Hailey Robertson

ICYMI: Trans people's IDs in Kansas were revoked overnight. They are:
- Unable to drive
- Unable to fly
- Unable to leave the state on their own
- Unable to apply for work
- Unable to vote (Kansas has voter ID)
- Unable to apply for driver's licenses in *any other state* /1

The Kansas driver's license law is purely about bigotry, stigmatization, and criminalization of difference. It serves no rational or legitimate purpose. A 🧵1/

Expert engagement and evidence use in treaty negotiations 24 Pages Posted: Anna Bezruki affiliation not provided to SSRN Chloe Batie Yale University Colin Carlson Yale University Date Written: February 10, 2026 Abstract Science-and evidence-based decision-making are core values in global health, but in multilateral processes, they often take a backseat to politics. The Pandemic Agreement requires Parties to use "the best available science and evidence as the basis for public health decisions for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response," but is the treaty itself evidence-based? In this chapter, we trace how scientific and technical evidence were introduced into the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body. External experts were a key source of advice, especially on legal issues, but they were mostly excluded from the negotiations. Over time, Member States began to treat Relevant Stakeholders as a secondary source of technical expertise, introducing potential conflicts of interest into the process. In the end, scientists and stakeholders successfully leveraged scientific authority to facilitate the incorporation of One Health approach to pandemic prevention (Articles 4 and 5)-but otherwise, the treaty was shaped more by politics and pragmatism than by science. Moving forward, the Conference of Parties will be an opportunity for Member States to establish formal channels for scientific evidence synthesis and engagement-or to preserve a status quo that falls substantially behind evidence-based global governance in other areas. Keywords: Citation networks, evidence-based policy, One Health, Pandemic Agreement, scientometrics, World Health Organization

Figure 1. Evidence use in the WHO Pandemic Agreement negotiations: (A) by user type and evidence type; and (B) by individual users and documents. Flows are proportional to the number of instances. In panel B, shaded flows represent self-citations by individual contributors (purple) or by organizations (red).

Figure 2. Evidence use networks connecting documents (red) and users (blue). Edge width and node size is proportional to the number of references made. For visual clarity, only the most influential nodes are labeled. Layout is based on network connections and readability, and does not necessarily reflect node properties (e.g., centrality).

NEW‼️ For the forthcoming Pandemic Agreement travaux préparatoires edited by @alexandraphelan.bsky.social, we did a deep dive on how experts and evidence shaped the negotiations. What we found is a microcosm of global health: limited time, high stakes, and familiar shady actors like Big Pharma. (1/3)

Something very different and cool for my lab. Sequencing a 4.4mb TB genome using the Artic-style PCR amplicon method with >5128 primers in two reactions 🤯

Enables culture-free WGS for TB!

journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Ahh! It’s so cool to see my book out in the world, especially in the hands of former students who’ve become friends! @haileyrobertson.bsky.social got in on the ground floor back in 2018, providing invaluable research assistance for the data project culminating in this book!

Holding the book “Governing Truth: NGOs and the Politics of Transitional Justice” by Kelebogile Zvobgo

So excited for my copy of Governing Truth by @kellyzvobgo.bsky.social — an absolutely monumental research effort. Highly recommend to anyone curious about what it takes for transitional justice (and specifically, truth commissions) to succeed in the face of impunity and political violence.

You have to read this. Firsthand affidavit from one of the women who was there and recording the video. She talks about how Alex Pretti was directing traffic when she arrived. She watched him be killed in front of her. She's afraid to go home, worried she'll be arrested.

We’re Hiring! — Verena The Verena Institute is looking for a full stack developer or full stack development team (hereafter, the “Supplier”) to assist with the maintenance, documentation, and development of the Pathogen H...

We're looking for a full-stack developer! Help us build the best open data platforms for pandemic prediction in the world.

Probably a short-term contract, but if you're looking for a full-time gig, let's talk. Inquire within: www.viralemergence.org/blog/were-hi...

Our paper on the Genomic Epidemiology of DENV2/3 in Colombia and the Americas is finally out @cp-cellreports.bsky.social, check it out: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Big thanks to my collaborators @lambod50.bsky.social, @viralverity.bsky.social, @nathangrubaugh.bsky.social, and many others!

Jesus.

www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...

we're excited to share that Proceedings B has also come on board for listing PHAROS as a recommended repository for open wildlife pathogen and parasite testing data! thanks to @royalsociety.org for the support. @viralemergence.org
royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/pages/f...

Evolutionary history of Jamestown Canyon virus disentangles complex multi-vector ecology Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV) is a re-emerging mosquito-borne virus of increasing concern in North America. It has been historically understudied, leading to significant gaps in our understanding of it...

🦟📄 New preprint! Our first large-scale phylodynamic study of Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV) reveals how mosquito ecology shapes the evolution, persistence, and spread of this understudied arbovirus in North America.

