iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Hi! If the panel is on Sunday, I'd be delighted to speak! Just finished talking about a book I coauthored on healthy binding with @redgoldsparks.bsky.social at the graphic medicine conference last week!

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Still floating on cloud 9 from this workshop and the conversations after with attendees who said it helped them advance their graphic medicine ideas and projects! ☁️

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Anyway it felt really good to contribute to this piece with amazing colleagues on sexual assault against Asian American women, and to shine a light on how gendered racism impacts sexual agency + violence in our communities.💛 We do the research we want to see in the world. doi.org/10.1016/j.so...

doi.org

Redirecting

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

I think a lot about this time in grad school when I asked why federal surveys rarely oversample Asian Americans and often can't provide population estimates for us. The prof (full prof at the #1 public health program!) said "Because Asians don't have any health disparities."😦#modelminoritymyth

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

We had a great time! Thanks to all the attendees for coming and dreaming up new comics ideas together!

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

@redgoldsparks.bsky.social and I will be giving a workshop at 4:45 on Friday called "Why Not Both? Developing Educational Graphic Medicine Comics that Use Both Narrative and Instructional Teaching for Greater Impact." We will share our fave tips and tricks and give lots of time for hands on work :)

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Oh and anybody who's mad about this article maybe next time the government should not come for a group of equity researchers whose core skillset is quantifying and shining a light on disparities because we WILL drag you in a Lancet journal💅 WITH DATA ✨ (after suing you to get our grants restored).

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Proud to be senior on this with amazing lead author @rebeccafieldingmiller.com, @nickmetheny.bsky.social, @abigailmhatcher.bsky.social. More to come from this dataset looking at identity-based disparities in universities' responses to the terminations👀 from this dream team of colleagues and friends.

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Grateful to every PI of a terminated grant (over half of all targeted PIs!) who trusted us and shared their identities and how these terminations impacted them, their work, and their communities. It is only because you came together as a field to participate that we have hard data on the impacts.

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Even though many terminated grants have since been restored through litigation, continued "deprioritization" (banning) of these topics means that this backdoor effort to de-diversify NIH-funded scientists via targeting the topics minoritized scientists are most likely to work on continues.

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

These terminations of funded grants have inflamed what were already deeply entrenched disparities in who gets funded in the first place, leaving the workforce of funded NIH scientists even less diverse than before.

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

When NIH targeted specific topics for termination, it also targeted specific researchers: 3 out of 5 grants terminated for "gender ideology" were held by LGBTQ researchers and 1 out of every 2 grants terminated for "equity" were held by BIPOC researchers. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

sciencedirect.com

Targeted termination of scientific grants and minoritised researcher status in a national survey: a cross sectional analysis

Between January and May 2025, the National Institutes of Health terminated over 2000 grants primarily relating to health equity, particularly for Blac…

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

A big part!! You set the bar very high as my first editor. Thank you and the whole team for helping Breathe find its readers.

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

SUCH a distinct pleasure to be senior on this paper with mentees Bella Rios' (first first-author pub!) and Max's (first pub period!) - plus that special feeling when your friend helps you write your first book and you help em write eir first academic journal article!✨ @redgoldsparks.bsky.social

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

We always said BREATHE was evidence-based bc the content was based on research - but now it is evidence-based to increase readers' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of healthy binding! Education is how we make binding healthy for all - not FDA harassment and TX lawsuits! doi.org/10.1177/1090...

First page of article "Mixed-Methods Evaluation of a Zine Promoting Healthier Chest-Binding Practices in Transgender and Gender-Diverse Populations," available here: https://doi.org/10.1177/10901981261425271

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

The human cost of Kansas invalidating trans Kansans' IDs: "IDs are required to access health care, obtain housing, have a job, vote, attend college, access financial assistance or even purchase cold medicine at a pharmacy." Thanks @jaepuckett.bsky.social theconversation.com/kansas-revok...

theconversation.com

Kansas revoked transgender people’s IDs overnight – researchers anticipate cascading health and social consequences

With invalid driver’s licenses and birth certificates, transgender people are at risk for more than just steep fines and imprisonment.

