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Holly Witteman

@hwitteman.bsky.social
792 followers 363 following 189 posts

Professor & Canada Research Chair in Human-Centred Digital Health at Université Laval in Québec City 🇨🇦, PhD human factors engineering, #T1D since 1983, 💙 DIY looping #WeAreNotWaiting, En/Fr

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Reposted by Holly Witteman
Jim Woodgett @jwoodgett.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
We're in turbulent times in health research with unprecedented advances coupled with funding challenges. CIHR is at the cross-roads of this and is looking for a special advisor to the President (2 days a week, secondment). Be part of the solution. cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/54823.html
cihr-irsc.gc.ca
Special Advisor to the President - CIHR
Canada has exceptional health research talent and a strong record of scientific discovery. The challenge—and the opportunity—is to ensure more discoveries lead to better health, stronger health systems, new therapies and technologies, and a globally competitive life sciences sector.
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Le Devoir @ledevoir.com · 14/09/2026
Les scientifiques établis au Canada peinent plus que jamais à obtenir le financement nécessaire à leurs projets.
ledevoir.com
Cri du cœur des chercheurs en sciences biomédicales
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Holly Witteman @hwitteman.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
“But no, Jillian is really just using her vacation time to be out in nature, just walking for the sake of walking, I guess?” 😂❤️ This makes me think of the guy who wasn’t notified of his Nobel because he was on a backcountry hiking trip. Honestly, life goals. (Minus the Nobel.)
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Greg Egan @gregegansf.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
While the Fields Medal celebrates the under-40s, the mathematician Joan Birman has, at the age of 99, solved a major open problem in representations of the Braid groups, a topic she has worked on for more than 60 years.
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Reposted by Holly Witteman
Jessica Ellis @baddestmamajama.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Oh did a female academic with an extensive history of study and practice in a particular area of literature make a reasoned critique of a male filmmaker’s movie? I’m sure this will be handled with maximum normality.
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Reposted by Holly Witteman
Emily Atkin @emorwee.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
This. This is the correct, science-backed, responsible framing. Wish more news outlets did it like the CBC.
cbc.ca
'Just stop burning fossil fuels.' Scientists stress that our smoky skies only have one true fix | CBC News
Smoky skies in Toronto have led to new scrutiny of government efforts to fight fires and manage forests. But scientists say the realistic way to tackle the smoke is fighting climate change itself.
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Holly Witteman @hwitteman.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
I grew up elsewhere (Saskatchewan) but my in-laws live in northern Ontario. I’ve been there often over the past 25 years. It was not like this even just 10 years ago. This is absolutely *not* normal.
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Reposted by Holly Witteman
Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
"Right now, in some underfunded lab, a scientist is chasing a question that sounds pointless...a century of experience says that funding people to do this work is a good bet. If we stop making that bet, we will pay for it in cures no one will know to miss."
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Andrew Pruszynski @andpru.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
I encourage everyone to show up and make your voice heard at upcoming town halls and via any other channels: cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/45096.html • Bilingual session: Thursday, May 28 at 1:00 p.m. ET • English session: Wednesday, June 24 at 1:30 p.m. ET • French session: Thursday, June 25 at 1:30 p.m. ET
cihr-irsc.gc.ca
Webinars - CIHR
CIHR holds several webinars that allow us to share information, exchange ideas and discuss issues of importance with our stakeholders.
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Sinclair Cancer Research Institute @sinclaircri.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Cancer research lost a star this week with the passing of Dr Juliet Daniel @mcmasteruniversity.bsky.social Juliet was a proud @queensalumni.bsky.social that studied hard to treat cancers like TNBC. Send your tributes to her family and continue her legacy www.circleoflifecbc.com/obituaries/D...
circleoflifecbc.com
Obituary information for Dr. Juliet Michelle Daniel
View Dr. Juliet Michelle Daniel's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.
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Kristin Connor @kconnor.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Gutted to learn of the passing of Dr Kirsty Duncan. She was a tireless fighter for the people she served, not only her local community in Toronto but others, especially the science & research & athletics communities too. She championed equity, diversity, inclusion and made change happen. 🤍🙏🏻
richmond-news.com
Former Liberal cabinet minister Kirsty Duncan dies at 59
OTTAWA — Former Liberal cabinet minister Kirsty Duncan has died at the age of 59 following a years-long battle with cancer. Born on Oct.
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Dr. Stephanie @punkrockscience.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
Today’s xkcd made me cry. In a good way. xkcd.com/3172/
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Reposted by Holly Witteman
Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
One of the cruelest tricks society played on creative people was planting the idea that being proud of your work is somehow unseemly and egotistical. You made a thing! You like it! You SHOULD be proud of it. Brag all you want!
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Reposted by Holly Witteman
Université Laval @ulaval.ca · 13/11/2025
CommunauDT1: un espace d'échange pour mieux vivre avec le #diabète de type 1 Holly Witteman
nouvelles.ulaval.ca
CommunauDT1: un espace d'échange pour mieux vivre avec le diabète de type 1
La professeure Holly Witteman a lancé une communauté de soutien par les pairs liée à un projet de recherche pour mieux comprendre l'effet de ces échanges sur le bien-être des personnes touchées par cette maladie
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Reposted by Holly Witteman
Michael Hendricks 🇨🇦 @michaelhendricks.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Attn: Canadian researchers/ If you are looking for text/arguments to mix-n-match in a letter to your MP, the committee, Ministers, etc.. here is some. docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com
MP letter
[ I am your constituent and a professor at … .] It recently came to my attention that a motion has been passed in the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Research requesting disaggregated...
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Reposted by Holly Witteman
Julie Kiefer @julieckiefer.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
How to Communicate Medical Numbers-a @jama.com Insight from @angiefagerlin.bsky.social @athorpe8.bsky.social @uuhsresearch.bsky.social, @bzikmund.bsky.social @umich.edu Read and listen to the podcast for useful tips and tools that could improve patient health+lives. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
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Reposted by Holly Witteman
CAUT/ACPPU @caut.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
In Canada, proposed cuts of 15% across the federal government would have a dramatic effect on already globally decimated research & science. Join Canada's research & science community and tell PM Mark Carney to preserve the funding promised in 2024. Send a letter: win.newmode.net/canadianasso...
Illustration of a magnifying glass below text that reads "Freedom to research." Unlock Education campaign logo and "Education2025.ca" URL below the magnifying glass.
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Reposted by Holly Witteman
Melissa Barber @mbarber.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
This is a nice study showing that out-of-pocket costs for diabetes technologies are associated with worse HbA1c levels. I wish there were more granular data on actual costs and affordability instead of just bucketing 'reimbursed' vs 'not reimbursed.' jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com
Global Inequities in Diabetes Technology and Insulin Access and Glycemic Outcomes
This cross-sectional study estimates the association of accessibility and reimbursement for diabetes technologies and insulin with glycemic control among children with type 1 diabetes using data from ...
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Holly Witteman @hwitteman.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Are you living in Canada with #type1diabetes (yourself or a loved one)? You are not alone … find your #T1D community at communiT1D.ca! Vivez-vous au Canada avec un #diabètedetype1 (vous-même ou un(e) proche)? Vous n'êtes pas seul(e) ... trouvez votre communauté du #DT1 au communauDT1.ca!
Are you living with T1D*?
Are you parenting a child with T1D?
Do you have a family member, partner, or friend with T1D?

