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Alex Parry, Ph.D.

@safetyworkhstm.bsky.social
2K followers 1.5K following 372 posts

Historian of home injuries, public health, and product safety at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Former Ph.D. student and graduate worker organizer at Johns Hopkins. Still frustrated and/or over-caffeinated.

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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
At my institution, “research” is officially defined as grant-funded (typically lab-based or clinical) projects. The rest of us are classified as doing “scholarship,” which has significantly less cachet.
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Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Thousands of university jobs lost too, and barely a peep either.
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Asheesh Kapur Siddique @asheeshks.org · 16/09/2026
More than any higher ed development in recent memory, institutional subsidies for AI at R1 universities prove that austerity is a choice. It is not “too expensive” to invest in a humanities research infrastructure; rather, it is a choice that R1 universities make not to & subsidize AI instead.
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WOR$T GIRL IN ACADEMIA @medievaliste.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Once again, the median pay for an adjunct professor in the United States of America is $3,500 per course. Not per month, per course.
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The cultural disdain for English and History has never made any sense. Humanities courses were one of the only spaces during my BA where the goal was to think deeply and to write well, not just to memorize or to solve problem sets.
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Sub Lime
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Renting? Too expensive. Homeownership? Too expensive. I’m about ready to live in the woods, which isn’t ideal for someone allergic to grass, pollen, and pine sap.
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Calling #HistSTM folks: If you or your colleagues have experience writing amicus briefs, the AAHM Education and Outreach Committee is planning to host a training session for History of Medicine week this October. Feel free to reply to this thread, DM me, or email me if you have any leads!
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Scholarship often requires slow and inconvenient tasks like “reading” and “thinking.” Now you can pretend to have done both!
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
I would prefer an academy where being “controversial” or “unorthodox” wasn’t confused with doing meaningful and rigorous research.
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Kim Lane Scheppele @kimlanelaw.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Zero new NSF grants in sociology, anthropology, political science and economics. The agenda of this US govt is to stop documenting the society in which we live while they are destroying it. We will find other ways to track and explain our times and fight to restore our research funding.
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public health guy @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
this is lying with statistics in 3+ ways. 1. y-axis crime 2. we have more recalls at this point in the year than we’ve had in recent years 3. recall counts aren’t very helpful measures because they don’t tell you anything about things like scale or health outcomes and severity.
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The Drift @thedriftmag.com · 19/08/2026
Andrew Baker was also a “token black professor” at Bates College. But his perspective on the events Tyler Austin Harper recounts in his Atlantic cover story is very different. Read Baker’s side of the story online today. newsletter.thedriftmag.com/p/racism-and...
newsletter.thedriftmag.com
Racism and labor at Bates: the other side of the story
Andrew Baker responds to Tyler Austin Harper
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Asheesh Kapur Siddique @asheeshks.org · 17/08/2026
A few things: (1) AI should not be used to assist writing. Cognitive outsourcing is bad. (2) The college essay is on the decline because of labor as much as AI. Learning to write well requires a lot of personal contact which neoliberal logics of higher ed work against www.nytimes.com/2026/08/17/u...
nytimes.com
What Do Students Lose When They Stop Writing?
Educators are worried that many students can no longer write essays without A.I. And it’s costing more than just grammar skills.
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The Author, Séamas O'Reilly @seamas.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Not to be some wild-eyed innocent, but I think it should be slightly bigger news that The Lancet have crunched the numbers and found that Musk's USAID cuts will kill 14 million people. And that's just by 2030. That's 9,600 people a day, every day, until the next world cup rolls around.
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Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Whatever else was wrong with the United States, we truly did have a higher education system that was the envy of the world. Now we’re lighting it on fire because some people are bored and racist.
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Today in completely predictable consequences…
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Ron Daniels contributing to this self-destructive nonsense is no surprise. At the height of the COVID pandemic, he couldn’t fathom why historians and anthropologists couldn’t access archival records or conduct fieldwork at home.
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Sometimes teaching is one of the best jobs out there.
Thank-you card from a recent student
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
The same goes for product safety. If you’ve never read about injuries involving wringer washers, glass storm doors, gas space heaters, or lawnmowers before the @cpsc.gov, there are some hard lessons to learn about industry self-regulation.
