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Vicky Forster

@vickyyyf.bsky.social
1.6K followers 1.9K following 1.2K posts

Patient engagement professional, "retired" cancer research scientist, cancer survivor, science and health writer. Leafs/Toronto Sceptres fan. Hockey player in training. www.drvickyforster.com

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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 51m
Fall is the best season and I will not be debating this. I'm in a sweater biking to work. I will arrive at the perfect temperature, not sweaty and not cold. It's sunny out, but I don't need sunscreen. The best.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I saw it pop up and went "oh hell no." In this day and age, I simply do not understand anyone who just switched it on without being aware of the dangers.
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Raywat Deonandan 🍁🇨🇦 @deonandan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The buck stops at Queen's Park. Hospitals run a $70 million debt while Doug Ford spends $48 million ripping out bike lanes. We live in the stupidest timeline.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I read a Guardian article about Kolsch in Cologne earlier and now I have been craving Kolsch all day. But it is Thursday and I have a toddler. And no Kolsch. Alas.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Single handedly keeping Toronto sign makers in business. #localhero
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
September is childhood cancer awareness month. In 2017, I had the privilege of visiting the childhood cancer treatment ward in Tanzania when I was there to do my TED talk. Recently, I talked with one of the clinicans there to learn about progress over the last 10yrs. cancerworld.net/from-10-to-m...
cancerworld.net
From 10% to More Than 50% Survival: Tanzania Transforms Childhood Cancer Care, But Challenges Remain | Cancerworld Magazine
Childhood cancer survival in Tanzania has risen from below 10% to over 50%, but late diagnosis remains a major barrier to curing more children.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Agree. This is 100% more exciting.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
EXCITING.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
September is childhood cancer awareness month. In 2017, I had the privilege of visiting the childhood cancer treatment ward in Tanzania when I was there to do my TED talk. Recently, I talked with one of the clinicans there to learn about progress over the last 10yrs. cancerworld.net/from-10-to-m...
cancerworld.net
From 10% to More Than 50% Survival: Tanzania Transforms Childhood Cancer Care, But Challenges Remain | Cancerworld Magazine
Childhood cancer survival in Tanzania has risen from below 10% to over 50%, but late diagnosis remains a major barrier to curing more children.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Ah! Sorry I didn't realise it wasnt free to read. Here is a gift link: www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/67ecdc2...
theglobeandmail.com
Nobody wants to talk about childhood cancer, but I will
After my daughter was diagnosed just before she turned three, I made it my mission to tell everyone about it
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Brilliantly written piece by my friend and colleague Megan Easton. #childhoodcancer #CCAM www.theglobeandmail.com/life/first-p...
theglobeandmail.com
Nobody wants to talk about childhood cancer, but I will
After my daughter was diagnosed just before she turned three, I made it my mission to tell everyone about it
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
WHAT?!
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
I haven't watched a game this season before this one. You are welcome, #BlueJays fans.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
And here they are, in the skies of Toronto having a pootle in the sky in this fine afternoon. I will tolerate their noise as a patriotic statement.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I for one welcome the American fighter jets not doing the airshow thingy. They are particularly loud and not nearly as impressive as the snowbirds...
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I am in support of e-bikes being able to use bike lanes for the sole reason that more of the riders will die or get injured if they can't. But I sure as hell wish they would stop running reds and almost colliding with me and my kid in a stroller on pedestrian crossings on a weekly (at least) basis.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
*Starts a support group for people trying to have meetings while airshow rehearsals are on* As my fellow meeting attendees were deafened, I was shouting "SORRY THAT ONE WAS RIGHT OVER THE HOUSE" while scrambling to close the window.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
This drizzly, thunderstormy shoulder season weather is giving me a headache. Can fall just arrive already? I am very ready for my sweaters, soup, fall colours etc etc.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Argh, this is sad to see. www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/nova...
fiercebiotech.com
UPDATED: Novartis halts autoimmune CAR-T trials after 3 deaths, as BMS also pauses studies
Three deaths have forced Novartis to pause development of its CD19 CAR-T candidate in autoimmune diseases, just as Bristol Myers Squibb has halted a similar program due to immune-related adverse ev | ...
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C.H. Romatowski @chromatowski.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
“Research suggests that roughly 10 to 20 percent of people who get intestinal illnesses from bacteria, viruses or parasites will end up having symptoms, like diarrhea and abdominal pain, that can last for months or even years. This condition is called post-infection irritable bowel syndrome.”
nytimes.com
Foodborne Illnesses Can Lead to Long-Term Gut Issues (Gift Article)
The cyclospora outbreak may result in a surge in cases of post-infection irritable bowel syndrome.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
*Aside from a few very significant examples e.g. CD19 targeting drugs and cellular therapies.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
For various reasons, pediatric cancers are not typically a big focus for drug development* compared to adult cancers but if drugs approved for other indications can be transferred to pediatric cancers, it could be a big boost.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The recent (early) success of RAS inhibitors in pancreatic cancer has buoyed hopes that the drugs may be useful in both (relatively) common and rare types of pediatric cancers. ccr.cancer.gov/news/article...
ccr.cancer.gov
Targeted Cancer Drugs Show Promise for Children with Rare RAS-Mutated Cancers | Center for Cancer Research
Targeted cancer drugs already used in adults may also help treat childhood cancers carrying rare G12C mutations, according to new research from the NCI’s Center for Cancer Research scientists.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
It's the most wonderful time of the year for fresh fruit and vegetables in Canada. We really genuinely at the moment don't need imported produce. And the homegrown stuff is *delicious* *stuffs self with peaches, corn, squash, zucchini, apples, pears...*