Read it here! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Check out our new print that combines dense sequencing and phylodynamics to uncover a bunch of 😎 things about an understudied virus.

- Doesn't evolve for 10 months a year ✅
- Uses some mossies for maintenance, others for spread ✅
- Established in Northeast for ~300 years ✅

Important read. Among many other things, Judge Ellis found that Kristi Noem "commented that the more people protest, the harder the government will come after them."

From data to Viz | Find the graphic you need A classification of chart types based on their input data format.

I like From Data to Viz: www.data-to-viz.com

I find it especially helpful for beginners because it a) gives an overview and "common mistakes" for each plot type and b) interfaces with R/Python Graph Gallery so you can immediately get to basic implementation!

General_Instructions Instructions for Authors Authors who publish their papers under our open access model or who are NIH-funded will have their paper automatically depos

Exciting news to start 2026: for the first time ever, the PHAROS repository for wildlife disease surveillance is a journal-recommended home for your archived data!

Thanks to Integrative and Comparative Biology for taking the leap with us 🦠🔢➡️🌎💻💫 academic.oup.com/icb/pages/Ge...

Variations in annual dengue intensities are explained by temperature anomalies

Our new work led by Abbey Porzucek, @rafalpx.bsky.social, @colincarlson.bsky.social, Dan Weinberger to develop a method to compare relative dengue intensity between years and countries.

www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...

Behold: the first-ever list of news outlets that have banned generative AI in their reporting. As of today, this is literally information that you cannot find on Google.

My goal is to fill the starter pack, so please send over suggestions with supporting evidence!

go.bsky.app/8cn1XfT

A conceptual figure outlining a protocol for using species distribution models to prioritize sampling for pathogens in wildlife

A scientific figure showing a case study of the protocol applied to Arenaviridae in rodents in India

🚨🐭🦠 New preprint!

Monitoring wildlife disease is expensive, so we need to be smart about where we sample to get as much useful info as possible.

We show how SDMs can guide adaptive sampling for zoonotic disease surveillance, using case studies in rodents.

This is, not a joke, one of my favourite papers in a long time. Absolutely stellar co-authors, but also a straight line from "nitpicky little nerds obsessing over sampling" to "translational research with clear implications for management". Go read all about it here: ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...

Weird wet weather has Joshua trees flowering early — or late? Help the Yoder Lab map this “bonus bloom” to understand why A flowering tree in Yucca Valley, CA, observed by iNaturalist contributor wanderingmojave on December 9. A tree with lots of flowers in Tehachapi, CA, observed by iNaturalist contributor tina9294 o…

I started getting reports of an unseasonal Joshua tree bloom in the last few weeks, and looking over records on @inaturalist.bsky.social it's pretty widespread! So we're putting out the call for folks to record this "bonus bloom" and help us study it 🌿

lab.jbyoder.org/2025/12/10/w...

Photo shared by Christina Nguyen on December 04, 2025 tagging @naomi.marie__, @nathanmiller612, @rubyscher, @holaarepa, @birksg, @chefjholig, and @haihaimpls. May be an image of text that says 'AS SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE HEARD, I.C.E. PAID US A VISIT AT AREPA YESTERDAY. OUR GM NAOMI & TEAM MEMBERS FOLLOWED OUR ICE PROTOCOL PERFECTLY, THE AGENTS LEFT & NO ONE WAS DETAINED. tO WHOEVER NEEDS THIS: KNOW YOUR RIGHTS WHEN IT COMES TO I.C.E. (1/5)'. christinanguyenmpls 11h We had an ICE scare yesterday and even though we’re afraid of the repercussions of being vocal, we feel that it’s also important to inform people that this is right at our front door. ICE is not some far away boogeyman. They are here right now, spreading fear in our community. We’re so grateful to our entire staff and their bravery. They did the right things and couldn’t have dealt with this situation in a better way. We are grateful to our community activists that came to support us from @miracmn @litosonlake and Monarcha. We hope that if you find yourself in the same situation, that you find these resources helpful. Peace and take care of each other ❤️

Photo by Christina Nguyen on December 04, 2025. May be an image of text that says 'IF I.C.E. COMES TO YOUR RESTAURANT: UNLESS THE AGENTS HAVE A SIGNED JUDICIAL WARRANT, THEY CANNOT ENTER A PRIVATE AREA LIKE THE KITCHEN WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION EVEN IF THEY LIE AND SAY THY DON'T NEED A WARRANT, STAND YOUR GROUND AND INSIST THAT YOU NEED PAPERWORK (2/5)'.

