Chris Snowden-Smith

It's also my most personal public engagement project. My wife was pregnant and about to have her first vaccinations as we started this. It was very useful to have information to hand, and someone with lots of questions.

Luckily now the boy is here, we already have a guide to childhood vaccinations!

It's been a lot of fun working with @hetompkins.bsky.social on this project and luckily we had @vikilovesfacs.bsky.social to call on as an expert, especially as I'm not an immunologist!

Immersing myself in this topic and then figuring out how to explain it at a public level has been fascinating.

Our new guide to vaccinations during pregnancy is now available!

We've been working really hard on this over the past few months and we hope it is a easy to read and engaging guide that provides key information and answers common questions.

#ImmunoSky 🧪 #SciComm

Bivalent prefusion F vaccination in pregnancy and respiratory syncytial virus hospitalisation in infants in the UK: results of a multicentre, test-negative, case-control study In the real-world setting of the first season of vaccine implementation in England and Scotland, maternal RSVpreF vaccination was effective and equivalent to trial settings in reducing the risk of hos...

🇬🇧 The first UK data on the effectiveness of #RSV #vaccines in #pregnancy is in!

👶🏽 391 babies with RSV vs 146 controls

🧪 RSV vaccination in pregnancy was 72% effective at preventing RSV in babies, if given >2 weeks before delivery

#MedSky #ImmunoSky #ObGynSky

The out of office is on and my work laptop is hidden away which means my Shared Parental Leave has officially started

Very excited (and lucky) to have 3 and a bit months going on adventures with the boy!

Very happy to be re-elected Secretary and excited to see what the next 12 months holds for @big-stem-network.bsky.social!

A white man and white woman hold a silver trophy in front of a book case

Well, it's been a bit of a whirlwind and our event manager has struggled to find time for social media

But here's a highlight for you!

The winners of this year's Best Demo Competition, in joint 1st place, are @kathrynboast.bsky.social and @petergallivan.bsky.social

Pregnant woman wearing a purple vest and yellow cardigan, resting her hands on her belly. Text on the image says 'We're seeing a big increase in numbers of pregnant women getting vaccinated against whooping cough'

Our latest data shows an increase in the number of pregnant women getting vaccinated against #WhoopingCough.

Vaccination rates in England climbed from 59% in May 2024 to nearly 73% in March this year.

Find out more: www.gov.uk/government/n...

#EpiSki #MedSky

🚀 Exciting update! A new team of 5 Editorial Board members and 10 Content Editors is leading the refresh of the BSI's BiteSized Immunology.

The updated resource, with fresh content for learners & educators, launches early next year.

See the new team ➡️ bit.ly/4nbLzI9

A white woman with short brown and purple hair, a blue top and a headset mic stands in front of a white background

🌟 Beetlestone Award 2025 🌟

The Beetlestone Award Organising Committee is delighted to announce the 2025 winner of this prestigious Award, given for leadership and legacy in Communicating Science, is Dr Katie Steckles.

Stopped at a service station with a truly outstanding choice of where to get your coffee.

• Costa Coffee (shop)
• Costa Express (booth next to shop)
• Costa Express (in WHSmiths opposite the shop)
• Costa Coffee (drive thru)

What is the business model here?!

How UK paternity leave compares to the rest of Europe Most dads in the UK get two weeks off work after their baby is born, but dads in many European countries get more.

🚹 Report: #PaternityLeave policies vary in Europe but the UK's offer is "one of the worst in the developed world".

🇬🇧 2 weeks at £187.18 a week
🇪🇸 6 weeks with full pay
🇩🇰 24 weeks at full pay
🇸🇪 10 months: First 390 days up to SEK47,750 (£3,590) a month.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

a man with long curly hair and a beard is eating a piece of cheesecake Alt: a man with long curly hair and a beard doing a chefs kiss

Cracking first Fathers Day.

Saw some animals at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, ate Popeyes for tea in the drive so we didn’t disturb the boys nap and then he did a poo so big it leaked out of his nappy and onto me.

Perfection.

At the BIG Event 2025, we're doing things a little differently! Let's dive into some of the changes

Session Themes - We've got 4 dedicated tracks of themed content across all our sessions, so you'll be able to focus on the topics which suit you!

This will be clear on the web and in our brochure!

Carb loading (eating a takeaway) ahead of the big race tomorrow (a local parkrun). I'm basically a professional runner at this point.