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Yesterday I was in tears talking to an NIH PO about the impossibility of funding. Today I reconnected with a mentee who said her time doing research on trans survivorship with me helped her educate her clinical team as a SANE nurse when a trans teen came in. Feeling grateful for what matters.💙

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Come hear me talk in an hour about using comics to disseminate research, how to evaluate whether your comic "worked," and maybe even make your own zine! go.umd.edu/sarah

go.umd.edu

Prevention Research Center Speaker Series

Adapting Public Health Research Into Comic Form

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

The US government lost over 10,000 STEM PhDs representing over 100,000 years of federal work experience since Trump took office, including NSF, EPA, CDC, and others. Brain drain and a huge loss. www.science.org/content/arti...

science.org

U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office

A Science analysis reveals how many were fired, retired, or quit across 14 agencies

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

I had a great experience as a scientist collaborator last semester! I encourage other scientists to apply, you will learn so much about how a young person outside your field sees your research and how to communicate the meaning of your research in words and images to a broad public! And it was fun!!

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Congrats to the authors on this meticulous review that represents an INCREDIBLE amount of hard work (if you've ever done a systematic review, you know) - You can read the review by Cortney McLellan and colleagues here jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

jamanetwork.com

Violence Against Transgender and Gender-Diverse Adults

This systematic review and meta-analysis estimates the prevalence of overall, physical, sexual, and psychological violence against transgender and gender-diverse adults globally.

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

I still think science can serve as a clear voice for evidence and action. This rigorous review tells us that all the recent cuts to anti-violence research and programs for trans people are further harming a community facing a very high burden of violence. Some thoughts for research and policy:

Screenshot of article available at https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2844137

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

A new systematic review of the research on violence against trans people found that 1 in 3 trans people have experienced physical violence and 1 in 3 have experienced sexual violence. I was invited to comment on the import of this scholarship in the current moment. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

jamanetwork.com

Violence Against Transgender People

In 2025, 1014 state bills, 104 federal bills, and 12 executive orders have been introduced that aim to exclude transgender people from public life by limiting their access to education, health care, i...

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

As an academic, the most shocking difference about writing for books or news is that there is an entire editorial team supporting you in making your writing as impactful as possible.🥰 When you write a journal article, all you get is Reviewer fucking 2 and a company charging $5000 in APC, good luck!🙃

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

The FDA coming for binders is a bad-faith effort that will make binding more dangerous and the world less safe for trans people. time.com/6975583/tran...

time.com

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

The funny part about NIH saying they want to return to their origins for grant review is that one of the first extramural grants awarded used US taxpayer money to unknowingly infect Guatemalan sex workers with syphilis and then make them have sex with prisoners. I'll take the NIH of 2020, thanks.

Screenshot of the Wikipedia page for the Guatemala STI experiment. Experiment is a generous term as it was not only an ethical travesty but so methodologically bonkers they never were able to publish.

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Taking a moment on #tdor with these words that watch over me on my wall every day. May we become the fire anyway. For this - endless libation. For this - gardens wherever you roam. Excerpt from "litany in which you are still here" by kiki nicole. listen to the rest at soundcloud.com/user-8302447...

today you think about fear
and fear
but you do not die

and like any goddexx you are scorned
and become the fire anyway

yea though you walk
yea through you rise
though bitch you are here
and this, too, is a form of resurrection

today you are
and you are not afraid
and what mistake
what divine miracle

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

Despite the relentless attacks on science, I just wish everyone knew how hard scientists work every day to put forth our best ideas, review and improve each other's work, and do the most rigorous science we are capable of to save lives and promote health. Love, your friendly neighborhood scientist.💖

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

I learned so much from my colleagues and we all truly did our best to steward $60 million in rigorous new research on preventing domestic violence, treating opioid addiction, reducing postpartum depression, supporting survivors, and so much more.