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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission @cpsc.gov · 27/07/2026
Our long-running suspicion is that people who follow CPSC on social media are really learning about safety and it's why we think every social media platform should give us 350 million followers.
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Many of these features are also characteristic of AI-supported undergraduate research. Few primary sources, almost no direct quotations, and no argument beyond “applying” or “synthesizing” existing literature.
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Nationalize the airlines.
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
On my way home from #SSHM and #HSS. It was a privilege to present some new research on safety equipment and fraud and to hold a roundtable with the Injury Studies Network on interdisciplinary approaches to injuries. If you haven’t already, check out our essay on this exciting new field!
link.springer.com
Injury Studies: Setting the Agenda for a Critical Medical Humanities Approach to the Control, Perception, Representation, and Experience of Injuries - Journal of Medical Humanities
This article describes a new and expanding field in the health humanities: injury studies. Following a recent international conference sponsored by the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities, the ...
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
My expression at the airport.
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Asheesh Kapur Siddique @asheeshks.org · 15/07/2026
The thing about doing archival research is that you read documents that exist and you can precisely reference where in the archive they were at the moment that you looked at them, and then report that to others through citation. Yes, collections get reorganized but something is there or it isn’t.
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Leeds Centre for the History and Philosophy of Science @hpsleeds.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
CFP: Global Childhood (s) and Histories of Science, Technology, and Medicine, Leeds 16-18 November. Keynote by Dr Sebastián Gil-Riañ. Deadline for submissions June 22nd hpsleeds.wordpress.com/2026/06/02/c...
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John Duncan @johntheduncan.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Every single conference is filled with academics talking about how this period of UK higher education is the worst they've ever seen. The entire industry is collapsing and no one is doing anything. Union is dead, politicians don't give a shit, public still think we're all rich
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sara m. b. simon @sarambsimon.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
not sure how many of us from the special issue are on bluesky, but here's alex on home accidents!
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sara m. b. simon @sarambsimon.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
the special issue, on data and disease in historical perspective, was organized by the epidemy lab at the university of edinburgh. we all gathered online in the summer of 2023, then in edinburgh in december 2023, and the papers are all going to be so good
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Excited to read this new article from @sarambsimon.bsky.social on electronic death registration! This piece, and several others, are currently available online from Medical History and will be part of a forthcoming collection on data and disease. #STS #HistSTM
cambridge.org
‘Reengineering’ U.S. death data collection: the technology and labour behind electronic death registration | Medical History | Cambridge Core
‘Reengineering’ U.S. death data collection: the technology and labour behind electronic death registration
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Daniel S. Goldberg @profgoldberg.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
I agree w/ @shobitap.org that lamenting the politicization of "science" and the health professions is both nonsensical and strategically problematic. The enterprise of science -- basic, clinical, and any other variety -- is fundamentally political in +++ ways. I've written about this here: 1/
ajph.aphapublications.org
Against the Very Idea of the Politicization of Public Health Policy | AJPH | Vol. 102 Issue 1
I criticize the concern over the politicization of public health policy as a justification for preferring a narrow to a broad model of public health. My critique proceeds along 2 lines. First, the fac...
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Really enjoyed seeing folks at #AAHM this year! For those who weren’t able to attend the Education and Outreach Committee workshop on op-eds, here are some useful resources on public-facing writing:
Resources for public writing with QR codes from the AAHM Education and Outreach Committee. The list includes the slides for an op-ed workshop, a link to the Op-Ed Project, the publisher page for David Perry’s recent book The Public Scholar, and a Medium post about public writing from WW Norton.
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Dr Vanessa @hpsvanessa.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
if it's safe for you to work in the USA then the Uni of Oklahoma is looking for a potential senior hire in #histSTM with a specialisation in women & science 🗃️ networks.h-net.org/jobs/70051/u...
networks.h-net.org
University of Oklahoma - Norman - Open Rank - History of Science, Technology, and Medicine - History of Women and Science | H-Net
A Ph. D. in History, History of Science, History of Medicine, or a related field is required.
