Sign in

Karen Lutfey Spencer

@klutfey.bsky.social
138 followers 122 following 16 posts

Medical Sociology & Health Services Research. Professor at CU Denver. Substacking “I’m Not Gaslighting You!” open.substack.com/pub/spencerk

PostsRepliesMedia
Karen Lutfey Spencer @klutfey.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
Local Colorado cyclists, you might like this social ride! #bikes #colorado #social #highlandsranch #littleton
010
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
ASA Medical Sociology @asamedsoc.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Join us for a Mentor of the Month session on federal funding of medical sociological research. For any questions: Reach out to Tasleem Padamsee (padamsee.1@osu.edu) or Cathy van de Ruit (cvanderuit@ursinus.edu). #ASA #MedicalSociology
012
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
ASA Medical Sociology @asamedsoc.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Session Postponed! New date will be posted soon 📢 January’s Mentor of the Month session on the current climate for federal funding of medical sociological research has been postponed. It was orginally scheduled on January 30, 2026: 3 pm (EST)/12 pm PST #ASA #ASAMedicalSociology #ASAMentalHealth
011
Karen Lutfey Spencer @klutfey.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
I wrote my first book manuscript this year. Here’s why I wrote it and what the experience was like compared to all these years of churning out academic articles and grants. And that’s me & my mom in the picture! It ties in. Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/spencerk...
open.substack.com
What happened when this professor tried to write a trade book
I think I liked it?
010
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
ASA Medical Sociology @asamedsoc.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
📢 Join us: January’s Mentor of the Month sessio on: The current climate for federal funding of medical sociological research 📢 Co-hosted by ASA Medical Sociology section & Mental Health section! When: Friday January 30, 2026: 3 pm (EST)/12 pm PST #ASA #MedicalSociology #Funding #Academia
011
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
ASA Medical Sociology @asamedsoc.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
Join a session on Time Management and Semester Planning 📢 Co-hosted by ASA Medical Sociology section & Mental Health section! When: Friday, December 5, 2-3pm EST / 11am-12pm PST #ASA #MedicalSociology #Timemangement #Acedemia
011
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
ASA Medical Sociology @asamedsoc.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
📢 Job Opportunity: Associate Professor & BSW Program Director - University of Colorado Denver Specialization: Social work. Deadline Jan 1, 2026. #ASA #MedicalSociology
careercenter.asanet.org
Associate Professor of Social Work, Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Program Director - Denver, Colorado job with University of Colorado Denver | 1311237
The Department of Sociology at the University of Colorado Denver invites applications...
012
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
ASA Medical Sociology @asamedsoc.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
📢 Job Opportunity: Assistant Professor – Indiana University Specialization: Sociology of medicine, health, and well-being. Due Nov 16, 2025. #MedicalSociology #HealthInequality #ASA #MedicalSociology
careercenter.asanet.org
Assistant Professor - Bloomington, Indiana job with Indiana University | 1311234
Tenure-track position at the level of Assistant Professor in the general area of sociology of medicine, health, and/or well-being broadly defined.
012
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
ASA Medical Sociology @asamedsoc.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
Are you a sociologist exploring non-academic careers? Join our session via Zoom on Nov 7 (2-3pm EST⏰) to hear from Skye Miner (RAND), Sarah Diefendorf (Intermountain Healthcare), & Dan Simon (Colorado DPH) 📍Open to members of the ASA(@asanews.bsky.social) Sections: Medical Sociology & Mental Health.
237
Karen Lutfey Spencer @klutfey.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
Come at 2pm to hear from editors of JHSB, SHI, and SSM talk about how to get published in medical sociology journals. Bring your questions! @jofhsb.bsky.social
020
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
ASA Medical Sociology @asamedsoc.bsky.social · 10/08/2025
🎉Congratulations to the 2025 ASA Section on Medical Sociology Award Winners!🎉 We are proud to honor this year's outstanding scholars for their impactful research, service, and dedication to advancing the discipline! 🥳 #ASA2025 #MedSoc #ReimaginingHealth
031
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
ASA Medical Sociology @asamedsoc.bsky.social · 10/08/2025
Happy Sunday 🎉 Here is our session schedule for the day. Use #MedSoc #ASAChicago or #ReimaginingHealth to show us your conference highlights!
073
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
ASA Medical Sociology @asamedsoc.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
