Ph.D. in social psychology. Former researcher in pandemic behavioral risk reduction (non-pharma intervention). Healthcare & public health; psych.; ed.; disability rights; women's rights; environmental issues; politics/activism.https://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3ml7qymp6pk2nWell, this dovetails nicely with his FDA's refusal to approve that safe & remarkably effective new melanoma drug, I guess. At least he's consistent? [contains quote post or other embedded content]06 May 2026 22:32 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml7qymp6pk2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3ml7quurkys2nFfs. Is there any industry RFK *won't* throw US health under the bus for? [contains quote post or other embedded content]06 May 2026 22:30 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml7quurkys2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3ml7ffkahh223I saw reporting last week hinting that this was coming, but I hesitated to post it, both because it wasn't clear whether RFK was just talking out of his a** & b/c, as a former long-term, court appointed conservator, I've seen some bad stuff with SSRIs. ... Long🧵 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/science/rfk-antidepressants-ssris-hhs-maha.html?smid=nytcore-android-share06 May 2026 19:04 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml7ffkahh223https://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3ml75dawqkc25Psych 🧵: What's interesting to me is not the folks who recoil from Trump's disgusting rhetoric, but the number of folks who embrace it. > 1 in 5 Americans polled had no issue with Trump saying he was going to end a civilization; almost 1 in 5 Republicans were cool with him depicting himself... 1/406 May 2026 16:40 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml75dawqkc25https://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3ml73xa2bgc2uJust a reminder that, though it likely would have made no difference to the hanta outbreak, the CDC fired all their f/t Vessel Sanitation Program staff last year. That included both cruise ships inspectors & the epidemiologist who did outbreak response. 1/3 https://www.frommers.com/tips/cruise/how-to-stay-safe-on-cruises-now-that-the-cdc-has-fired-health-inspectors/06 May 2026 16:15 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml73xa2bgc2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3ml5ow7jwic2kGift 🎁 link, because I just can't summarize this one; it's too enraging. Upshot: the FDA fought it for years, but after meeting w/ a vaping lobbyist, Trump decided to "Save Flavored Vaping." The FDA had rejected "more than 1 million fruit-, candy- and dessert-flavored products," wapo.st/3PnEqrW https://wapo.st/3PnEqrW06 May 2026 02:50 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml5ow7jwic2khttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3ml4xtyidkk2vThose poor white men. Nothing ever breaks their way. U.S. agency sues New York Times, accusing it of bias against White male employee https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/05/05/eeoc-lawsuit-nytimes-discrimination/05 May 2026 19:57 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4xtyidkk2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3ml4vusdjw22lSometimes I think the Met Gala gowns are innovative & sometimes I think they're derivative, & sometimes I think they're derivative in really unfortunate ways. I will say that Oceans 8 was the only film of its genre I ever enjoyed.05 May 2026 19:21 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4vusdjw22lhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3ml4v5xtvfs2mGift 🎁 link. FDA officials "have blocked publication of several studies supporting the safety of widely used vaccines against Covid-19 and shingles in recent months, a [HHS] spokesman...confirmed." "The studies, which cost millions of dollars in public funds, 1/4 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/us/politics/fda-covid-vaccine-studies.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gFA.7JAK.r0gpRU9unBVd&smid=nytcore-android-share05 May 2026 19:09 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4v5xtvfs2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3ml4ttc7ffc2nSo much for "financed through private donations," huh. A billion dollars for ballroom security enhancements - a *billion.* That's a thousand million of your tax dollars, friends. 1/2 https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/05/05/us/trump-news?smid=nytcore-android-share05 May 2026 18:45 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4ttc7ffc2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3ml4tfdkajs2nSo they think those cruise ship hanta cases may be of the rare Andes variant, which is transmissible person to person (or maybe they just didn't find the rats), but the ship is in quarantine, so just keep calm, etc. Honestly, I think cruise ships can get pretty... https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/hantavirus-cruise-ship-stranded-crew-evacuation-human-transmission-rcna34360605 May 2026 18:37 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4tfdkajs2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3ml37l32elk2c"In the era of [AI], take-home writing assignments have become so difficult to police for integrity" that many teachers have "stopped assigning them. Instead,...[they're] requiring students to write inside the classroom, where they can be observed." I think... 🧵 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/us/ai-students-cheating-homework-classrooms.html?smid=nytcore-android-share05 May 2026 03:10 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml37l32elk2chttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3ml35ob72us2vSo my response doesn't get lost: I got attacked by (& I blocked) a guy who testifies for the vaping industry. (He didn't say so; I looked him up.) Know your sources on here, folks. The guy pitches vaping as a safe alternative to smoking, but nicotine is addictive. https://www.nhsinform.scot/campaigns/vaping/ [contains quote post or other embedded content]05 May 2026 02:36 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml35ob72us2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3ml2xut2q6s2vBut her emails. Trump's DHS "failed to effectively secure smartphones used by staff in its intelligence office, raising the risk of cyberattacks and unauthorized access to sensitive information....the department did not require certain security settings and allowed https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/us/politics/homeland-security-smartphones-inspector-general.html?smid=nytcore-android-share05 May 2026 00:52 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml2xut2q6s2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3ml2wzgqbs22vBoy, the GOP really hates clean energy. And the rule of law. Together, the stalled projects "would have about 30 gigawatts of electric generating capacity....One gigawatt can provide enough electricity for more than 300,000 homes." That's >9 million homes, total. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/climate/wind-power-delays-trump-pentagon.html?smid=nytcore-android-share05 May 2026 00:37 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml2wzgqbs22vhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3ml2wa44jjk2lInteresting piece about RFK & Makary's FDA staunch refusal to approve a successful, well-tolerated drug called RP1 for melanoma. In the US, there are ~110,000 new melanoma cases diagnosed each year; more than 1 in 50 people are eventually found... 1/4 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-the-fda-rejected-a-breakthrough-melanoma-drug/?utm_campaign=sprinklr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&fbclid=IwT01FWARmE1hleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR6mPwNyQcDjjaWrbndJzwcOP8ynTP9sWxaZ2hKDuDIHOJEa9iKazrgqXdsObg_aem_3aISZ4JP5PYrcx4kblK2Kw05 May 2026 00:22 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml2wa44jjk2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3ml2e62ajck2jI'm shocked - shocked! - I tell you. (/s) Ffs. E-cigarettes & their aerosols "can contain harmful or potentially harmful substances that nobody should be eager to introduce to their bodies," including "nicotine, heavy metals, particulate matter, propylene https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2026/05/04/vaping-cancer-risk/04 May 2026 18:59 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml2e62ajck2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3ml2czcpqy22mUS detention centers are a public health crisis. Detainees asking for "things to which they are legally entitled, including food and water, medical care and personal belongings" are being subjected to chemical agents, tasers, & physical assault, inc. ... 1/3 https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/05/04/ice-detention-centers-force/?itid=push&utm_source=webview&utm_medium=referral_top%20stories&utm_campaign=tt_2510%3Aa%3Bdr_2503%3Apersonalized%3B04 May 2026 18:39 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml2czcpqy22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3ml2bhk7t7c2vIt would probably be a mistake to consider this reversal anything other than temporary. The GOP has been trying to eliminate the middle class & create a permanent underclass since at least Newt Gingrich. But social engineering takes time (though not as much... 🧵 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/us/trump-travel-ban-doctors-us-immigration.html?smid=nytcore-android-share04 May 2026 18:11 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml2bhk7t7c2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3mkzxxufejc2iThis temporary order is just until May 11. Alito "requested that the parties file briefs by Thursday, and then the full court will determine how to proceed." https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/us/politics/supreme-court-abortion-pill.html?smid=nytcore-android-share04 May 2026 15:21 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkzxxufejc2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3mky5yjwovs2jLotsa' pathogens climb aboard cruise ships. This time, it's hantavirus - a virus carried by rodents and often acquired through inhalation of their dried waste. Of the 6 infected, 3 have died & 1 is in the ICU. There are 5 more suspected cases. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/well/cruise-ship-virus-fatal-outbreak.html?smid=nytcore-android-share03 May 2026 22:03 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3mky5yjwovs2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3mkxywzi6ss2vThose interviewed/commenting reported they always order the same meal, & like diners b/c staff remembers it. But when I'd visit my local diner (often in 2019; not since), it was for the late hours & huge menu that allowed me to try new items each time. Why do you go? https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/02/nyregion/new-jersey-diners-soda-pop-act.html?smid=nytcore-android-share03 May 2026 20:33 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkxywzi6ss2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3mkxxp65yzs2vRepublicans don't care about the will of the voters, let alone their healthcare access. "Voters in seven states bucked their conservative leaders to expand Medicaid at the ballot box. Now officials in six of them are deploying tactics to make the upcoming... 1/3 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/03/they-didnt-want-to-expand-medicaid-in-the-first-place-now-theyre-trying-to-shrink-it-with-work-rules-0090362703 May 2026 20:11 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkxxp65yzs2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3mkxka7h2p222This supports what we already knew - that poor indoor air quality isn't great for thinking, whether you're a school kid or middle aged. Run those HEPA filters! "Using a HEPA air purifier for one month may modestly improve cognitive performance in... 1/2 https://scitechdaily.com/this-simple-home-device-may-boost-brain-power-in-adults-over-40/03 May 2026 16:10 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkxka7h2p222https://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3mkwemb67hs2jOr perhaps a lot more Americans are a lot more awful than we want to believe or have even started to deal with. People who voted for Trump or refused to vote at all gave him this power - and not by accident. Americans did this, & we ignore that reality at our own peril. [contains quote post or other embedded content]03 May 2026 04:56 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkwemb67hs2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3mkvoipo33c2iThere are so many reasons to object to Jay Bhattacharya. Bio prof. David Sanders counts some of those ways: 🔹️"When Bhattacharya discusses 'academic freedom', he exclusively refers to his own claims of being persecuted. His focus is on the response... 🧵 https://www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/nih-directors-visit-has-only-deepened-my-concerns-about-him02 May 2026 22:21 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkvoipo33c2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3mkvh5trio22hDamnit. I checked & checked & checked for ticks yesterday, yet there was still one embedded in my stomach just now. (It could've come in on a package or shoes; more than once, I've opened my eyes in the am to one diligently moving across my bed toward me.) At best, that's a big granuloma & steroid 💉02 May 2026 20:09 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkvh5trio22hhttps://bsky.app/profile/joffirphd.bsky.social/post/3mkvcfknhmc2hIf yesterday's fed appeals court order is upheld, it could "upend a major avenue for abortion access across the country — not just in states with abortion bans." 1st trimester med. abortions make up 2/3 of all US abortions; 1/4 of US abortions involve telemed Rx. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/02/us/politics/supreme-court-mail-abortion-pill.html?smid=nytcore-android-share02 May 2026 18:44 +0000at://did:plc:3r4tlcv62hpq3uumf7jdfr5u/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkvcfknhmc2h