*or LADA/MODY/type 3c diabetes

You are not alone … find your type 1 diabetes community!

Join CommuniT1D.ca, a free Canadian program of monthly online meetings.
talk to others with shared experience
share your story
share what you know
get & give support
learn
improve your wellbeing
make new friends
find diabuddies (buddies with diabetes)
get connected
build community

The program will match you with a small group of others (about 4-6 people total) according to your interests and what matters to you.

JOIN US HERE! (link to communit1d.ca)

A drawing of six people with arms around each other, several sensors visible on their arms

CommuniT1D.ca is funded by Breakthrough T1D Canada (formerly known as JDRF Canada) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The program was designed and is run by people living with T1D or LADA, parents of children with T1D, scientists, doctors, and other experts. Research ethics approval: CIUSSS-CER-S 2024-2887
Vivez-vous avec un DT1* ?
Êtes-vous parent d'un enfant atteint d'un DT1 ?
Avez-vous un membre de votre famille, un.e conjoint.e ou un.e ami.e atteint.e de DT1 ?
*ou d'un diabète LADA/MODY/type 3c
Vous n'êtes pas seul(e) ... trouvez votre communauté du diabète de type 1!
Rejoignez CommunauDT1.ca, un programme canadien gratuit de réunions virtuelles mensuelles en ligne. Cela vous permettra de : 
parler à d'autres personnes qui partagent la même expérience
partager votre histoire
partager ce que vous savez
obtenir et offrir du soutien
apprendre
améliorer votre bien-être
se faire de nouveaux amis
trouver des diabètami.es (ami.es diabétiques)
se connecter avec les autres
créer une communauté
Le programme vous mettra en contact avec un petit groupe d'autres personnes (environ 4 à 6 personnes au total) en fonction de vos intérêts et de ce qui compte pour vous.