An advert for the BIG Event 2025. A collage of images of attendees are shown, plus green and purple text which reads "HYBRID PASS AVAILABLE NOW". The Ri logo is shown alongside a purple graphic with green text that reads "London 2025. 16th - 18th July". At the bottom text reads "Register for 1,2 or all 3 conference days, or book our online hybrid ticket. Booking now open"

Did you know you can join the BIG Event from anywhere in the world?

The majority of our sessions will be run as hybrid, including the world famous Best Demo Competition!

For just £75, you get access to all of these sessions and the resources that come with them!

www.big.uk.com/BIG2025

also you all need to see this, because this is something I don't think *anybody* could predict for where this ad goes

Career opportunity ALERT! 🚀

Become a BSI BiteSized Immunology Content Editor or join the Editorial Board to oversee content for one of our most popular resources.

Gain valuable experience in science communication & content creation. Apply by 23 May: bit.ly/42A4zru

A collection of circular hard enamel pins which say "It's Dr, Actually". The backgrounds of the pins are in the style of the nonbinary, trans, agender, genderqueer, genderfluid, bigender, intersex, lesbian, and progress pride flags. There are also flagless backgrounds in black, white, hot pink, pearlescent purple, pearlescent dark green, pearlescent pink, pearlescent light blue, and pearlescent light green. A handwritted URL directs you to look up CanopyRobin.Etsy.Com

They're finally here! The full range of "It's Dr, Actually" pins is now available, thanks to your support!

Please share them as much as possible so that they reach the people who'll love them: canopyrobin.etsy.com/listing/1841...

These are new voluntary roles for @britsocimm.bsky.social, with lots of scope for shaping what BiteSized Immunology is going to look like in the future.

So if you're an ECR wanting valuable #SciComm writing experience or a senior immunologist and wanting to give back, get in touch!

Very excited that these are now live!

We're doing a big refresh of our brilliant @britsocimm.bsky.social BiteSized Immunology resource and the first step is we're looking for volunteers to be Content Editors and Editoral Board Members.

Happy to chat with anyone that has any questions.

Not why I joined a remote org, but it's going to make our lives so much easier in November. Wife is a teacher but as I'm WFH I can walk to the great nursery over the road at 8.30 and 5pm without worrying about factoring a commute into my day. Bonus is that we only need one car as well.

Every 10 seconds vaccination saves a life. Immunization for all is Humanly Possible

It’s #WorldImmunizationWeek

Vaccines have saved 154 million lives in the last 50 years. That’s 6 lives every minute.

A reminder of what is #HumanlyPossible. Science saves lives.

#VaccinesWork
bit.ly/wiw2025

Vaccination in pregnancy to protect the newborn - Nature Reviews Immunology In this Review, Male and Jones provide an overview of the current vaccines that are offered during pregnancy and to newborns, explaining the rationale behind the different vaccination programmes and t...

👶🏼 Many #vaccines are not effective in newborns. So how do we protect them from infectious disease?

🤰🏽 By vaccination in #pregnancy!

Here we review…

💉 Established campaigns vs whooping cough, flu, COVID

💡 New approaches to RSV, GBS

🌈 Future challenges, opportunities

#ReproSky #ImmunoSky #IDSky

In the shadow of the recent court decision, hopefully it comes out in my writing but: trans rights are human rights and 'biological sex' is a complex non-binary phenomenon.

Filing this very much under 'I'll believe when I see it' but I'd really like it to happen.

Really enjoyed the Eurostar experience for our Paris trip a couple of years ago and it would be great to go a lot further into Europe. Would happily do that rather than flying, especially with a little one!

Love this! As someone with a deep love of sci-fi and a lot of the books that are referenced, it makes me so sad and angry that these powerful people are just completely missing the point of the sci-fi they claim as inspiration.

On the upside, it does remind me of an all-time favourite Twitter post

🚨 Applications are OPEN for the BSI's #EDI grant!

Secure up to £500 to fund activities promoting diversity and inclusion in immunology. Together, we can create a brighter future where every voice is heard & valued!

🗓️ Apply by 9 June 2025: bit.ly/3gYExJv

I’m aware it’s such a minor complaint as I don’t even get it that bad. Only started a couple of years ago so I still forget it’s a thing for me. And in my defence, I’m not an immunologist (or know very much about immunology)

a person holding a plant with a national geographic logo on the bottom Alt: a person holding a plant and blowing the pollen off it

It’s the ‘I wonder why I’m suddenly feeling a bit naff and rundown before I remember it’s spring and I have hay fever so should take an antihistamine’ time of year.