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Reposted by Rachael Robertson

Elisabeth Bik @elisabethbik.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Is AI Flooding Medical Journals With 'Meaningless' Research? With some quotes by Ivan Oransky, Elena Vicario, and me: "We are at a point now that we cannot distinguish fake from real," said Elisabeth Bik By @rachrobertson.bsky.social @medpagetoday.com www.medpagetoday.com/special-repo...

medpagetoday.com

Is AI Flooding Medical Journals With 'Meaningless' Research?

'It's not fraudulent, and it's not really slop,' one expert says

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Reposted by Rachael Robertson

Elisabeth Bik @elisabethbik.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Boot Camp Promises a Submitted Paper in Just 2 Days— Critics worry AI-aided program enables shoddy research "Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis in 1 Weekend" @rachrobertson.bsky.social reports @medpagetoday.com Quotes by Matt Spick, @gidmk.bsky.social, and me. www.medpagetoday.com/special-repo...

medpagetoday.com

Boot Camp Promises a Submitted Paper in Just 2 Days

Critics worry AI-aided program enables shoddy research

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

“I think we are just catching the tip of the iceberg,” the researcher told me. “Fabricated references should concern us all. If our scientific foundation erodes, we are in deep trouble,” an outside AI researcher cautioned.

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

AI-fabricated citations in research papers are a growing problem that have increased 12-fold in recent years. In the first 7 weeks of 2026, 1 in 277 papers contained a reference that didn’t lead to a real paper, up from 1 in 2,828 papers in 2023. Read here👇 www.medpagetoday.com/practicemana...

medpagetoday.com

'Tip of the Iceberg': Study Uncovers AI-Fabricated Citations in Research Papers

Over 4,000 fabricated references across more than 2,800 papers identified

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Reposted by Rachael Robertson

Kevin Ault @kevinault.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

"much research has found no link between #COVID vaccination in pregnancy and adverse outcomes for children, including at least two studies showing no increase in birth defects" More safety data #ObGynSky + #MedSky via @rachrobertson.bsky.social. www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcover...

medpagetoday.com

No Link Between COVID Shot in Pregnancy and Kids' Autism Symptoms

Study adds to mounting data supporting the safety and efficacy of COVID vaccination in pregnancy

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Reposted by Rachael Robertson

MedPage Today @medpagetoday.com · 21/08/2025

Hundreds of former and current #HHS workers signed an open letter calling for HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to stop spreading misinformation and to guarantee their safety after a gunman opened fire at #CDC headquarters in Atlanta earlier this month, @rachrobertson.bsky.social reports.

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Why does menopause hormone therapy still divide physicians? I spoke with a reproductive endocrinologist about this debate, how research on MHT has evolved since the WHI, + how doctors can interpret the science when caring for their patients. @medpagetoday.com www.medpagetoday.com/obgyn/hrt/11...

medpagetoday.com

Why Menopause Hormone Therapy Still Divides Physicians

Rachel Weinerman, MD, on what physicians have learned since the WHI published two decades ago

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

“That's a red flag for me, that people were hand-picked to represent a particular perspective and may have big conflicts of interest that were not disclosed." — Susan Mayne, PhD, a former director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

Meanwhile, expert panels are announced last minute, held in small rooms, panelists have significant COI, and often share the opinion of federal health officials.

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

Experts worry these expert panels sidestep regulated advisory committees which require transparency measures like advance notice, public comment periods, shared evidence, and conflict of interest disclosures.

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

FDA has recently held a slew of so-called "expert panels" (on menopause, SSRIs in pregnancy, talc, + baby formula) that sidestep legal procedures + ethics guardrails, raising concern about cherry-picking of experts and evidence. For @medpagetoday.bsky.social 👇🏻 www.medpagetoday.com/washington-w...

medpagetoday.com

FDA 'Expert Panels' Raise Concerns of Evading Regulations, Ethics

Do panels cherry-pick experts and evidence that align with FDA leadership's views?

