Teddy Rosenbluth

Do You Use A.I. Chatbots for Health Advice?

The NYT Well desk is reporting on how people are using chatbots for health advice, and implications of that. If you're willing to share, please use this form! @teddyrosenbluth.bsky.social, I or another Well reporter may reach out, but we won't publish anything you submit without your permission.

The Doctors Are Real, but the Sales Pitches Are Frauds

There is a global surge of frauds using A.I. deepfakes to impersonate doctors online to sell unproven treatments or spread health misinformation.

Most recent article with @alicecallahan.bsky.social and @stevenleemyers.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/t...

Thanks, Tyler. Miss you guys!

Medicare Will Require Prior Approval for Certain Procedures

The A.I. companies they contract to review pre-authorizations will have a strong incentive to deny care. Medicare plans to pay them a share of the savings generated from rejections.

My story with @reedabelson.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/h...

Hey there.

I'm trying to reach you for a story I'm working on at the Times. Would love to chat if you shoot me an email: teddy.rosenbluth@nytimes.com

Thanks!

Measles Cases Hit Record High, 25 Years After U.S. Eliminated the Disease

Profoundly depressing news from @teddyrosenbluth.bsky.social

Measles Cases Hit Record High, 25 Years After U.S. Eliminated the Disease

As the Trump administration promotes skepticism of vaccines, measles cases have shot up higher this year than in any other year since the contagious virus was declared eliminated in the US in 2000. @teddyrosenbluth.bsky.social @13pt.com www.nytimes.com/2025/07/09/w...

With Flu Shot Vote, Kennedy’s Vaccine Skepticism Comes Full Circle

Thimerosal sent RFK Jr down the path of vaccine hesitancy two decades ago. It was his “passion.” Here’s the story of how it landed on the ACIP agenda — and what it says about the way Kennedy is using his power. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/u...

Teddy Rosenbluth Is Joining Well | The New York Times Company

It's official! I'm staying at the Times to write about health misinformation.

www.nytco.com/press/teddy-...

RFK Jr. Orders Search for New Measles Treatments Instead of Urging Vaccination (Gift Article) Decades of research have turned up no miracle treatment for measles, but studies show the M.M.R. shot is 97 percent effective in preventing the disease.

RFK plans to look for measles treatments. "Public health experts were baffled by Mr. Kennedy’s decision to hunt for new treatments, rather than endorse shots that have decades of safety and efficacy data." Story by @teddyrosenbluth.bsky.social gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/h...

‘Vaguely Threatening’: Federal Prosecutor Queries Leading Medical Journal The New England Journal of Medicine received a letter suggesting that it was biased and compromised by external pressure. Other journals have also received the letter.

Breaking News: A federal prosecutor interrogated the The New England Journal of Medicine — which is considered the world’s most prestigious medical journal — in what its editor described as a “vaguely threatening” letter.

‘Vaguely Threatening’: Federal Prosecutor Queries Leading Medical Journal The New England Journal of Medicine received a letter suggesting that it was biased and compromised by external pressure. Other journals have also received the letter.

N.E.J.M is the latest journal to go public about their "vaguely threatening" letter from a federal prosecutor.

The Lancet's editorial board called the letters “an obvious ruse to strike fear into journals..."

My latest for @nytimes.com

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/25/h...

A relevant quote about medical journals from RFK Jr.:

“I’m going to find a way to sue you unless you come up with a plan right now to show how you’re going to start publishing real science and stop retracting the real science..."

Trump-Allied Prosecutor Sends Letters to Medical Journals Alleging Bias An interim U.S. attorney is demanding information about the selection of research articles and the role of N.I.H. Experts worry this will have a chilling effect on publications.

Trump's acting DC prosecutor interrogates medical journals about their publishing policies and whether they accept dissent, implying that he may deem it a crime to prosecute if he doesn't like their answers. @teddyrosenbluth.bsky.social @rebeccarobbins.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/h...

This Therapist Helped Clients Feel Better. It Was A.I. (Gift Article) In the first clinical trial of its kind, an A.I. chatbot eased mental health symptoms among participants. The technology may someday help solve the provider shortage.

After a series of "dramatic failures," an A.I. therapist has had promising results treating users (patients?) with depression, anxiety or an eating disorder,
@teddyrosenbluth.bsky.social reports.

Trump Administration Abruptly Cuts Billions From State Health Services States have been told that they can no longer use grants that were funding infectious disease management and addiction services.

Public health officials in Tx said they received stop work orders for three grants that helped fund their response to the raging measles outbreak

Story by @apoorvanyt.bsky.social @sangerkatz.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/h...

For Some Measles Patients, Vitamin A Remedy Supported by RFK Jr. Leaves Them More Ill (Gift Article) After the health secretary promoted vitamin A as a cure, parents in West Texas began giving their children high doses, sometimes to prevent infection.