Hey, #medsoc "Mentor of the Month" friends, don't miss this exciting presentation from one of our lovely mentors, Dr. Courtney Boen (@courtneyboen.bsky.social)! If you ask me, catching this talk is a great way to start your Monday! 😄 #ASA2025 #ReimaginingHealth
142
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Courtney Boen @courtneyboen.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
On Sunday, I have the pleasure of presiding over the session on Racialized Health Injustice (also at 8am 😅). Really looking forward to this one. Truly an amazing set of papers! Hope to see you (w all the caffeine ☕️) there! #ASA2025
162
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Eliza Brown @elizaclairebrown.bsky.social · 10/08/2025
Come by my session tomorrow morning at #ASA2025 in @asamedsoc.bsky.social on what I call 'clinical outcomes governance' with some very cool looking papers!
0123
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
ASA Medical Sociology @asamedsoc.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
You won't want to miss our reception tonight sponsored by the Sociology of Health and Illness Foundation ✨ This location is .8 miles from the Hyatt Regency. Anyone who would like to arrange to share a ride or walk over together should meet up in the Hyatt lobby at 6pm, departing 6:15 at the latest.
031
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
ASA Medical Sociology @asamedsoc.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
Good morning, ASA Medical Sociology Section! Here is the daily schedule of sessions, including the section awards ceremony and a reception you don't want to miss! Don't forget to use #MedSoc #ASAChicago or #ReimaginingHealth to show us your conference highlights!
021
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
ASA Medical Sociology @asamedsoc.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
Afternoon Schedule: 2-3:30 Roundtables East Tower, Hyatt Regency Chicago, Floor: Ballroom Level/Gold, Grand Ballroom A 4:30-5:30 Awards Ceremony and Reeder Address West Tower, Hyatt Regency Chicago, Floor: Ballroom Level/Gold, Regency D 6:30PM-8:30 Reception: Hawksmoor, 500 North LaSalle Drive
041
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
ASA Medical Sociology @asamedsoc.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
This social media committee LOVES celebrating the section members who make Medical Sociology the wonderful section it is! This #ASA2025, we will be sharing highlights, updates, and photos from the Annual Meeting 🥰 Keep an eye out for our account on upcoming sessions, reminders, and good news!
031
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
ASA Medical Sociology @asamedsoc.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
👋🏽 Gentle reminder: Join us tomorrow for the Welcome Reception hosted by the ASA sections on Medical Sociology and Mental Health, along with our wonderful sponsor, the Sociology of Health & Illness! 📆 Saturday, August 9 🕡 6:30 - 8:30 PM 📍 #ASA2025 in Chicago (Check the agenda for location details!)
062
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
ASA Medical Sociology @asamedsoc.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
Have something you'd like featured on our Bluesky profile? Fill out our Google Form to share your session highlights, photos, or announcements with us, and we'll post them on our account! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... #MedSoc #ASAChicago #ReimaginingHealth
011
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
ASA Medical Sociology @asamedsoc.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
📢 New platform, same great section: ASA Medical Sociology is officially on Bluesky! Follow along for section activities, publications, and member highlights: @asamedsoc. We’re excited to build community in new spaces! #MedSoc #ASA2025
063
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Karen Lutfey Spencer @klutfey.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
The Medical Sociology section of ASA has a new account up & running so we can bring you live coverage of #ASA2025! Please follow and share! @asamedsoc.bsky.social
032
Karen Lutfey Spencer @klutfey.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
The Medical Sociology section of ASA has a new account up & running so we can bring you live coverage of #ASA2025! Please follow and share! @asamedsoc.bsky.social
032
Karen Lutfey Spencer @klutfey.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
As the Chair of the Medical Sociology section of ASA, I’m excited for next week’s meeting in Chicago —follow our new account for live coverage! @asamedsoc.bsky.social
0123
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Kathleen Romig @kathleenromig.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
After sending a misleading & partisan press release to millions, Social Security issued a new release on service "improvements" under the new Commissioner, whom it lavishes w/praise. But SSA deleted most metrics last month, allowing them to cherry pick data. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Social Security stops reporting call wait times and other metrics
The changes are the latest sign of the agency’s struggle with website crashes, overloaded servers and long lines at field offices amid Trump cutbacks.
9336131