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Reposted by Rachael Robertson

Kristina Fiore @kristinafiore.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

There's a major publishing slowdown at CDC's flagship journal, MMWR. Submissions are down, and there's a new step in the process that's never been required before -- all articles must be cleared by the HHS secretary's office (though an HHS spokesperson said this was "false"). More here:

medpagetoday.com

There's a Major Publishing Slowdown at CDC's Flagship Journal

Each MMWR article now requires clearance by the HHS secretary, sources said

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Reposted by Rachael Robertson

MedPage Today @medpagetoday.com · 09/07/2025

A handful of states have passed legislation allowing ivermectin to be sold and purchased over-the-counter -- and other state legislatures have their sights set on doing the same. @rachrobertson.bsky.social

Map of the United States highlighting states with legislation allowing over-the-counter ivermectin

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

"I don't want to stand by the bed of children and watch them die of vaccine-preventable diseases, which I have done in the past, before we had these vaccines," Kathryn Edwards, MD, a retired pediatrician and vaccine expert said.

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

“Medicine isn't about silencing the people that you disagree with. Medicine is about taking science and looking at the data and coming up with conclusions." — Kathryn Edwards, MD, a retired pediatrician and vaccine expert in Tennessee.

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

RFK Jr promised that new CDC vaccine advisors wouldn’t be “ideological anti-vaxxers” — yet many of his new appointees are known for their anti-vax views. One even posted this week that the term is “not a slur, but a compliment.” My latest 👇🏻 www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdi...

medpagetoday.com

Anti-Vaxxers on CDC Panel: A Broken Promise From RFK Jr.?

Being called an anti-vaxxer is a compliment, one new ACIP member says

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Reposted by Rachael Robertson

MedPage Today @medpagetoday.com · 03/06/2025

Passionate about healthcare, journalism, and content creation? Join our amazing editorial team! More information: www.notion.so/everyday-hea...

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

Honored to be a NIHCM finalist alongside the rest of my amazing team for our dive into the dirty details of the weight-loss drug boom🏆

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

For people experiencing a poisoning emergency or who have questions, America’s Poison Centers encourages contacting Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222, or visiting PoisonHelp.org for online resources and support.

poisonhelp.org

Poison Control | Call Poison Help Centers Now 1-800-222-1222

Get Poison Control Help fast, free and confidential. Call 1-800-222-1222 or get online help at the official site of America's Poison Centers.

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

"It is markedly concerning to see an increasing trend of pediatric exposures this year already." —Christopher Holstege, MD, medical director of UVA Health's Blue Ridge Poison Center. “Vitamin A cannot prevent measles. Vaccines prevent us from getting measles.”

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

SCOOP: Poison control centers have received nearly 40% more reports of vitamin A exposures among kids from Jan. 1 through Mar. 31 this year compared to the same time last year -- a trend that lines up with the growing measles outbreaks in Texas and other states. www.medpagetoday.com/special-repo...

medpagetoday.com

Amid Measles Outbreaks, Poison Centers See Uptick in Vit A Exposures in Kids

RFK Jr. has touted the vitamin for the highly contagious virus

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

“As a friend of mine likes to say: vaccines don't prevent disease -- vaccination prevents disease. And as I like to say, vaccine in the refrigerator never yet prevented a single case of infection.” — William Schaffner, MD, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

Private industry produces the vaccines, but government promotes them. Sources told me people are worried about how recent staffing cuts will impact health agencies' ability to function — including on the vaccine front.

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

“From a pure efficacy standpoint, the cell-based vaccines have always been superior," Amesh Adalja, MD, of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security told me. Egg-based vaccines have downsides, like a long production time, which can lead to vaccine mismatch. // @ameshaa.bsky.social

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

Previous bird flu outbreaks and decades-old public health infrastructure have led industry to protect the hens used for vaccine production, protecting them from wild birds. These are not the same flocks used for commercial egg production. Plus, we have other vax technologies that don’t rely on eggs.

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

Millions of vaccine doses are made from chicken eggs each year. So how exactly will the #eggshortage impact flu vax production for next season? My latest for @medpagetoday.bsky.social www.medpagetoday.com/special-repo...

medpagetoday.com

Will the Egg Shortage Affect Flu Shots?

