iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

In light of today's NYTimes article about self-censorship in academia (www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/u...), sharing my (now ancient) effort to measure the "chilling effect'" of a single effort to suppress science way back in the W administration. Stay safe out there. dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...

dx.plos.org

The Chilling Effect: How Do Researchers React to Controversy?

Drawing on interview and survey data, Joanna Kempner's study finds that political controversies shape what many scientists choose not to study.

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

Can’t wait to read this! Congrats!

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Reposted by Joanna Kempner

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 22/01/2026

Hi everyone -- there is a general strike in Minnesota tomorrow to protest what the Trump administration and DHS are doing to our community. In solidarity with the action, I am going to donate my revenue from tmrw's newsletter to People over Papers, the Midway-Hamline Diaper Bank, & Every Meal. (1/2)

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Reposted by Joanna Kempner

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 22/01/2026

Thank you to everyone who is risking their safety and contributing their time and money to protect our neighbors. If you are so inclined, please check out Stand With Minnesota (standwithminnesota.com) to find a way to help. And no one start any beefs with Will Stancil. (2/2)

standwithminnesota.com

Stand With Minnesota Donation Directory

Stand With Minnesota is a hub for supporting, learning, and taking action to support Minnesotans impacted by ICE and federal enforcement.

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

A depressing article that will be helpful teaching undergrads about healthcare in the US: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | We Asked 300 People About Health Care Costs. The Numbers Are Shocking.

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

Nothing to see here. Everything is fine.

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

Ya, I mean, from an oil/real estate perspective, there’s a lot to like about Cuba and Venezuela. Oligarchs gonna oligarch

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Reposted by Joanna Kempner

Dan Osborn @osbornforne.bsky.social · 03/01/2026

And there ya have it… Officials from top Wall Street firms will be traveling to Venezuela to investigate “investment prospects” of the country. “The trip will feature about 20 officials from the finance, energy and defense sectors.”

wsj.com

Finance Industry Eyes Investment Opportunities in Venezuela

Some on Wall Street are already considering possible investment opportunities in Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, according to Charles Myers, chairman of consulting firm Signum Globa...

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 03/01/2026

Not today, buddy. just a few more episodes of the Pitt, and I’ll be able to intubate anyone, pretty much anywhere. 🥼👩‍⚕️🩺

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

You know what cheers me up when the news is this miserable? Snuggling up with a classic rom-com. Rob Reiner always seemed like such a joyful mensch. My heart goes out to his and his wife’s loved ones.

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

I witnessed/experienced much the same in a very different context (state school in the US) a few years later. Some people thought they were being funny. Some were genuinely ignorant. Others repeated what they heard at home. But performative is an odd word—we all perform. But usually not like that

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

In what sense could this be considered “performatively” racist? Even back then… even in an English boarding school…

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Bc there are pragmatic interdisciplinary disagreements regarding the usefulness of AI, not to mention the sociologists using AI as a method. Hey, don’t get me wrong. it’s causing a zillion problems. But try getting everyone to agree on a policy.

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

How is it possible to have *such* bad taste in men?

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

I grew up in Bucks County and … I left as soon as I could. 😥 So much great news all around but DAMN! This is the best!!!!

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Reposted by Joanna Kempner

derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

JD Vance claims that diversity weakens unions, as people end up distrusting each other and not organizing. Let me tell you two menswear stories related to this claim. 🧵

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Everyone here is so glad to know you are safe. ❤️

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

I love Bari Weiss’s moral clarity in this comment.

“I know that there are some people in this room who don’t believe that my marriage should have been legal,” Ms. Weiss told the Federalist Society, an influential conservative legal group, in 2023. “And that’s OK. Because we’re all Americans who want lower taxes.”

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

Perimenopause… tamoxifen can’t be helping with that!

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

What is “antifascist and transgender writing” that could fit on a bullet?

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

How I wish I hadn’t spent my career studying this.

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

I shared the shite news from HHS w my kid today. Its ok. Virology seemed cool but he’ll be great as a psychedelic retreat vibe enhancer.

