Tatenda Zoe Makoni, MPH

Cartoon by Mike Luckovich.

Well well well.

Walz: "The federal government needs to pay for what they broke here. There's going to be accountability on things that happened, but one of them is the incredible and immense cost borne by the people of this state. The federal government needs to be responsible."

F.D.A. Refuses to Review Moderna Flu Vaccine

The thing about this that is so enraging to me is that the FDA blessed running this study and 41,000 volunteers (heroes!) put their bodies on the line so we can benefit and that data is thrown away for nothing. (Btw I have no stock in Moderna or any other pharma)

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/h...

#MedSky

The Heart Does Not Wait for Permission
open.substack.com/pub/tatendam...

#MedSky

#IDSky I always email residents rotating with me survival tips for their time of the ID consult service. I like to keep this short and high yield but I am constantly editing and improving the tip sheet. What would you add or remove. It cannot be longer that one page 😊.

The Heart Does Not Wait for Permission Finishing Cardiology, Almost Getting Kicked Out, and Minnesota

The Heart Does Not Wait for Permission
open.substack.com/pub/tatendam...

#Minnesota

“The heart begins working before it is fully formed. Movements do too. Communities respond to harm the same way bodies do. Pressure becomes instruction.”

Minnesota is demonstrating this principle in real time.
Bodies act under pressure.
Communities do the same.
🧧: account.venmo.com/u/Tatenda-Ma...

Peter H. Duesberg, 89, Renowned Biologist Turned H.I.V. Denialist, Dies

Fascinating obituary of Peter Duesberg who went from renowned scientist discovering the first viral oncogene to HIV denialist who influenced Thabo Mbeki and HIV policy in S. Africa which led to millions dying.
Human beings are complex creatures indeed.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/s...

@kstephensonmd.bsky.social 🫶🏾❣️

That said, @idsainfo.bsky.social, I feel like I've paid my dues 🫣😅 Can you just tell me I'm exempt from submitting a fellowship application 🫠
#IDSkye

I Write Anyway On AuADHD, Grief, and Reclaiming the Rhythm of My Mind

I used to write to prove something.
Now I write to remember what I lost.
I Write Anyway

Essay link 🔗👇🏾
open.substack.com/pub/tatendam...

Sharing my essay featured in the Dec 2025 issue of @acadmedjournal.bsky.social

Written for my mom & her physician, Dr. P Hazangwe, it felt too raw to share in August when it went live online. But choosing to be brave!

Quoting my fav, “raise your 🥂 to freedom, something they can never take away…”

The Quiet Beginning of Medicine Trainee Letters to the Editor

open.substack.com/pub/tatendam...

#AIDSDay2025

open.substack.com/pub/tatendam...

Y'all know I love that horse lady!
My last piece was about her and yes, this one circled back too.
The muse is the muse. I just follow where she points.
Inspired by a history that refuses to stay silent.

Link to my Substack in bio👆🏾

'The weight of the evidence has tipped heavily in favor of HPV vaccination" @hildabast.bsky.social

but we now need to deal with growing vaccine hesistancy!

absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/11/24/t...

Could an HIV miracle drug actually reach people like my parents? Can an HIV miracle drug actually reach people like my parents?

Gilead’s trial participants outside the U.S. deserve more than to be studied. They deserve access to the drugs they helped make possible!

In my first @statnews.com piece, I call for global equity regarding lenacapavir. Thanks @thekibosch.bsky.social for holding my story with care 🫶🏾
#IDSky

When you strip away humanity

I think we’re now the longest-standing IDSA models. Let’s see if we make it to week 3 😂🫶🏾

If you see this picture in your IDSA daily news, just know that I’m mortified 🤣

Saving grace is standing with my amazing mentee Tatenda Makoni @tatezoe.bsky.social ❤️

#AMEC Day 2 & 3 with my big sis @matih-id.bsky.social keynoting the Board of Directors Banquet 🫶🏾
#idsky

First SNMA Annual Medical Education Conference #AMEC

Year ✌🏾 of planning the Bayard Rustin Community Breakfast with @fenwayhealth.bsky.social! #Boston fam, come through!

My girl, former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, will be gracing us with her presence, & you do not want to miss it!

Register here: fenwayhealth.org/help/events/...

a man wearing a hawaiian shirt with elephants on it ALT: a man wearing a hawaiian shirt with elephants on it

I feel like I’m part of some bizarre experiment—because there’s no way this is real 🤔

a woman is singing into a microphone on a stage and says `` freedom '' . ALT: a woman is singing into a microphone on a stage and says `` freedom '' .

I’ll never forgive y’all for not voting for that lady. Now I can’t even listen to Lemonade without mourning what could have been 😭

Johns Hopkins Plans Staff Layoffs After $800 Million Grant Cuts Local and international health research efforts are already winding down as the university braces for even more potential cuts.

The largest private employer in Baltimore just lost $800 million in federal contracts and grants. This recession is going to be a doozy.

The Global Fund will roll out the twice-yearly anti-HIV jab — with or without Pepfar - Bhekisisa The major backer of the lenacapavir roll-out is assuring nervous researchers that they will keep their part of funding promises. It’s a good economic investment, says the Fund’s Peter Sands, into a ga...

The global fund will roll out twice yearly Lenacapavir for prevention of HIV with or without #PEPFAR. Now the US contributes 30% of the global fund donations which is likely to disappear. Still important the fund is not backing away from this commitment 👏🏼.
bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

Don’t worry, I’ve got you! I’m about a third of the way through, and there have already been a few stories that really made me feel seen. Once I finish, I’ll send you a DM to share them with you!

@mcuban.bsky.social 👋🏾