Millions of vaccine doses are made using chicken eggs each year

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

"These findings indicate that many pregnant people were unable to overcome barriers to access abortion services and instead were forced to continue an unwanted or unsafe pregnancy to term.” —Suzanne Bell, PhD, MPH, of @johnshopkinssph.bsky.social

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

In 14 states that adopted abortion bans after Roe v. Wade was overturned, birth rates increased — but so did infant mortality. The greatest differences were seen by marginalized women, according to two studies. www.medpagetoday.com/obgyn/aborti...

medpagetoday.com

Birth Rates, Infant Mortality Increased in Abortion Ban States

Results of two new studies are in line with earlier findings looking at Texas alone

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

"Watching what happened in the past week has me asking, do we need to have more than one warehouse? What are the costs versus benefits of locating all the data in one spot? Should we have a backup?" — Epidemiologist Becky Smullin Dawson, PhD, MPH, told @medpagetoday.bsky.social

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

Cross-referencing archived data with re-released data will be critical for understanding what exactly was altered, said epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina, PhD, MPH // @kkjetelina.bsky.social

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

Some datasets the Trump administration took down are live again — though "the newly available versions have been censored, most notably to remove data related to transgender people." — Rachel Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH // @rachelhoopsick.bsky.social

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

Researchers have been learning the hard way that government data may not always be available or reliable — so archives, like @archive.org, have been hosting critical CDC data. That particular archive was spotlighted by @altcdc.bsky.social. www.medpagetoday.com/special-repo...

medpagetoday.com

Archives Host Missing CDC Data

Comparing archived data with censored government data will be critical, epidemiologists say

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

And with that…RFK Jr got the votes he needs to become HHS secretary🤮 It’s an increasingly dark time for public health.

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

"Removing evidence-based scientific information from websites or apps could lead to delays in care or confusion." — Nikki Zite, MD, MPH, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine in Knoxville

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

"Given everything going on, we are sadly going to need our professional organizations to step up in this regard." — David Hackney, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland // @davidnhackney.bsky.social

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Government websites are being gutted of vital health information, so @acog-org.bsky.social is stepping up to host PDFs of contraceptive guidance + ob/gyn-related gov-issued guidance that docs reference regularly — in case it gets purged. My latest 👇🏻 www.medpagetoday.com/obgyn/genera...

medpagetoday.com

ACOG Will Host Contraceptive Guidance for Ob/Gyns Amid CDC Website Purge

Docs who fear losing access to vital information say this move is vital

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

BREAKING: For the first time in 60+ years, MMWR did not go out as scheduled because of the communications pause at federal health agencies issued by the Trump administration. Public health leaders called this “a disaster” and “a concerning precedent” www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdi...

medpagetoday.com

Trump's Gag Order Halts CDC Publication

MMWR did not publish as usual at 1 p.m. today

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Reposted by Rachael Robertson

Linda Holmes @lindaholmes.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

I’m just begging you: Before you write your post about why the media isn’t covering something, *Google it* and look at the “news” tab. Please.

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Last June I dove into what Dr. Oz was up to after his failed senate bid. It was clear he was as positioning to launch a public role, but I don’t think any of us could have predicted that this is where we’d find him a year later 🙃 www.medpagetoday.com/special-repo...

medpagetoday.com

What Has Mehmet Oz Been Up To?

Oz went silent on social media after losing his Senate race, but appears to be making a comeback

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 08/10/2024

Since 2022, 76 people have mistakenly been told they failed the pathology board exam. While they are getting refunds and new certificates, many told me that’s not enough to make up for the mental distress, time, and compensation they missed out on as a result. www.medpagetoday.com/special-repo...

medpagetoday.com

Dozens Who Were Told They Failed the Pathology Board Exam Actually Passed

American Board of Pathology re-scored the exam and issued refunds to impacted test takers

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 18/10/2023

You cannot make this shit up🤦🏼‍♀️ 📍NOLA Aquarium

Sign at New Orleans aquarium that says “Gulf of Mexico: sponsored by…BP, Exxon, and
Shell ”

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Rachael Robertson @rachrobertson.bsky.social · 10/10/2023

Let’s get reconnected on here, health/news/nyc pals! I’m a journalist with MedPage Today covering ob/gyn, misinfo, health equity & many other medical topics.⚕️I also host and produce the biweekly health news podcast MedPod Today.🎙️ Tips/stories are always welcome at 👇🏻 r.robertson@medpagetoday.com

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