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Anecdotally because it could have just been stock control more than anything else - the piles of Canadian fall produce at my local grocery store were fairly well picked over, where U.S. apples and soft fruits were untouched. I hope this is a real trend.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I actually don't personally know anyone who is truly enraged by Trump changing the U.S. name of Lake Ontario. It's just yet another irrational, childish action. All it seems to have done is remind people to support Canadian businesses and products and avoid U.S.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Lake Ontario, July 2026
Lake Ontario, July 2026
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Lake Ontario, February 2026.
Lake Ontario in winter, Feb 2026.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Oh the FDA and CDC are going to be BUSY!
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Thanks to @boghuma.bsky.social for providing expert comment on the situation with this, and other vaccines in development.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Here is an update on #Ebola in DR #Congo. The WHO has decided to trial an Ebola vaccine used in previous outbreaks. The decision comes following new evidence showing it might provide some protection despite being engineered to target a different virus strain. www.forbes.com/sites/victor...
forbes.com
Ebola Vaccine Rollout Begins In DR Congo Amid Continuing Outbreak
The vaccine was not designed for the Bundibugyo strain causing the epidemic, but experts are hopeful that it may provide some protection while new vaccines are developed.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I've not done a lot of news writing recently, but I've been trying to get back into it and challenge myself with fixed timelines to research, write and edit pieces. Necessary when I normally fit it in to breaks from my regular job, or do it on evenings/weekends.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Always nice when a big cancer center shares an article I wrote about their work.
MSKCC's LinkedIn post about the FDA approval of Daraxonrasib for advanced pancreatic cancer.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Moon looks cool! Neat partial eclipse.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
There is a rumour circulating that Dolly Parton died of "Turbo cancer" because she took the Moderna Covid-19 mRNA vaccine which she helped develop. I am here to tell you that "turbo cancers" do not an exist. That an 80 year old died of cancer is unfortunately, not an unusual way to die at that age
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Shannon Proudfoot @sproudfoot.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I mean this very, very seriously: It is absolutely an option for us to ignore his idiotic Lake America stunt. We can do that. We can just tune it out like you would block out a child howling at you in the cereal aisle, recognizing that to do anything else would be to give the whiner what they want.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I urge you to channel this outrage about the renaming* of Lake Ontario into actual action to support Canadian businesses and boycott anything made in the U.S. *The U.S. can only rename it for the U.S. it isn't in charge of the global renaming of anything. Best to remember that.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Okay, this seems to be a more useful (and cool) use of AI than people making themselves into dog cartoons, or making their dogs into human cartoons. Or whatever people use it for. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/s...
nytimes.com
Some Scientists Have ‘Magic Hands’ in the Lab. This A.I. Is Learning Why. (Gift Article)
Even the most adept researchers may not know exactly what they do to get successful results. An A.I. model is trying to figure it out by watching every move.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/67ecdc2...
theglobeandmail.com
Ottawa taps 64 leading scientists and scholars to bolster Canadian research
The first group of Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada includes researchers from 13 countries, with most leaving institutions in the U.S.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
AI attempting rice on a recent restaurant menu flyer I received
AI generated rice which does not look like rice.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Thanks for covering this. I had leukemia when I was a kid and would not have been able to go to school while on active treatment if there were measles outbreaks. Luckily back then (UK) children not being vaccinated was practically unheard of.
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Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I'm a staff writer at @wired.com and I'm looking to speak with parents of immunocompromised kids, especially those in areas with measles outbreaks, and how you're dealing with back to school with rising cases. emily_mullin@wired.com
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Always up for writing about some GOOD SCIENCE NEWS after work: www.forbes.com/sites/victor...
forbes.com
FDA Approves New Pancreatic Cancer Drug After Stunning Trial Results
The therapy is a brand new targeted drug for the disease which experts have labelled as a substantial breakthrough following doubling of survival time in a trial.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
My bus just overtook 24 cyclists in a bike lane between stops. Yes, I counted. 24 cars in front of me instead sure would slow things down...
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Very amused by the new Canadian tariffs on *checks* ornamental fish. A terrible time for enthusiasts of the hobby.
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Canadian History Ehx @cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Before Europeans arrived, these were some of the names for The Great Lakes: Superior: gichi-gami (great sea) Erie: erielhonan (long tail) Michigan: michigami (long body of water) Ontario: Ontarí'io\kanadario (great lake\beautiful water) Huron: karegnondi (fresh water sea)
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Unleash the geese. They will protect it.
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Dave Itzkoff @ditzkoff.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
This is going to completely screw up the lyrics to The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Who wants to read an article about the 25 year history of small molecule inhibitors for #cancer treatment? I've got you! Happy to share this piece I wrote for Cancer Therapy Advisor to mark 25 years since the first of these drugs, Imatinib was approved. www.cancertherapyadvisor.com/features/ima...
cancertherapyadvisor.com
The 25th Anniversary of Imatinib and the Evolution of Small Molecule Inhibitors
In 2001, imatinib was the first proof that small molecule inhibitors targeting molecular drivers of cancer could be an effective treatment.
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Vicky Forster @vickyyyf.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
I found some Quebec strawberries today actually! Delighted!
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