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
This is where we are, America. One of my old colleagues at the University of Arizona Cancer Center has set up a GoFundMe to help fund breast cancer research in the wake of massive cuts to NIH grants.
azcentral.com
With financial support in limbo, this UA cancer lab started crowdfunding
As federal funding changes hit universities, key research initiatives are scrambling to find cash. The Schroeder Lab at UA is one of them.
24422187
Karen Lutfey Spencer @klutfey.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
I’m happy to share my new (100% free) Substack newsletter, “I’m Not Gaslighting You!” open.substack.com/pub/spencerk I’ll be writing about health, illness, healthcare, why our systems gaslight us, and how you can resist.
050
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
New meaning to the word unqualified and incompetent.
1328761
Karen Lutfey Spencer @klutfey.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
Happy to be talking with Cosmopolitan magazine about medical gaslighting—why it happens and how we can resist. It’s unfortunate we still need these conversations about healthcare inequality, but it’s so necessary. www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitne...
cosmopolitan.com
Everything You Need to Know About Medical Gaslighting Before Your Next Doctor’s Appointment
If you’ve ever gone to the doctor with a concern and felt like they were downplaying your symptoms, you’ve probably experienced medical gaslighting.
030
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
“The results revealed that researchers who received renewals without a funding gap were less likely to switch research topics and investigate a wide array of subjects than were those in the control group, and they produced papers featuring newer or more unconventional combinations of ideas”
14225
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
As we point out in Science, the Trump proposal to convert NIH program officer jobs into political appointments (Schedule F) will mean, that instead of actual scientific experts, people like "Big Balls" will choose how to direct NIH funds. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The past few months at NIH and NSF preview how politicized scientific agencies would operate. Funding choices that reflected the consensus of some of the best scientists in the world were reversed by nonscientists. Program officers have, at points, been told not to communicate with the scientific community or have had their engagement limited. Scientific agencies have been directed to effectively reduce the flow of funds to a trickle by adding new layers of redundant review and red tape and even violating court orders to reinstate cancelled grants.
6330181
Karen Lutfey Spencer @klutfey.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
This year I’m the Chair of the ASA Medical Sociology section, and we want everyone to feel welcome—hope to see you in Chicago in August! @asamedsoc.bsky.social
010
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Tim @timmypi.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
"Show me your budget and I'll tell you what you value"
24917
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Mike Boylan-Kolchin @mbkplus.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
A great read. I'm a broken record about on the point that *companies generally love this arrangement*. It allows them to offload dreaded long-term costs (employing smart people who do basic research, which often takes years or decades to monetize) to universities and the federal government.
7562163
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Make Money - Do Magnets @sararah.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
Most work-a-day private sector scientists understand that we don't just arrive fully formed at the steps of a company that does chemistry R&D& manufacturing, ready for day 1 of the job. Training is long & involved. Why aren't CEOs and investors screaming about this?
413634
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
The trope that universities are "dependent" on the federal government fundamentally misunderstands how vital this partnership has been for the US. The private sector can't replace it. If we kill it, we're all worse off. From @donmoyn.bsky.social and me: donmoynihan.substack.com/p/are-univer...
Moreover, these funds serve the public interest. Universities do things private companies with research capacities cannot: train research talent, conduct basic research with uncertain payoffs, and distribute knowledge as a public good. And the rewards have been enormous. Everything from the internet to pharmaceutical and health care innovations evolved from such investments. We are richer and healthier for the investment.
171116345
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Megan Zahneis @mzahneis.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
Here's a copy of an NSF grant termination notice that went out today. "NSF is issuing this termination to protect the interests of the government pursuant...on the basis that they no longer effectuate the program goals or agency priorities." Not subject to appeal. #HigherEd #AcademicSky
Text of email: Dear [redacted],

