Chandan Devireddy, MD, MBA

I was fortunate to be able to spend one month on Dr. Bartlett's critical care elective in medical school. He was a dedicated physician who examined each patient with fresh perspectives of intellectual curiosity. Quite an amazing life story. RIP legend!

Not sure if any non-AI bot really cares, but I'm going to take a month break from social media to clear my headspace and restore my attention span to factory settings as I study for my 10year recertification exam. Stay sane and healthy out there!

‘Based on what I feel’: Trump escalates attack on childhood vaccines Trump promoted long-debunked claims that vaccines can cause autism as he called for changes to the childhood immunization schedule sought by anti-vaccine activists.

Trump’s attack on vaccines yesterday — delivered from the White House — “was the most dangerously irresponsible press conference in the realm of public health in American history” @pauloffit.bsky.social told us.

More on Trump’s false claims with @lenasun.bsky.social

My deepest shock is watching Oz’s eyes absorbing the scene in front of him. I heard Oz present a talk at a cardiovascular conference many years ago. He knows better. How can someone so cheaply abandon their medical principles like this? Hippocrates rolling in his grave watching this fire.

Any qualified medical professional has an instant reaction of shock and horror in hearing this clip. This is dangerous

The curious case of the tigers who changed their stripes A century ago, India’s tigers were on the brink of extinction. Slowly, their numbers have rebounded. But that ecological success has prompted a dire problem—and a race to save many of them from geneti...

A 19-page article in the National Geographic that covers the work of @uramakri.bsky.social @ncbsbangalore.bsky.social @tifr.res.in on black tigers, mutation load and corridors for tiger migration.

Important story and impactful work.
👏🏾

www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

i don’t think people on bluesky understand the severity of this situation.

i woke up to literally hundreds of texts from friends and family thinking about either moving back home to india or applying to other countries for jobs. this includes me.

I have to say, did not realize that the path to Turkmenistan as a country was so direct

Operation Warp Speed was arguably one of the most successful policy initiatives in recent history, accelerating vaccine delivery that saved millions of lives.

It’s remarkable to see some now urging the leaders who backed it to disown the achievement.

So sir…does this also apply to seatbelts and childseats in cars? Should Florida parents just be given the right in all matters related to their children? Maybe they should have the right to give them a small bump of cocaine in the morning if that fits their worldview?…This is absolutely bonkers

Florida Says It Plans to End All Vaccine Mandates

We are descending further into madness. This is not a drill. This is snake-oil quackery now endangering the health of millions of children.

Florida Says It Plans to End All Vaccine Mandates www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/u...

Opinion | We Ran the C.D.C.: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health

Prior CDC directors under both Republican & Democrat administrations speak out regarding RFK Jr & his anti-science actions endangering the public’s health & what to do about it
“This is unacceptable, & it should alarm every American, regardless of political leanings.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...

ICE is entering hospitals. How far can health care workers go to protect patients? Workers, wary for patients' rights, say their employers should offer more guidance and training about the kinds of immigration encounters happening now.

This past week, ICE seized people while they were fighting a wildfire in Washington State.

Today, this report about hospitals and surgical centers in California.

calmatters.org/health/2025/...

AI = Arrested Intelligence?

Photos: Mother Nature must be really annoyed at our fakery A polar bear in a zoo, a hotel balcony overlooking elephants, a tree mural shrouded by haze: They're images from the new book The Anthropocene Illusion, about the way humans are remaking Earth.

It was a pleasure talking with Zed Nelson about his arresting new book "The Anthropocene Illusion."

Fair warning, the photos may leave you feeling a sort of gnawing emptiness at our capacity for artifice and delusion... at least that was my reaction.
www.npr.org/sections/goa...

Photo of several people crouching to collect data in an experimental garden of scarlet monkeyflowers

Photo of many scarlet monkeyflowers growing in an experimental garden

Photo of a hummingbird perched on a faded pink pin flag, with several blooming scarlet monkeyflowers all around, and a blue pin flag and environmental data logger visible in the background

Yesterday was the last day of data collection for our scarlet monkeyflower project involving a resurrection study in 3 latitudinally arrayed common gardens. With tons of support from family, friends, and colleagues along the way, the literal seeds of this project developed in 2010.

I miss the old brand #CDC

Complete chaos

I have never seen so many public servants protest the mismanagement of a government. Trumpists will point to this as proof of the deep state, but the reality is that these are professionals who are desperately trying to get the public to understand how bad things are.

YouTube video by Associated Press LIVE: CDC staff plan walkout at Atlanta HQ after Trump firings

AP live feed of the CDC walkout in Atlanta. www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ7Q...

AJC to move to fully digital publication, phase out print Dec. 31 The AJC will continue to publish distinctive journalism every day and with urgency on its website, mobile app, as well as through video, podcasts and other digital platforms.

I have been truly impressed with @ajc.com reporting & felt that the print edition provided an enhanced experience. Change is inevitable but I’m nervous about our future media landscape. This is a sad day in the Southland! Please keep our local journalism alive! www.ajc.com/business/202...

My resignation letter from CDC. Dear Dr. Houry, I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business. I am happy to stay on for two weeks to provide transition, if requested. This decision has not come easily, as I deeply value the work that the CDC does in safeguarding public health and am proud of my contributions to that critical mission. However, after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough. While I hold immense respect for the institution and my colleagues, I believe that it is imperative to align my professional responsibilities to my system of ethics and my understanding of the science of infectious disease, immunology, and my promise to serve the American people. This step is necessary to ensure that I can contribute effectively in a capacity that allows me to remain true to my principles.

The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people. The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership. This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a “frequently asked questions” document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors. Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people. It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC. The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense. Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function. Some examples include the announcement of the change in the COVID-19 recommendations for children and pregnant people, the firing of scientists from ACIP by X post and an op-ed rather than direct communication with these valuable experts, the announcement of new ACIP members by X before onboarding and vetting have completed, and the release of term of reference for an ACIP workgroup that ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC.

Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults. Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc. I have always been first to challenge scientific and public health dogma in my career and was excited by the opportunity to do so again. I was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to brief the Secretary about key topics such as measles, avian influenza, and the highly coordinated approach to the respiratory virus season. Such briefings would allow exchange of ideas and a shared path to support the vision of “Making America Healthy Again.” We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary. I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us. Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources. At a hearing, Secretary Kennedy said that Americans should not take medical advice from him. To the contrary, an appropriately briefed and inquisitive Secretary should be a source of health information for the people he serves. As it stands now, I must agree with him, that he should not be considered a source of accurate information. The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer. I believe in nutrition and exercise. I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability. Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun.

The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud. I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions’ words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur. I reject his and his colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed. For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics. I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision. Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration that I have been afforded during my time at the CDC. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the nation even when under attack from within both physically and psychologically. Thank you once again for the support and guidance I have received from you and previous CDC leadership throughout my tenure. I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution. If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States.

Full resignation letter from Demetre C. Daskalakis, a CDC leader, does not hold back.
"The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud."

Breaking News: Read three top CDC officials' resignation emails. The end of an era.

Enough is enough. The health of the country is in danger. Read our resignation letters: insidemedicine.substack.com/p/breaking-n...

Sadly, this is the timeline we are tracking

RFK Jr to CDC director Susan Monarez, "You're outta here!"
Susan Monarez to RFK Jr, "Hold my sub sandwich..."

Heroes in our public service are making sharp sacrifices to stand against extremist attacks on our institutions.

What a contrast to what others are doing.

bsky.app/profile/mark...

“I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health.”
That’s from the resignation of CDC’s Demetre Daskalakis @drdemetre.bsky.social (on X)
🧪

Wow