REJOIGNEZ-NOUS ICI ! (lien au communaudt1.ca)

Dessin de 6 personnes, les bras entourés, avec quelques capteurs visibles 

CommunauDT1.ca est financé par la Percée T1D Canada (anciennement FRDJ Canada) et les Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada. Le programme a été conçu et est géré par des personnes atteintes de DT1 ou de LADA, des parents d'enfants atteints de DT1, des scientifiques, des médecins et d'autres experts. Approbation éthique de la recherche : CIUSSS-CER-S 2024-2887
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Reposted by Holly Witteman
Kristin Connor @kconnor.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
Women are disproportionately affected by #irondeficiency & #anaemia We undertook a comprehensive review of 🔑 role of iron in women's health across the lifespan ✅ factors affecting iron bioavailability, ID/IDA 🚫 limitations of interventions 🙋🏽‍♀️need 4 better diagnosis & acceptable treatments 4 women
sciencedirect.com
Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia in women of reproductive age: Sex- and gender-based risk factors and inequities
Iron deficiency (ID) is a serious public health problem that affects 20–25 % of the population and 52 % of pregnant people worldwide. Biologically fem…
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Reposted by Holly Witteman
Aidan Wright @aidangcw.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Pro tip, folks: if you make a figure for a publication, don’t just hand the copyright over to the publisher. Post it on OSF first and then give yourself permission to use it in the first publication and then all future publications. That way, no permissions issues.
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Janel Comeau 🍁 @verybadllama.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Google and Meta search both report that Cape Breton Island has its own time zone 12 minutes ahead of mainland Nova Scotia time because they are both drawing that information from a Beaverton article I wrote in 2024
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Reposted by Holly Witteman
Dr. Casey Fiesler @cfiesler.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
Tip for PhD applicants reaching out to prospective advisors: Don’t use an LLM to write these emails. It’s not a great first impression to express your admiration for a recent paper the faculty member published if that paper does not exist.
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Reposted by Holly Witteman
Tom Flood @tomflood.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
Happy World Bicycle Day.
Large digital screen on a city street with Bicycles deliver the freedom that auto ads promise in white type on black
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Holly Witteman @hwitteman.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
Downside of working in diabetes research as a person with diabetes, a running list: 1. I now have to attend conferences whose taglines might as well be, “67 reasons your life sucks & 12 ways you could die soon.” 2. I cannot seem to bring myself to refuse requests to review from diabetes charities.
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Reposted by Holly Witteman
Mary C. Politi, PhD @mcpoliti.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
great work by @ellenpeters.bsky.social et al. Best practices include communicating with numbers; decreasing cognitive effort; providing meaning of numeric risk data; acknowledging uncertainty; testing communication through teach-back. #medsky pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40301218/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Communicating Numeric Risk Information to Patients - PubMed
Risk information is increasingly available to health care providers and patients thanks to a growing body of health outcomes research and clinical prediction models. Meanwhile, communicating such info...
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Reposted by Holly Witteman
Ed Hawkins @edhawkins.org · 28/05/2025
Latest WMO decadal update is available: - 80% chance that at least one of the next five years will exceed 2024 as the warmest on record - 70% chance that 5-year average warming for 2025-2029 will be more than 1.5 °C wmo.int/publication-...
wmo.int
WMO Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update (2025-2029)
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
New Forbes story about the economic consequences of science cuts. www.forbes.com/sites/johndr... Thoughtful and thorough analysis. 1/n
forbes.com
Trump’s NIH And NSF Cuts Estimated To Cost The U.S. Economy $10 Billion Annually
Economists find public R&D drives U.S. productivity growth — and pays for itself
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Holly Witteman @hwitteman.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
Lunchtime at the ULaval botanical gardens. (Roger van den Hende gardens.)
Yellow and red tulips in front of a pink Magnolia tree.
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DOHaD Canada @dohadcanada.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
Congratulations to our co-president, Dr. Kristin Connor (@kconnor.bsky.social), for being awarded the Nick Hales Award by the International DOHaD Society. #DOHaD2025
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Pablo Nepomnaschy @pablonep.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
"When we buy something, we don't pay for it with money, we pay for it with the time we had to spend to get that money. Remember that everything can be bought, except time/life." Pepe Mujica (1935-2025)
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Dr. Rita McCracken, MD PhD🇨🇦 @ritamc.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