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has undertaken a review of its award portfolio. Each award was carefully and individually reviewed, and the agency has determined that termination of certain awards is necessary because they are not in alignment with current NSF priorities. Effective immediately, the following are terminated: [redacted]

NSF is issuing this termination to protect the interests of the government pursuant to NSF Grant General Conditions (GC-1) term and condition entitled Termination and Enforcement; on the basis that they no longer effectuate the program goals or agency priorities. This is the final agency decision and not subject to appeal. Costs incurred as a result of this termination may be reimbursed, provided such costs would otherwise be allowable under the terms of the award and the governing cost principles. In accordance with your award terms and conditions, you have 30 days from the termination date to furnish a summary of progress under the award and an itemized accounting of allowable costs incurred prior to the termination date. 

Sincerely, [redacted] Division Director 
Office of Budget Finance and Award Management (BFA) 
Division of Grants and Agreements (DGA)
710863
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Lisa Fazio @lkfazio.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
Can confirm that my NSF grant "How False Beliefs Form & How to Correct Them" was cancelled today because it is "not in alignment with current NSF priorities" Shocking that understanding how people are misled by false information is now a forbidden topic. Our work will continue but at a smaller scale
14230681363
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Hillary Rodham Clinton @hillaryclinton.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
Update: The House just passed the Republican voter suppression measure that threatens voting access for millions of Americans, including 69 million women whose married names don't match their birth certificates. Make sure your senators know you expect them to stand against it.
22055852515
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Matt McDermott @mattmfm.bsky.social · 05/04/2025
Madison. Richmond. Raleigh. Portland. Absolutely enormous crowd sizes at these Hands Off! protests of Trump and Musk at more than 1,500 locations across America.
318457
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Meredith Shiner @meredithshiner.com · 05/04/2025
I guess a whole city whose existence is pegged to functioning universities is mad!
36514
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Ben Wikler @benwikler.bsky.social · 05/04/2025
Hands off Madison, Wisconsin
266265134562
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
DOGE is trying to layer on administrative burden to prevent disabled people and older adults from accessing Social Security benefits to which they’re entitled. People in rural communities will be hit especially hard. Field offices are already overwhelmed.
21747343
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Will Wilkinson @wlknsn.xyz · 18/02/2025
Just signed an executive order declaring my mortgage paid in full.
1053440
Reposted by Karen Lutfey Spencer
Kenzie Mintus @kenziemintusphd.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
I know there is a lot happening in the world right now, but for those of you planning to attend #ASA2025, please consider your submitting your work to our @asadisability.bsky.social sessions. We need to highlight our work & find community now more than ever. Deadline 02/26. #Sociology #Disability
Section on Disability in Society

People with Disabilities as a Population with Health Disparities (Co-sponsored by Section on Medical Sociology)   

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently designated people with disabilities as a population with health disparities. This designation is a result of disability advocacy efforts and a step toward recognizing disabled individuals as a minority group with unique health and healthcare concerns. The purpose of this co-sponsored session is to highlight innovative, sociological work that examines health disparities among disabled persons.

(Session Organizer) Kenzie Mintus, Indiana University Indianapolis

The Future of Work for Disabled Workers     

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, more Americans are seeking out remote work options. Remote work (or work from home) opportunities are particularly beneficial for disabled workers. However, increasingly large companies are rolling back remote work options. As companies shift their work from home policies, demand for remote work may increase—creating competition from nondisabled workers who benefit from flexible work policies as well. The purpose of this session is to understand how current work policies will shape the future of work for disabled workers.

(Session Organizer) Kenzie Mintus, Indiana University Indianapolis

Section on Disability in Society Roundtables    

This roundtable session will explore various topics related to the sociology of disability.

(Session Organizer) Kenzie Mintus, Indiana University Indianapolis
0105