Photo by Christina Nguyen on December 04, 2025. May be an image of text that says 'IF I.C.E. COMES TO YOUR RESTAURANT: HAVE OTHER STAFF OR PEOPLE PRESENT RECORD THEM AND EVERYTHING THEY ARE SAYING. (PEOPLE DOING UNLAWFUL THINGS HATE BEING CAUGHT IN TH ACT) YOU HAVE THE RIGHT to REFUSE SERVICE & YOU CAN ASK M tO LEAVE YOUR PRIVATE PROPERTY IF THY DON'T HAVE A WARRANT. (3/5)'.

WE ARE HEARTBROKEN THAT OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES IN THE TWIN CITIES ARE BEING TARGETED AND TERRORIZED BY THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION. THESE ARE REAL PEOPLE THAT ARE BEING USED AS POLITICAL PAWNS AND IT'S APPALLING. REGARDLESS OF THEIR LEGAL STATUS, THERE ARE SO MANY LATINOS & SOMALIANS WHO ARE AFRAID OF BEING DETAINED DUE TO MISTAKEN IDENTITY BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY MIGHT NOT GET DUE PROCESS & A FAIR TRIAL. THEY WILL JUST END UP IN DETENTION CENTERS & A LEGAL PROCESS THAT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS A BLACK HOLE. WE STAND IN SUPPORT OF OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY, WHO ARE THE BACKBONE OF THIS COUNTRY. WITHOUT IMMIGRANTS, AMERICA IS NOT THE SAME PLACE. STAY SAFE OUT THERE & TAKE CARE OF YOUR NEIGHBORS. LOVE, HOLA AREPA & HAI HAI (5/5)

ICE raided a James Beard award winning restaurant & because the chef/owner was prepared, left emptyhanded:

Bad framing: ACIP voted to scrap the universal hepatitis B vaccine recommendation for newborns.

Accurate framing: Anti-vax conspiracy theorists appointed to ACIP by Robert Kennedy Jr., who made a fortune as an anti-vax profiteer, voted to expose babies to a preventable, incurable, deadly illness.

Hi everyone, I wanted to share some sad news about the future of the Verena program. As you know, in September, NSF delayed our annual payment indefinitely, and asked us to keep spending closer and closer to zero until they could “justify” another payment. We began to run out of funds at some universities this month, and will be fully spent out by late spring, so the goal was to get paid in December. We’ve been working with our program officer to make this happen, but sadly, we’ve learned we’re not getting an increment again, and there’s no clarity on when or how much we will be paid in the remainder of the grant (through September 1, 2027). Because of this, the Executive Committee has made the difficult decision to essentially shut the BII down until / unless something changes. What that means is an indefinite end to all programs (e.g., seminar), training activities (integration workshops, trainee corner), and evaluation. On research, what’s able to continue will have to be navigated by each investigator; our goal is to work together to push out all the impactful science we’ve spent three years collecting and analyzing data for, but we also know that priorities may shift around to keep people employed. If we’re lucky, Congress will pass a budget that lets us continue doing something like what we planned, and we’ll pick that back up when Zoe and Collin are back in April. Until then, Verena will continue to exist as a community where we can collaborate (and give and receive support!), and we’re working to find funding sources that can pick up from where the BII left off. On a personal note: it’s been the privilege of a lifetime to work with all of you, and an unbelievably lucky thing to get to run an NSF center in my 20s. I’ve loved this project, and I hope it’s made as much of a difference in your lives as it has in mine. In case I don’t see you later: happy holidays, be well, and so long and thanks for all the viruses. Best, Colin

Yesterday, we sent this message to the @viralemergence.org team, bringing a (hopefully temporary) end to our project three years into what started as a decade of planned work. /1

They’re killing people as a twitter joke. It’s depraved. Can’t let yourself lose the capacity to be appalled and disgusted and outraged by this.

a grey cat with big eyes leaning towards the camera

🫡

I'm excited to announce that the first chapter of dissertation is published in @commsbio.nature.com !!! and i feel super fortunate that it could be published during bat week 💗🦇 www.nature.com/articles/s42... @danjbecker.bsky.social @colincarlson.bsky.social @/amandavicentesantos

yale's beautiful campus from overhead

🚨 We're about to start reviewing applications, but there's still time to reach out for our postdoc position on climate change impact attribution! If you have experience with attribution science or climate epidemiology, and want to help us launch the Global Burden of Climate Change Study, reach out!

"Health losses attributed to anthropogenic climate change," a brief communication in the journal Nature Climate Change. There's a map showing regions of the world, and pie charts of relevant studies as they apply to different health impacts like "heat-related deaths" and "maternal and child health"

🚨 NEW: Climate change is already causing 30,000 deaths per year - a global annual economic loss of $100-350B USD - but the true damage is probably 10x higher. Out TODAY in Nature Climate Change: the first systematic look at the science of "health impact attribution" 🔓 www.nature.com/articles/s41...