Loved the chat with @tarakiran.bsky.social about what we can learn from public schools to deal with the #familydoctorshortage & managed to squeeze in a reference to the idea of thick v. thin relationships that I learned from reading @deanspade.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/w...
podcasts.apple.com
Why Primary Care Should Work Like Public Schools with Dr. Rita McCracken
Podcast Episode · Primary Focus with Dr. Tara Kiran · 2025-05-08 · 35m
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Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
"Women are PIs on 58% of the canceled grants, although they are PIs on only 34% of all active NSF grants. Similarly, Blacks are PIs on 17% of the terminated grants, although they make only 4% of the total pool. Hispanic PIs and those with disabilities were twice as likely to lose a grant."
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Voices for Vaccines @voices4vaccines.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
Fact: Years after a measles outbreak, some people may develop a rare brain infection called SSPE. It is almost always fatal. If you go looking, you can find many new stories about it. But for the most part, it's a quiet harm most people never even hear about.
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Jim Woodgett @jwoodgett.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
The US has cut the equivalent of 3X the total annual CIHR budget so far this year, revealing both how low the CIHR budget is and how utterly draconian the White House has treated one of the most precious and successful institutions the US has ever built.
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Holly Witteman @hwitteman.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
I really hate the trend of academics planning studies in which they interview other academics about their area of expertise and keep interviews confidential & anonymous without letting the interviewees have a say in that. 🧵
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Holly Witteman @hwitteman.bsky.social · 11/05/2025
1/My faith in humanity was boosted this week.
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Holly Witteman @hwitteman.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
Packing for a work trip: I am grateful to have diabetes tech, but oh my goodness so many things now have their own proprietary charging cord and/or battery type, so a person who packs alllll the backups (hi) travels with a lot of medical supplies.
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Holly Witteman @hwitteman.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
+1000. A small clarification: please ask for the specific paper you’re seeking. I had a viral tweet about this years ago and, to this day, I occasionally get people emailing me to ask for my “papers” without specifying which one(s).
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Michael Hendricks 🇨🇦 @michaelhendricks.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
It's difficult to overstate the impact that US science funding and institutions have on science globally. This is devastating no matter where you are.
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Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Remember when you could just run an errand, without a phone call two days in advance asking you to confirm, a text message the day before asking you to confirm, and and endless escalating series of messages afterward demanding your participation in a customer satisfaction survey?
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Holly Witteman @hwitteman.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
It’s been so heartbreaking to see what’s happening to research in the US. Now it’s also going to be heartbreaking to see irreplaceable international studies get damaged. International studies are often the biggest of the big deals in health research. They produce so much useful knowledge.
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André Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Sad to hear that Dr. Henry Friesen, who had a transformative influence on health research in Canada, has died at age 90. He discovered the hormone prolactin and founded the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, among his many accomplishments. www.cdnmedhall.ca/laureates/he...
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James McLeod @jamespmcleod.ca · 28/04/2025
With all sincerity, Elections Canada is a national treasure. - Voting typically takes less than 15 minutes - We make it easy for citizens to vote, without cumbersome registration hurdles - We have every reason to trust that ballots will be counted fairly, and results reported swiftly
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Holly Witteman @hwitteman.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
Note to self: they need to put something to fill time on the election coverage tv show. It does not necessarily mean they are statistically illiterate when they report that so-and-so is “leading” based on a single-digit vote difference with 1/200ish polls reporting. 🧘
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Holly Witteman @hwitteman.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
Voted! 🇨🇦 It took longer than usual this year (35 minutes door to door, on foot, versus the usual 15.) I went with the opening hours crowd because I have meetings today and won’t have time later, so maybe it’s just the morning rush, but I’m hoping it’s a sign of high turnout.
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Holly Witteman @hwitteman.bsky.social · 27/04/2025
What an absolutely gorgeous goal by Abdu. #RosesFC
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