COVID
After writing about Dr. Stella Immanuel’s viral video, the most common request I got was to assess this Newsweek Opinion piece circulating by Dr. Harvey Risch, a Professor of Epidemiology at Yale, claiming that we already have the key to defeating COVID (hydroxychloroquine), and we need to start using
COVID
This morning I got a request to address one of the latest viral videos going around from a doctor claiming that we already have a cure for COVID-19: hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, and zinc. While the video has been taken down on many platforms (and for the record, I have very mixed
COVID
Ooooooooook. Deep breaths. Let’s begin. I started this blog because I saw a lot of misinformation flying around, and well-meaning people are getting legitimately confused. And a lot of that misinformation is half truths or just quotes taken out of context (check out this post for examples of that)
COVID
I saw this post on the interwebs citing a bunch of studies, suggesting that masks are ineffective at preventing infection and/or are unsafe. (And also suggesting there is some sort of cover-up of this science). Since there is still controversy around mask-wearing (and the post gave me PubMed ID’
COVID
I started this blog because I saw a lot of people getting confused about science topics surrounding the COVID pandemic, and I wanted to help clarify things where I could. So the majority of my focus has been science. But one of the biggest side effects of this pandemic has
COVID
Guest post from virologist Dr. Alex Chang-Graham! For those of you whose last biology class was decades ago, the differences between bacteria, viruses, and other microbes is probably a bit hazy. I asked my friend Dr. Alex Chang-Graham, who studied viruses for her PhD thesis, to give a refresher on
COVID
Medical research is a loooooooooong process. Like, really long. There are many different steps along the way, and from the outside it can be confusing why there was a study published years ago saying Drug X works for Disease Y, but a decade later we still don’t have a
health disparities
Those who aren’t scientists or doctors (and maybe even some that are) may not be familiar with some of the history or present day issues around racial and ethnic bias in biomedical research. These are some of the lessons we learn in school, and I was very surprised and
COVID
I just finished a draft of my PhD thesis, and we are allowed to include a “Concluding Remarks” section, in which we offer some perspective on science based on our thesis training. Here is what I wrote:* In the weeks I have taken to write this thesis, turmoil has raged
COVID
There is a lot of confusion and division swirling around these days, and sometimes it feels like the world is spinning, and it’s hard to know up from down. I’ve found that when I can name what I am experiencing, it can help me process what’s going
COVID
Guest post by Dr. Caitlin Miller, virologist and immunologist! This post is not intended to provide medical advice; if you have questions about health concerns please consult with your physician. In my last post, we talked about how the body develops immune responses to viruses. Now that we’ve tackled
COVID
Guest post from Dr. Caitlin Miller, virologist and immunologist! There has been lots of talk about coronavirus antibody tests and immunity in the news, and if you’ve never studied immunology, all of this can be very confusing. Before we get into what the antibody tests mean, first it helps