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folukeifejola @folukeifejola.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
"UK universities have shed more than 30,000 jobs in the past three years..." Why is every sector worthy of governmental concern except ours? Even pretend concern? www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/i-dont...
timeshighereducation.com
‘I don’t think I’ll ever be able to be in the same room as former colleagues’
The results of Times Higher Education’s UK University Redundancy Survey vividly illustrate the deep human impact of the redundancy crisis on those who have lost their jobs. But respondents are torn ab...
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Donna Lanclos @donnalanclos.com · 28/05/2026
I am not trying to dunk here and also if library workers had been truly listened to in the last 10-15 years or so, the libraries being in danger would not be coming as a surprise to so many academics. Perhaps they would not be in as much danger, even.
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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
I am heartbroken that Muhlenberg announced this week "the non-renewal of 13 faculty positions, as well as the elimination of 9 currently filled staff positions.” We are losing incredible faculty and staff with no clear justification for the criteria used. Students are rightly demanding transparency.
change.org
Sign the Petition
Demand Muhlenberg’s Board of Trustees Explain the Silent Termination of Faculty and Staff
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Asheesh Kapur Siddique @asheeshks.org · 20/05/2026
It must be emphasized that we need powerful, robust ACADEMIC history IN universities to sustain history OUTSIDE universities. If we can’t employ people in higher ed to train future generations of public historians, we will not have future generations of public historians. 🗃️
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Injuries receive less attention from health professionals and historians than acute and chronic diseases. My new article uses the history of home accident prevention to explain why public health failed to prioritize injury control and what made home accidents especially intractable. #HistSTM #STS
cambridge.org
The epidemiology of accidents: U.S. home safety and the slippages between methods, data, and applications, 1940–1980 | Medical History | Cambridge Core
The epidemiology of accidents: U.S. home safety and the slippages between methods, data, and applications, 1940–1980
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
What can historical methods add to present-day public health research and practice? Check out my new article with PhD candidate Emily Kumpf on drunk driving prevention, behavioral health, and the Washington Regional Alcohol Program! #HistMed #HistSTM #InjuryStudies
sciencedirect.com
Behavioral health and drunk driving prevention: The history and policy implications of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP)
Since its establishment in 1983, the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) has tried to decrease the costs of drunk driving and underage drinking…
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
Most histories of drunk driving focus on MADD and other victim advocacy groups. My latest article with PhD student Emily Kumpf looks at the alternative approach of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program and its model for public health efforts to control risky behavior.
sciencedirect.com
Behavioral health and drunk driving prevention: The history and policy implications of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP)
Since its establishment in 1983, the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) has tried to decrease the costs of drunk driving and underage drinking…
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
A completely fair assessment, but it’s definitely “damned if we do, damned if we don’t.” If the humanities are cheap, then we “don’t need resources” to function. If we’re expensive, then we “don’t have the same ROI” as STEM. Our work matters on its own terms and should be funded as such.
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Tobias Wilson-Bates @phdhurtbrain.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
A student who sets out to write a research paper will now encounter chatbots who will offer to do their work in their word document, in their learning management system, in their email, in their web browser, and in certain library database interfaces.
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Academics are, on the whole, dedicated teachers, researchers, and community members who not only prop up regional economies but also care about knowledge and the public good. The demonization of faculty and grad students at all ranks is a travesty.
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
15 favorite movies (off-the-cuff, not in order): Amadeus Lost in Translation Grand Budapest Hotel Princess Bride Oldboy True Grit (Coen Bros.) Who Framed Roger Rabbit Adaptation. Ran Groundhog Day High Fidelity Finding Nemo Big Night Double Indemnity Evil Dead
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
I’m always skeptical about any study trying to compare the “objectivity” or “productivity” of different fields because (1) humanities researchers produce longer (and very meticulous) but fewer articles than their colleagues; (2) humanities books and articles are poorly indexed across databases 🧵
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Alex Parry, Ph.D. @safetyworkhstm.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
In my sophomore year of college, one of my grad student instructors wrote “Get thee to grad school!” on an essay for an English literature course. I had never really considered graduate school before that, and her nudge meant a lot to me.
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