Steve Joffe

Spreading vaccine fears. And cashing in. Anti-vaccine messaging is a multimillion dollar business. Meet the influencers making money by dealing doubt about the coronavirus vaccines.

publicintegrity.org/health/coron...

Once struggling, anti-vaccination groups have enjoyed a pandemic windfall Newly filed tax records show that ICAN, one of the country’s best-funded anti-vaccine organizations, saw a 60 percent jump in revenue in 2020.

www.nbcnews.com/tech/interne...

For Some Anti-Vaccine Advocates, Misinformation Is Part Of A Business The coronavirus pandemic has created an opening for vaccine opponents to peddle alternative therapies, unproven cures and website subscriptions.

Also profiteering: www.npr.org/sections/hea...

TT #PhilJobs in Philosophy Dept joint w/ Bouvé College of Health in Ethics & Health @ Northeastern University, Boston. Ph.D. in #Philosophy, #HPS #STS, #Bioethics
To apply northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/careers/job/...

Review of applications begins December 15 til position is filled.

This is a great story, but adjuvant systemic chemotherapy for breast cancer was tested as early as the '50s. The National Cancer Institute funded a cooperative group, the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) specifically for this purpose. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK130...

Smack between a Scaramucci and a head of lettuce.

Experts say top FDA official’s claim that Covid vaccines caused kids’ deaths requires more evidence The FDA’s top vaccine regulator asserted in a staff email that the Covid vaccine caused at least 10 kids' deaths, but experts told STAT they are skeptical of the “extraordinary” claim because it was n...

W/o showing his work, Prasad blames at least 10 pediatric deaths on the COVID vax.

Meanwhile, a "2023 JAMA paper said that during the 12 months ending in July 2022, 821 people aged 19 and under died of Covid." The authors also indicated that was an underestimate.

www.statnews.com/2025/11/29/c...

Payments to Physician Practices and Incentives to Serve Different Racial and Ethnic Groups This study measures disparities across patient racial and ethnic groups in per-visit payment to physician practices from health insurers and other sources, adjusted for visit content, geographic marke...

🚨New Paper🚨 US doctors are paid very different amounts for treating different patients—even when providing identical services.

How much less are physicians paid for treating non-White patients?

In @jamahealthforum.com, we offer the 1st national estimates. (1/7)

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Hunter syndrome: Boy with rare condition amazes doctors after world-first gene therapy Oliver has an inherited condition called Hunter syndrome, which causes progressive damage to the body and brain.

Amazing! Science is so cool.
Hunter syndrome: Boy with rare condition amazes doctors after world-first gene therapy share.google/POY4UXyNcBUL...

FDA review staff was excluded from voting on whether to approve first priority voucher drug Top officials like Vinay Prasad and George Tidmarsh voted on the drug, a major break from the FDA's typical practice.

“You are taking the decision away from the reviewers, and you’re putting it in the hands of the political leaders of FDA,” Fernandez Lynch said.

It doesn't take an expert to understand how bad this is. More great reporting from @lizzylawrence.bsky.social

www.statnews.com/2025/11/21/t...

Working on a project about AI and trust in historically marginalized communities and need your voices. 🙏 If you’re open to sharing your views (and maybe a short video), please take this quick survey and share widely. Selected video contributors get a $25 gift card. 💳🗣️ Link: forms.gle/RFvedx2e2Lmd...

What Americans Should Understand About the Military Disobeying Illegal Orders And why it matters there are two military oaths.

By @markhertling.bsky.social:
www.thebulwark.com/p/what-ameri... Clarifying duties (plural) of military personnel toward unlawful orders. "Officers are duty-bound to refuse an unlawful order. It is not optional. It is not situational. It is their job" Different oath for officers; I didn't know that

This is one of the most internally contradictory lines I have ever seen in a supposedly authoritative piece. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

The classic, from @theonion.com.

theonion.com/no-way-to-pr...

Reading this remarkable piece will help you imagine.

gizmodo.com/the-last-of-...

But also: if tumor testing shows a variant in a cancer predisposition gene, the likelihood it will also be present in the germline differs a lot between genes.

The key message. If tumor (somatic) testing reveals a variant in a cancer predisposition gene, our data suggests a 20% chance that it's present in the germline. Oncologists should test for it.

Germline Cancer Predisposition Results From the National Cancer Institute-Children's Oncology Group Pediatric MATCH Trial - PubMed Coordinated germline and tumor panel testing was feasible and revealed P/LP CPG variants in 6.3% of the Pediatric MATCH cohort. Tumor variant fraction, germline association of CPG with tumor type, and adult-oriented guidelines were not predictive of germline status, emphasizing the need for systemat …

Happy to report that the results of germline testing as part of the National Cancer Institute/Children’s Oncology Group MATCH precision oncology trial was published. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41166674/

If Whiskey can't have my wife, he'll make do with her shoe.

Congrats to Dr. Harsha Thirumurthy on his latest running achievement! He ran the Tunnel Hill 50-mile race in Illinois. He finished in 5:38:27, setting a new American men’s record in his age group, and breaking the previous record which had stood for a quarter century! @hthirumurthy.bsky.social

Administration Live Updates: Trump Appeals Ruling That Orders Fast and Full SNAP Payments

MAHA actually stands for Make America Hungry Again.

www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11...

“If you sit there with someone who says Adolf Hitler was very, very cool, and that their mission is to combat and defeat global Jewry, and you say nothing, then you are a coward and you are complicit in that evil”. Cruz was right. Had he been feeling braver, he would not have stopped there.

Not just the lede...the whole article is wow.

Eagerly awaiting a letter from 1000 rabbis denouncing the Carlson-Fuentes interview. www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

Oh and GRC is Governance, Risk, and Compliance.

Odd name for an AI company.

We're thrilled to announce we're recruiting for our #T32 #ELSI postdoc. Position starts Summer 2026. Please spread the word!

Learn more and apply: medicalethicshealthpolicy.med.upenn.edu/elsipostdoc

Penn’s written response to the Compact for Academic Excellence | Penn Today To the Penn Community,As I communicated to you on October 16, 2025, we sent a letter to the Department of Education in response to their request for limited, targeted feedback about the proposed Compa...

Really appreciate this letter from Penn's President Jameson responding to the proposed "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education."

penntoday.upenn.edu/announcement...

This is a fantastic, well-supported 3-year post-doc in our Division of Medical Ethics at Penn. Please share (and apply if interested!)

2/ If you're interested & at #ASBH25, DM or email me. Let's talk!