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

Every single one of my fellow reviewers were unflaggingly thoughtful and we were united in asking one question - Which of these grants is going to do the most for patients and their families? My own grant got rejected before review, and I am honestly delighted I got to review others' grants instead.

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

I recently served on my first scientific grant review panel! What was it like? Two dozen of us read hundreds of pages of grants, wrote reviews, and showed up ready to discuss for 8 straight hours. (1/4)

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Highly recommend healthybinding.com by Frances Reed which also has a "binder finder" resource! And thanks to doodler for the shout out above for our book as well.

healthybinding.com

Healthy Binding | Practical advice for healthy binding & Tools for trans and nonbinary people who bind, their parents, and providers

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

Researcher career milestone today: Got (blinded) reviews back on a manuscript and reviewers all agree I need to cite more work by Peitzmeier et al. 😅 DON'T MIND IF I DO

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

Can't wait!! Every time Maia and I talk about writing this book I feel like it peels back another layer of the onion on our process. Excited to be reunited and in conversation on Friday and honored the event is already standing room only. Come if you love comics, health comm, or trans joy!

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

Not just for book authors! I was surprised to see more than a dozen of my journal articles got fed into the maw of AI. Researchers, check for yourselves!

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

The NIH has reached out and I'm hopeful my K01 will be reinstated soon. My R21 application got assigned to review in October. I am celebrating this victory, I am grieving the 8+ months I will never get back, I am glad we are fighting for our right to do the work we are called to do.🔥

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

...is at the end, where she says, all caps and bold, IT IS SO ORDERED. The government must restore our LGBTQ+ health grants and review our applications.

IT IS SO ORDERED. Signed by Lydia Kay Griggsby, United States District Judge.
Screenshot from memorandum opinion available here: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.582520/gov.uscourts.mdd.582520.94.0.pdf

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

Honored to be in a group of LGBTQ+ health researchers who sued the government over NIH grant terminations and won a preliminary injunction! Some key parts of the memorandum opinion issued this week stating that the government did in fact unlawfully discriminate below, but my favorite part...

Screenshot from memorandum opinion available here: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.582520/gov.uscourts.mdd.582520.94.0.pdf

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

Some of my NIH-funded work with @rebeccafieldingmiller.com and @abigailmhatcher.bsky.social @nickmetheny.bsky.social that was unconstitutionally terminated featured in the NYT this week: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/h.... Thanks to litigation it is restored and we are training a cohort in November!

nytimes.com

Trump Administration Scraps Research Into Health Disparities

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

Come see @redgoldsparks.bsky.social and me speak at the awesome @peoplesbook.bsky.social in September about writing + drawing for a future in which we can all breathe. 💖

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

This fun convo had me reflecting on how the weaving of storytelling and teaching that felt so instinctive to us was its own little innovation, and how the outsider status of comics in the academy made me feel more free to take my sweet time dreaming this book into existence with Maia. Thanks GMIC!

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Such an honor to have our book recognized by GMIC as best educational comic of 2024! Love all that @graphicmedicine.bsky.social does for the field and uplifting amazing work. I loved loved @keezyyoung.bsky.social's Sunflowers and am working on getting my hands on a copy of The Jellyfish to read!

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

A little write up about our campus sexual assault prevention trial! doi.org/10.56367/OAG... We will be recruiting freshmen and sophomore women at University of Maryland, Central Florida, Michigan, and Guelph in just a few weeks.

doi.org

Adapting effective sexual assault prevention for online delivery

Can an in-person intervention that decreases young women’s risk of sexual assault maintain its effectiveness when adapted for online facilitation?