As the Texas measles outbreak continues, doctors there are treating some children given so much vitamin A that they have signs of liver damage. Story by @teddyrosenbluth.bsky.social Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/03/25/h...

Washington Bends to RFK Jr.’s ‘MAHA’ Agenda on Measles, Baby Formula and French Fries Public health leaders are horrified by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s approach to measles, but government and industry are responding to him.

My look at RFK Jr's highly orchestrated rollout. He makes claims (cell phones cause cancer) that are wrong. Public health leaders are horrified by him. But so long as he's not talking about vaccines, he's winning cautious support. Washington is bending to his agenda. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/25/u...

Kennedy Instructs Anti-Vaccine Group to Remove Fake C.D.C. Page Children’s Health Defense, founded by the health secretary, had published online a vaccine-safety page that looked like the agency’s but that suggested links to autism.

NEW: RFK Jr told Childrens Health Defense, the nonprofit he founded, to take down a phony web page that mimicked the CDC’s vaccine safety site. w/ @apoorvanyt.bsky.social @teddyrosenbluth.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/health/cdc-kennedy-vaccine-disinformation.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Kennedy Instructs Anti-Vaccine Group to Remove Fake C.D.C. Page (Gift Article) Children’s Health Defense, founded by the health secretary, had published online a vaccine-safety page that looked like the agency’s but that suggested links to autism.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s health secretary, on Saturday instructed leaders of the nonprofit he founded to take down a web page that mimicked the design of the CDC site but laid out a case that vaccines cause autism

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/h...

RFK Jr.’s Prescription for Bird Flu on Farms: Let It Spread (Gift Article) The health secretary has suggested allowing the virus to spread, so as to identify birds that may be immune. Such an experiment would be disastrous, scientists say.

RFK Jr. has suggested allowing the H5N1 virus to spread on poultry farms, so as to identify birds that may be immune. Such an experiment would be disastrous, scientists say.

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/18/h...

Keeping With Kennedy’s Advice, Measles Patients Turn to Unproven Treatments In West Texas, some with severe illness have not been taken to a doctor until their conditions worsened, officials said.

If you didn't make it to the bottom of the story: there is a doctor in West Texas -- who RFK Jr. shouted out on Fox News -- that set up a pop-up clinic at the epicenter of the outbreak to hand out unproven treatments for measles, like cod liver oil.

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/15/h...

NC GOP bill would expand vaccination exemptions as measles cases rise nationwide The new exemption would take effect for K-12 public schools in the 2026-2027 school year and for colleges and universities in the same academic year.

The new exemption would take effect for K-12 public schools in the 2026-2027 school year and for colleges and universities in the same academic year. #ncpol

www.newsobserver.com/news/politic...

There are 33 cases of #Measles in New Mexico, including one case in Eddy County, the first outside of Lea County.

Thank you @teddyrosenbluth.bsky.social for discussing the Texas outbreak on today’s Daily for @nytimes.com.

Measles is a vaccine preventable virus, thanks to the #MMRVaccine.

He said he heard from local doctors that cod liver oil and other treatments led to “miraculous and instantaneous recovery.” Experts emphasized that there is no antiviral or "miracle cure" for measles. Once you have the virus, doctors focus on supportive care that will lessen the symptoms.

He claimed that natural immunity (immunity you gain from getting sick) helps protect you against future diseases, like cancer and heart disease

In fact, measles makes the body forget how to defend itself against illnesses it's already seen, making it more susceptible to future infections.

He suggested that severe symptoms of measles mainly affected people who were unhealthy before contracting the virus. (This is not true. Many healthy children have died from measles and there is no credible evidence that poor eating habits and exercise routines worsens outbcomes).

Kennedy Links Measles Outbreak to Poor Diet and Health, Citing Fringe Theories In a recent interview, the health secretary also suggested that the measles vaccine had harmed children in West Texas, center of an outbreak.

RFK Jr. gave a 35 minute interview with Fox News in which he made some fairly shocking comments. Here are some highlights 🧵

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/h...

Measles Outbreak Continues to Spread in West Texas Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the H.H.S. secretary, claimed that doctors had successfully treated children with unconventional remedies, including cod liver oil.

Measles is spreading in Texas and RFK Jr. is on record saying that doctors are seeing “very, very good results,” with treatment that includes cod liver oil.

A medical expert said it is “by no means” an evidence-based treatment. Via @teddyrosenbluth.bsky.social

NIH Research Grants Lag Behind Last Year by $1 Billion After weeks of disruption to scientific federal grants, the National Institutes of Health has fallen behind in funding research into treatments for deadly diseases.

NEW: N.I.H. medical research grants are ⚠️ $1 billion dollars ⚠️ behind this point hit last year -- and hundreds of millions behind prior years amid Trump administration chaos. w/ @teddyrosenbluth.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/h...