congratulations to all! 🎉 #pophealth #IAPHS2025 iaphs.org/congratulati...
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Chris Uggen @chrisuggen.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
As we mourn today's Annunciation Church shooting, the reporting and photojournalism are almost too much to take in; sharing this gift link for those seeking good local coverage from Minneapolis. www.startribune.com/minneapolis-...
startribune.com
Live: Neighbors describe volley of gunfire in attack that killed two children, wounded 17
Sources identified Robin Westman, 23, as the shooter, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene. One source told the Star Tribune Westman’s mother once worked at Annunciation.
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
Teaching this fall? Consider saving time for in-class office hours. Mine are only 5-10 min at the very end of class but I have a line of students asking questions they’d otherwise skip.
media.tenor.com
a man wearing glasses stands in front of a blackboard that says " neolithic " on it
Alt: a Harrison Ford in wearing glasses stands in front of a blackboard that says " neolithic " on it - from the Indiana Jones series
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KFF Health News @kffhealthnews.org · 13/08/2025
Across rural America, Medicaid is a lifeline, especially for people who wouldn’t otherwise have easy access to health care. With Medicaid cuts looming, people are bracing for the impact. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
kffhealthnews.org
Medicaid Cuts Could Have Vast Ripple Effects in This Rural Colorado Community - KFF Health News
In rural Colorado and across rural America, Medicaid is a lifeline, especially for people who wouldn’t otherwise have easy access to health care. That includes low-income seniors who need supplemental...
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
An excellent summary of the ripple effect this will have on us all: The hidden costs of cutting Medicaid www.npr.org/sections/pla...
npr.org
The hidden costs of cutting Medicaid
Cutting Medicaid can seem like an easy way to slash the budget. But, the costs can spread to all of us.
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
Beautiful city, lovely people! Thank you Chicago for hosting the #ASA2025 annual meeting of the American Sociological Association (@asanews.bsky.social)!
View of the Chicago River meeting Lake Michigan. There are skyscrapers to the left side and boats in the river. In the distance is Navy Pier with the Ferris  wheel. It is a bright and sunny day with blue skies and white puffy clouds.
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
Medical/health scholars, we are about to experience a tsunami ripple through our health care system as millions lose access & HC systems lose money to keep the lights on. This *is* a structural determinant of health worthy of prioritizing 👇🏼 #ASA2025
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Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science @iaphs.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
IAPHS Conference Registration is now open! Visit iaphs.org/conference/r... to learn more
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
One of the questions my Medicaid team and I ask is, how will they decide who to cull from social welfare programs? At least one approach appears to be “add more administrative burdens,” affecting everyone, but those with the least power will feel these cuts most profoundly.
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The Commonwealth Fund @commonwealthfund.org · 10/03/2025
New analysis shows that states without #Medicaid expansion will be hit hardest if ACA tax credits expire. Unless Congress extends the enhanced premium tax credits, 4 million more Americans will become uninsured, and many will likely experience difficulties accessing affordable #healthcare.
commonwealthfund.org
The Cost of Eliminating the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits
Unless Congress extends the enhanced premium tax credits, 4 million more Americans will become uninsured, and many will have trouble accessing affordable care.
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Nathan Chomilo, MD FACP @chomilomd.com · 10/03/2025
The impact of the cuts to #Medicaid Congress & the White House are entertaining will send shock waves through our health care system. We or our children will all eventually feel it on some level.
urban.org
Downsizing Medicaid: How Proposed Cuts Could Endanger Health Insurance for Low-Income Americans
The Urban Institute–Georgetown Law Series on Health Justice features conversations with researchers and legal professionals about how we can reduce widespread disparities in medical care and health in...
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
We need to connect to continue our health research & build the next generation of scholars. Submit to the 10th Annual IAPHS meeting in Pittsburgh (Sept 2025). It is easy (abstracts only) and, there will be *joy* as we celebrate our anniversary! @iaphs.bsky.social iaphs.org/why-you-shou...
Thumbnail picture for the start of the video, it is a picture of me standing in my office. I'm wearing a white sweater and glasses. The title is "Why you should attend the IAPHS Conference in 2025."
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Nature @nature.com · 06/03/2025
In an unprecedented move, the US National Institutes of Health has begun mass terminations of research grants that fund active scientific projects because they no longer meet “agency priorities”. go.nature.com/4bpG2It
go.nature.com
Exclusive: NIH to terminate hundreds of active research grants
Studies that touch on LGBT+ health, gender identity and DEI in the biomedical workforce could be terminated, according to documents obtained by Nature.
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Joan Alker @joanalker1.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
As Congress considers large cuts to Medicaid new brief from @kff.org on hospitals highlights an important fact: Medicaid covers 41% of births nationwide Medicaid covers 47% of births in rural areas.
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Dana R. Fisher (aka the Apocalyptic Optimist) @fisherdanar.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
This report on the companies that are the top carbon emitters globally highlights what scholars have called “super polluters.” For more, check out the book by Don Grant Wesley Longhofer and Andrew Jorgenson www.axios.com/2025/03/05/f...
axios.com
These companies are responsible for more than 50% of world CO2 emissions
The "Carbon Majors Database" is being used to sue oil companies, write new laws and track emissions over time.
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Now is the time to invest in your social connections, and if you can your communities.
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Dr. David Miller 🏳️‍🌈 @davidimiller.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
This helps to understand what's going on with the REUs (Research Experience for Undergraduates): On Feb 13, NSF said: "Although we [had earlier] sent many of you emails expressing our plans to recommend for funding...We deeply regret that we are not going to be able to hold to all of those plans."
science.org
NSF downsizes summer research program for undergraduates
Many participants are from groups underrepresented in science
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Yes! My team and I spent 2023-24 in the field interviewing Medicaid beneficiaries and many didn’t realize that they are on Medicaid. The rebranding helps to destigmatize Medicaid, but then people fail to realize they are using government funded health insurance. List of state programs here 👇🏼
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Katherine J. Wu @katherinejwu.com · 27/02/2025
I talked to NIH officials, current and former, about what's been happening inside the agency since the Trump administration shut down their grantmaking pipeline in January. Their stories showed just how willing our new leaders are to break the law: www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...
theatlantic.com
Inside the Collapse at NIH
Administration officials pressured NIH to avoid clear advice from the agency’s own lawyers to restart grant funding now.
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Jonathan Ladd @jonathanmladd.com · 27/02/2025
"officials at the Dept. of HHS... have pressed staff at the agency to ignore court orders, according to nearly a dozen former and current NIH officials I spoke with. Even advice from NIH lawyers to resume business as usual was dismissed by the agency’s acting director, those officials said."
theatlantic.com
Inside the Collapse at the NIH
Administration officials pressured the NIH to avoid clear advice from the agency’s own lawyers to restart grant funding now.
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Elaine Hernandez @emhernandez.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Cutting jobs & our social safety net to fund SpaceX & Tesla: “Musk and his businesses have received at least $38 billion in government contracts, loans, subsidies and tax credits, often at critical moments…helping seed the growth that has made him the world’s richest person.” wapo.st/41uIOJ4
This is a figure depicting, how much funding musk companies have received from the government?‘s contracts, loans, subsidies in tax credits by company, including SpaceX and Tesla. It ranges from 2003-2025.
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Nathan Chomilo, MD FACP @chomilomd.com · 26/02/2025
#Medicaid Matters In the coming days & weeks you'll hear a lot about #Medicaid as Congressional Republicans look to cut spending to fund a tax cut for the wealthy. In Minnesota ANY cuts to Medicaid would hit rural communities, children & families, those with disabilities & our elderly poor, hard.
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