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Dr. Weissman took the time to talk to 9th graders (including mine) who spent a year studying some of what they’re doing. My kid (who barely cared about science in sept) came home from that talk BUZZING! Defunding science undermines our futures in big and small ways.

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 02/08/2025

!!! I won’t cook that but I’ll pay you all my money for it!!!

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

oh cool. let me know if you ever want to chat about any of it. there's a lot of subtext.

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Yea, actually not so great for a lot of men too, esp if they have a girly disease. But much worse if you happen to be in an even more disenfranchised population. This is 50% of how I ended up writing abt psychedelics for cluster headache…

Review of psychedelic outlaws is on point:

Jul 28, 2025
I very much enjoyed what Kempner had to say and how she said it: she paid attention to intersectionalism and made it a point to examine how experience differs across a spectrum. This fit very well with the podcasts The Retrievals, seasons 1&2, which I have been listening to. I thought the areas on academics and clinical research were good and helpful to the majority of people who don't work in either.
I want to think more about what lessons this story has to offer on citizen science and the power of a relatively small group of individuals to drive systemic change.
But this week I'm mostly thinking about pain and why medicine too often ignores it.

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

I’d love to see mdma approved but I’m even more excited about FDA reforms that make sense and build public trust. That a portion of the psychedelic community cares more about a single treatment than about public health writ large disgusts me.

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Since I’m catching up, it’s outrageous that Nuwer failed to disclose that she wrote a trade book hyping this very treatment and that, while doing so, formed relationships with people she interviewed for the article. The ethics violation is ridic. Stephens is awful but publishes *opinion*

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Ya I wrote a whole book about why it’s so damn hard to get diagnosed and treated for migraine. (Hint: it’s girly) a.co/d/i0AK2Cx

a.co

Amazon.com

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

It’s much easier to ignore than, say, NYTimes Spelling Bee/Wordle. Give it a try.

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

Not fact checked nearly enough. Or rather, they didn’t give a shit. (So ya I don’t check bluesky enough but still mad about this dumb af article!)

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

I guess I should check Bluesky more. 😅

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Thank you, Rabbis. But please, the food must come is urgent.

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Reposted by Joanna Kempner

Rima I Anabtawi @rimaanabtawi.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

HAPPENING NOW: a group of New York rabbis are being arrested at a protest outside the Israeli consulate calling for bringing food into Gaza, an end to the war, and return of all hostages @newjewishnarrative.bsky.social

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

Men still be diddling w 14 yr olds they’re not married to—the more disenfranchised the child, the more at risk. Almost like we’re in the same timeline.

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Reposted by Joanna Kempner

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

BBC News: Do you think you were a witness to war crimes? American veteran who worked at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid distribution center: Without question I witnessed war crimes.

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

Yes! This helps explain why my grandmom took so long to have my mom. (I should know this demographic history and was still surprised!)—the depression and the war made it hard to start a family.

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 27/07/2025

I recently realized that--back in 1943--my grandmother had my mom when she was 35. I thought this was super odd, that something must have been up. My mom looked at me funny. (I had my first at 35, too). They weren't ready yet, she said, like this was the most obvious thing in the world.

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 27/07/2025

Is this what you said to civil service workers? “Got let go? Should’ve quit as resistance!” What bollocks. If workers had to quit every time their bosses did something shitty….

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

So you’re saying he didn’t blurb the book? “I hated it!” JDV

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

There’s so much that’s cringe about book promotion but this is a bit much! Luckily people are great, and they are excited to read your book.

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

I became a professor bc I didn’t want to work for a corporation. Yea.

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

And also—yes—we tend to work solo on projects that take a long time to turn into pubs. Given that it’s hard to explain to others why journals don’t pay me for articles…

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

There’s a gender story here, for sure. Mid-career academics tend to get swamped by service *on* and *off* campus. Women and scholars of color—both underrepresented in lab sciences—feel this most acutely.

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Joanna Kempner @joannakempner.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

Mamdani didn’t just show us how important it is to get back to community organizing but how a smart campaign can scale their message all the way to Mobile, AL.

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