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

First day of the #Intersectionality Training Institute and we are all setting our intentions for an intersectional research project we want to accomplish in the next year. Getting chills from all the cool work that will come out of this week of learning and community! 😍

Post it saying "Write a book about diverse trans + gender expansive survivors of intimate partner violence + how not only transphobia but other intersecting systems of power shape their victimization, survival, resilience, resistance, and healing. "

20+ colorful post it notes on a wall with attendees' intention setting projects

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Reposted by Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD

Maia Kobabe @redgoldsparks.bsky.social · 08/06/2025

Last weekend @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social and I taught a zine workshop for researchers at the National Transgender Health Summit #NTHS2025. I made this zine as an example, based on our book BREATHE: JOURNEYS TO HEALTHY BINDING. I wrote about the workshop here: www.patreon.com/posts/breath...

Cover: Healthy Binding by Maia Kobabe and Sarah Peitzmeier

Back cover: Created as an example for the 2025 National Transgender Health Summit "Art of Community Engagement Panel" @redgoldsparks on insta and bluesky

Spread 1: In order to better understand the health impacts of chest binding, we interviewed 25 people about their binding journeys and asked those same people to do 90 day surveys. I came to this topic because I have friends who used chest binding, including someone who ran a survey on tumblr which went viral in 2015. -Sarah

Spread 2: High points: How generous all of the research participants were with their time and experience, and getting to turn this research into a book!

Low points: Having TERFs discover my academic papers and misinterpret the data to make inaccurate and transphobic claims!!

Spread 3: Takeaways: Secrecy and stigma make binding more dangerous, but it came be done safely and can be a powerful tool to affirm gender and support mental health! Taking reasonable care (not binding for too long, wearing binders that fit) can mitigate negative health risks and increase positive mental health benefits.

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

...from a participant who told us binding gave him the freedom to exist. That quote eventually made it into our book Breathe and reminds me every day why we do the work. Grateful to everyone who has shown up for our studies and taught me what matters. ❤️

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

We all need reminders of why we do this work and meeting readers in SF with @redgoldsparks.bsky.social this weekend was so life giving. Came back to the office today to see this reminder I scrawled on a scrap paper and stuck to my board 5 years ago...

Corkboard with drawings, study recruitment flyers, motivational quotes, and a handwritten note saying "it gave me the freedom to exist."

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Reposted by Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD

Maia Kobabe @redgoldsparks.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

Has your name ever appeared in the credits of a book, or is it likely to in the near future? Then you should join @authorsabb.bsky.social! Full transcript and jpg of this zine formatted for print available here: www.patreon.com/posts/i-want... #authorsagainstbookbans

cover of a zine titled Do you make books? Yes? I want YOU to join Authors Against Book Bans! By Maia Kobabe

WHAT IS AUTHORS AGAINST BOOK BANS?

A coalition of writers, illustrators, editors & other book creators, standing united against the unconstitutional movement to limit the freedom to read. We support the availability of diverse voices in our libraries, in our schools, & in our culture. We pledge to band together against the oppression of literature, to speak when our voices are silenced, to go where our bodies are needed, & to fight to ensure this freedom.

Our concern is not only for the books, but for the children, families, educators, librarians, & communities who suffer when the freedom to read is challenged and taken away.

WHAT CAN AUTHORS AGAINST BOOK BANS OFFER YOU?

- Regional groups working on legislation to protect authors & the freedom to read state-by-state

- Online trainings on digital security, public speaking, & how to counter book challenges in your community

-Affinity groups for BIPOC authors, queer authors, authors with disabilities, indie, nonfiction, romance writers & more

-Support if your book is challenged or your school visit is canceled!

-A very active discord community

Maia: I’ve been facing intense challenges to my book since 2021. Knowing that I am not alone in the fight against censorship is what keeps my spirits up!

Watching the folks in AABB share information, co-write legislation, show up to library & school board meetings, & speak up to publishers about the need to protect diverse books & minority authors has been amazing!

This is a weird & scary time to be an author, but you are not alone! Join thousands of us fighting for the freedom to read, the freedom to write, the freedom to teach, the freedom to learn, & the freedom to share our stories!

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Sarah Peitzmeier, PhD @sarahpeitzmeier.bsky.social · 02/06/2025

Had the best time making zines at NTHS in community with so many amazing researchers and practitioners! Can't wait to see what you publish!

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